Passes & Canyons Blog

One really nice ride that I don’t have on the website is Guanella Pass, which runs from Georgetown on the north down to U.S. 285 at Grant, west of Bailey, on the south. Here’s a map but the mapping software doesn’t bring in smaller roads unless I zoom in more, and then it won’t all fit on the screen. I don’t have this pass on the site because a significant portion of it is unpaved, particularly up at the top where the going can be quite rough.

Still, if you’ve got the right kind of bike and an adventurous spirit, this is a really nice pass and there’s not a lot of traffic. Plus, it’s close in to Denver so it makes an easy day ride. I would strongly recommend you not try this on your Gold Wing, however.

If you do decide you want to take this ride I would also strongly recommend that you do it in the middle of summer. The last time we went over it, two years ago in late April in a car, there was still snow at the top and even in the car it was treacherous. Not to mention muddy as we got down below the level of the snow.

There has been talk over the years of paving Guanella Pass completely, but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. It is already paved for a good bit, although the asphalt is old and in bad shape. That may be changing, however. The most recent push for paving the entire road was fought out between those for and those against, with those against saying it would ruin the beauty and charm of the route. I don’t think there is any doubt it would have a significant effect, because I’m sure it would bring a lot more traffic up there.

The dispute was settled with a decision to improve the road, partially to prevent erosion, but not to pave or widen the whole thing. I’m guessing that means the old, broken-down asphalt will be repaved, some areas particularly prone to erosion may be paved for the first time, and other lesser enhancements made. This photo gives you a bit of an idea about the condition of the asphalt, at least back in April 2006.

If you’re not inclined to take this road on your bike you might want to consider going in your car. It really is beautiful, there are some very nice campgrounds up there, and there is a lot of wildlife. We saw mountain goats and big-horn sheep as well as other animals. Here’s a shot of one of the guys we saw. He was being pretty protective of the females in his group.

Biker Quote for Today

There is no such thing as a bad day when riding a dirtbike.

We’ve had a phenomenal winter for snowfall in the mountains and that has an impact on some of the best motorcycle roads in the state.

The good news is that Independence Pass, CO 82 between Twin Lakes and Aspen is finally open. From what I’ve heard, though, it is still subject to periodic closures depending on conditions. I’d check first before heading that way.

CO 5 to the top of Mount Evans is also open, as is the Pike’s Peak Highway, which goes to the top of that 14,110-foot mountain.

Trail Ridge Road, on the other hand, is still closed. The Colorado Department of Transportation says the closure is “between Milner Pass and Rainbow Curve due to adverse conditions.” They don’t say when it will be open.

A couple other passes that are still closed are only of interest if you’re the sort who doesn’t mind doing some dirt.

Kebler Pass, coming down from Crested Butte toward Paonia is still closed. You can get to Crested Butte on CO 135, which is paved, but the stretch over Kebler, County Road 12, is dirt.

Likewise, Cottonwood Pass is still closed. Again, you can get up the east side of Cottonwood from Buena Vista on a paved road. Just don’t think you’re going to get down the other side, whether you ride dirt or not.

We love the snowfall. The skiers had a good winter. Our reservoirs will be full this summer. But you’re going to have to be patient before you can ride some of these roads.

Biker Quote for Today

Ride often, ride well, have fun.

Recap: Steve and some buddies are coming from New Zealand in 2009 for some motorcycle touring in Colorado and Utah. This series of posts lays out their proposed routes, with my comments. Your comments are welcome as well.

Day 10

Oh no! This 10-day motorcycle ride around the Rockies is coming to an end. Today is the final day. Dang. Oh well, Steve and the gang are in Golden and need to end up back in pretty much the same place in order to turn in the bikes and head home. Today they’re going to cruise the Peak-to-Peak Highway and check out the canyons leading up and down between this road and the flatlands. They don’t have a detailed route in mind so this can be taken as a possible route. Here’s the map, and the enlarged view.

At day’s end yesterday, our group came down US 6 through Clear Creek Canyon, so we don’t really need to backtrack today. Going north out of Golden on CO 93 it is just a couple miles to the turn-off to CO 46 up Golden Gate Canyon. This is a favorite ride and a great way to start the day. Winding up the canyon, you reach CO 119, which is the southern portion of the Peak-to-Peak. From here we’ll turn north, to the right.

Now, there are any number of ways you could do this ride. I’m going to suggest that they just go all the way to Estes Park in the beginning and then work the canyons on the way back. That means CO 119 as far as Nederland, then CO 72 to where it terminates into CO 7, and then CO 7 to Estes Park. Don’t be surprised coming into Estes Park if you come upon a traffic back-up, there are herds of elk around here that are not shy and everyone stops to look.

