We have driven past this place a million times as we travel up and down 470 along the west side of Denver. It looked intriguing with a dirt track twisting and turning up and down the side of a hill, big jumps and little jumps along the path. But it never seemed worth the time to figure out how to get to it.
Then as we were headed out to enjoy the sunshine by taking some "field trips," we noticed a number of riders on the track as we drove past. So...we got off at the next exit (Alameda) and worked our way back to the track. The gates were open, no admission was being charged, and we parked among the other pickups and SUVs. We watched guys unload their dirt bikes, get suited up, warm up/check out their bikes, and head for the track.
It was fun to watch the couple of riders already on the track, but it was even more exciting when 5-6 riders zoomed around. Often you could see one rider just landing as another took off on some of the biggest jumps!
I talked for awhile with one of the riders getting ready to go out. Apparently this is a professional track, used for a televised race one week during the summer. Other times, anyone who wants to pay $12 can use it to practice and hone their skills. Riders range from younger ones who are professional wanna-bes to local competitors to guys out riding for the fun of it.
I don't know that I would want to be here during a competition---too much money, noise, crowds, commotion---but it's a great place to have a tail-gate picnic and watch the fun for awhile on a sunny day!
Here is the website for Thunder Valley (photos, directions, race schedule and more):
http://www.mxthundervalley.com/
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