Madden to Cremona Return, 52 km, Intermediate, Merv Matson

ROAD RIDE - LEVEL : Intermediate

Coordinator: Merv Matson

Distance: 52 km

Pace: 15-20 km/hr

Elevation Gain:

This is a gentle out-and-back through beautiful farming country north of Calgary - no one left behind. We'll see nice farms, lush, green fields, small streams, gently (mostly) rolling hills and valleys, and panoramic mountain views. Symons Valley Road gets you to Madden from the south. 

Madden: We start and finish at the parking lot of the Madden Community Centre, immediately south of the Beaver Dam Golf Course parking lot. The golf course has a restaurant.

Cremona: The nicely-situated village of Cremona is 26 km to the north-west of Madden. For lunch we'll muster at the start of the Nature Trail on the south side of Railway Avenue (SH580), opposite Centre Street, and optionally head to the Coyote Grill for a coffee and sandwich.

Routes (SH = Secondary Highway, RR = Range Road, TR = Township Road):

From Madden to Cremona: https://goo.gl/q65Ykc
- north 1.4 km on Symons Valley Road (aka SH772) and RR30
- west 1.6 km on TR290
- north 9.7 km on SH766
- west 13.2 km on SH580.

From Cremona to Madden, return the same route, or for variety cut off the 766-580 intersection: https://goo.gl/1aS37R
- east 6.1 km on SH580
- south 7.0 km on RR35
- east 7.1 km on TR292
- south 2.7 km on SH766
- east 1.6 km on TR290
- south 1.4 km on Symons Valley Road (aka SH772) and RR30.

The roads are all paved and the surface is generally good, but rough in a few places, notably close to Madden. The shoulder comes and goes, but the roads are not too busy. There's a porta-pottie at the southwest corner of the Madden Community Centre and another at the east end of the Nature Trail in Cremona, but there's a good chance they may be shut down due to the pandemic. 

https://elbowvalleycc.org/event-4376161