From Estes Park we now turn east on US 36. This road goes down the North St. Vrain toward Lyons. At Lyons you just cruise through town and out the other side and you’re back on CO 7, which goes back up the South St. Vrain to where you met it before. At that point it’s time to head south on CO 72, the road you came north on.

Heading south on CO 72 you come (again) to Ward, and the intersection with Lefthand Canyon Drive, or Boulder County Road 94. Go ahead and take this turn. It runs down (surprise!) Lefthand Canyon and comes out to US 36 north of Boulder. Head south toward Boulder but when US 36 jogs to the left, stay straight on CO 7, Broadway. This will be a nicer ride through town.

Broadway leads you right into the middle of Boulder, where you take a right on either Walnut or Canyon and on out of town directly into Boulder Canyon on CO 119. There are a number of places to stop on your way up this canyon, and one of the best is Boulder Falls.

CO 119 reconnects you with the Peak-to-Peak at Nederland. Nederland, by the way, is where the Caribou recording studios were located, where a lot of great music was recorded in the 1970s.

At Nederland we stay on CO 119, which heads south, but very soon turn off onto CO 72, which goes down Coal Creek Canyon. Of course, before it goes down too far it first has to go up and over the crest at Wondervu. Nice switchbacks along here and Wondervu is a good place to stop for a break. Coal Creek Canyon comes out CO 93 at the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant. This plant used to build the plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons, but has been decommissioned and is now undergoing environmental clean-up.

We head south on CO 93 and another short jaunt brings us back to Golden and the end of the last day of this terrific trip. Now — darn! — they’re going to be stuck riding the terrific roads in New Zealand again. Until the next time! See you then.

Recap: Steve and some buddies are coming from New Zealand in 2009 for some motorcycle touring in Colorado and Utah. This series of posts lays out their proposed routes, with my comments. Your comments are welcome as well.

Day 9

Today is a bit of a contradiction for our riders. It will be one of the shortest days in terms of miles but it will be one of the biggest days in terms of where they’re going. Today’s ride will go over Trail Ridge Road and to the top of Mount Evans, along with some other pretty good stretches. Here’s the map and here’s the enlarged view.

Right off the bat, Steve and the group head out on US 34 up the Big Thompson Canyon. What a nice way to start the day. This beautiful canyon goes up to Estes Park, which, despite the name, is a town, not a park. The park people sometimes get it confused with is Rocky Mountain National Park. We’ll get to that later.

Because this will be the first time for these folks going up the Big Thompson, they’re proably going to want to just ride the whole canyon. If you’ve done it before, however, and are interested in an alternate route, you can take CO 43 between Drake and Estes Park. There are some hairpin turns on this that might make you think you’re in over your head.

At the head of the canyon is Estes Park. This is a very nice town but it has gotten very crowded. Count on slow going through here as you make your way to the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. Oh, and that big old lodge you see on the hillside? That’s the Stanley Hotel, where they filmed “The Shining” with Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duval. Red rum anyone?

US 34 continues through Estes Park and into Rocky Mountain National Park and then winds its way up over Trail Ridge Road, the highest through road in the U.S. This road closes for the winter but should be open by the time Steve and crew get there. Trail Ridge Road is one of the must-do rides in all of Colorado. Plan to take your time. You really won’t have any choice, but you won’t want to rush anyway.

The highway comes down from Trail Ridge Road into the town of Grand Lake. This is a very nice town and well worth a stop. From there, US 34 goes on down to where it hits US 40 just outside of Granby. Here Steve and the others will need to make a decision. He’s considering taking a quick run west on US 40 to Kremmling and then back. He just doesn’t want to miss anything. What there is on that stretch is Hot Sulphur Springs and a nice bit of canyon. Is it worth the extra time and miles? I don’t know. They probably ought to check the time and see how much of the day has already elapsed. This may be a short ride in mileage today but it’s far from done at this point.

Whatever they do, eventually they’ll head south on US 40 to Winter Park and then up and over Berthoud Pass. Berthoud is another very nice pass, and the road is in very good condition thanks to a lot of money spent on upgrades in the last few years. From the pass, US 40 runs down to Empire, where it meets I-70.

A short jaunt east on I-70 brings the group to Idaho Springs, where they will get off the interstate onto CO 103 over Squaw Pass. Squaw Pass is a nice ride on its own but the real draw here is that this is the route to CO 5 that takes you to the top of Mount Evans. If you thought Trail Ridge Road was a slow ride, be prepared to go even slower. I don’t recall for sure but I believe the speed limit on this entire stretch is 10 mph. There is also a toll, by the way. That’s OK. It’s worth it, and you pay less for motorcycles. And no matter what time of year it is, don’t be surprised if you get snowed on a little.

After Mount Evans the route continues on CO 103 toward Bergen Park. A left onto CO 74 a few miles brings you to another left onto Jefferson County Road 65, which meets up with I-70 a little east of Idaho Springs. More importantly, it meets up with US 40 at the same spot and it’s really US 40 that we want. US 40 parallels I-70 on the north as it goes down the west side of Floyd Hill. At the bottom of Floyd Hill both roads intersect US 6, which is our ultimate goal.

US 6 winds down through Clear Creek Canyon, coming out at Golden. One of the first things you’re sure to notice is the Coors Brewery. You may even smell the malt before you see the plant. Golden is tonight’s stopping point, so this day’s ride is done.

Recap: Steve and some buddies are coming from New Zealand in 2009 for some motorcycle touring in Colorado and Utah. This series of posts lays out their proposed routes, with my comments. Your comments are welcome as well.

Day 8

Today is going to be a bit more relaxed for our riding crew, as the distance is less than 300 miles. These guys have been racking up more than 300 miles almost every day. Assuming the start is indeed Eagle, they’ll be heading up to Steamboat Springs, over Rabbit Ears Pass, across North Park, and then up Cameron Pass, down Poudre Canyon and eventually end up for the night in Loveland. Here’s the map; click to see it enlarged.

Leaving from Eagle, Steve and the gang will head east a few miles on I-70 until they get to Wolcott. Here they turn north on CO 131 headed for State Bridge. At State Bridge they will have a decision to make. The original plans called for taking the Trough Road northeast through Radium to Kremmling. What they had not counted on, however, is the fact that this is a gravel road. They’re not fond of gravel on big street bikes, and Steve said he’s also unsure whether their rental contract allows riding on gravel.

While I don’t know about the contract, I do know about the Trough Road. It is very good gravel and a very nice ride. The guys I ride with don’t like gravel either, but it was one of them who showed us this road in the first place and we took it. It was great, no problems at all.

So if they take the Trough Road, our riders will come out at Kremmling, where they will pick up US 40 west for just a few miles to CO 134, which crosses Gore Pass and reunites them with CO 131 at Toponas. The alternative would be just to stay on CO 131 at State Bridge, skipping the Trough Road and Gore Pass. It’s up to you guys, but it’s a short day anyway, so I’d say do it.

Either way, the route now continues up CO 131 to meet US 40 a little south of Steamboat Springs. They’ll ride on into Steamboat, probably have lunch and get gas, and then backtrack a little as they head east on US 40 over Rabbit Ears Pass. This is a good one and will be an enjoyable ride. Descending, they will reach Muddy Gap Pass and the turn-off for CO 14, taking them north into North Park and to Walden. At Walden they stay on CO 14, which turns southeast and passes through State Forest State Park and up over Cameron Pass. There’s some mighty good scenery on the way up.

On the way down the highway passes through Poudre Canyon. Poudre Canyon is one of the prettiest canyons in Colorado so this will be a treat. Be sure to stop a few times and enjoy it. Sleeping Elephant Mountain is particularly interesting.

Moving on down the canyon they will eventually come out on US 287 north of Fort Collins and follow that highway to Loveland and the end of today’s ride. That will mean doing some city riding but Fort Collins is a nice town so it’s not a bad thing to do. However, there is an alternative.

Alternate Route

It just happens that I know an excellent alternate route that will allow the group to totally skip Fort Collins and enjoy some more mountain/canyon riding. As they get down close to the mouth of the canyon, there is a turn-off for Larimer County Road 27, otherwise known as Stove Prairie Road. This is a nicely paved, very windy two-lane that rises up over the ridge separating Poudre Canyon from Buckhorn Canyon. The Buckhorn then carries you down to Masonville. At Masonville you can either go up around Horsetooth Reservoir and drop down into Fort Collins on the south side or take CO 56 down to where it meets US 34 coming out of the Big Thompson Canyon. From there it’s a short ride east to Loveland. Enjoy.

Recap: Steve and some buddies are coming from New Zealand in 2009 for some motorcycle touring in Colorado and Utah. This series of posts lays out their proposed routes, with my comments. Your comments are welcome as well.

Day 7

All right, in cruise ship terminology, today is a repositioning day. Our crew is in Torrey, UT, and needs to get back to Colorado. The destination is not totally certain as yet, our riders just know they want to be in a general area, set up for the next day’s ride. Within that general vicinity I would recommend Eagle, and that is how I’ve set up the map. As always, click to view the map in larger format.

They’ll be leaving Torrey and heading east on UT 24, which turns north at Hanksville and hits I-70 a bit west of Green River. Again, I’ve been on this road but my recollection is not clear so I can’t tell you much about it.

Their plan is to stay on I-70 all the way into Colorado. This is wide open territory and they’ll blast along.

Once they enter Colorado it’s only a short ride to Fruita, where they will turn off for a cruise through Colorado National Monument on Rim Rock Drive. You may recall that Rim Rock Drive was on the agenda for Day 4 of this trip, but Steve tells me he likes my idea of doing it on Day 7 instead, so the switch has been made. Here’s what the National Park Service has to say about the Monument:

Colorado National Monument preserves one of the grand landscapes of the American West. Sheer-walled canyons, towering monoliths, colorful formations, desert bighorn sheep, soaring eagles, and a spectacular road reflect the environment and history of the plateau-and-canyon country.

Coming out of the Monument at the east end, they’ll come into Grand Junction, where they’ll probably want to pick up Business 70 to reconnect with I-70 on the east side of town. Then it’s back on the superslab. This superslab gets interesting, though, pretty soon. Exiting the Grand Valley it twists up into Debeque Canyon, and here you see again how, compared to other states, even the interstate through much of Colorado is darn scenic. Here, it runs alongside the river, through winding canyons, occasionally coming out into wider valleys, but there are always mountains on either side of you.

The road opens out as you get to Rifle. Along this stretch you’ll notice something very interesting. If you’re traveling at night it looks like there are fully lighted Christmas trees dotting the hillsides all over. During the day you can see that these are in fact drilling rigs. And they’re everywhere. High energy prices have driven oil and gas exploration like never before. This particularly matters to all travelers because the intrastructure has not kept pace with the population. Do NOT come to the Rifle area expecting to just find a motel room for the night. There are none available. The drillers are living in them. You’ll probably be lucky if you can even reserve one in advance. Plan to stay either in Grand Junction or in Glenwood Springs.

Glenwood Springs is definitely worth a look if you’re not spending the night there. Get off the highway and cross the river to the heart of town. This is a good place to stop for food and drink.

Then it gets gorgeous. Going east from Glenwood Springs you enter Glenwood Canyon. Excuse the superlatives, but this is probably the most beautiful section of interstate anywhere in this country. It was the very last piece of the original interstate system to be completed because the preservationists fought tooth and nail to keep it out altogether. Their resistance forced the government to preserve the canyon as much as possible and we all are beneficiaries of that. Take your time cruising through, and make a point to stop where it’s permitted.

Once you’re out of the canyon it’s just a short ride to Eagle. This is a good place to end this day’s ride.

Recap: Steve and some buddies are coming from New Zealand in 2009 for some motorcycle touring in Colorado and Utah. This series of posts lays out their proposed routes, with my comments. Your comments are welcome as well.

Day 4

Leaving Ouray this morning, our Kiwi band heads north on US 550 through Montrose, and Delta, and on up to Grand Junction. Their plan is to ride the Rim Rock Drive route through Colorado National Monument, and then head back south, taking the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway through Gateway and Naturita, past Telluride and over Lizard Head Pass down to Cortez. This is going to be a bit of riding, totaling about 335 miles. Here’s the map. Click to see a larger version.

The ride up US 50 is uneventful and fairly fast. A significant portion of this road has been made into four-lane divided highway in recent years. Once they reach Grand Junction it will be necessary to enter the town and stay on the US 50 bypass on the south side before turning off onto Glade Park Road, the road that leads to Colorado National Monument. In the Monument, Rim Rock Drive is clearly marked, winding its way though and exiting to the north toward Fruita. Colorado National Monument is described as being a little bit of red-rock Utah within Colorado, and that’s not a bad description.

That’s not the only bit of red-rock Utah in Colorado that our crew will see today, however. Leaving the Monument they will head back east on I-70 to rejoin US 50 and backtrack a few miles to the south, to CO 141 and the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway. Along this road you’ll pass through farmland, areas of wild rock formations, and ultimately to a stretch that you would swear was Utah, except that red-rock cliffs don’t stop at the state line and this is still Colorado. Who knew? Additionally, one of the more interesting historical sights is the hanging flume, an old water channel built onto the sheer-rock cliffs. This is one of those things you’ll look at and wonder “How in the world did they do that?”

For a while after leaving the river this route crosses some high prairie and you’ll probably make some pretty good time. A little east of Naturita you leave CO 141 and pick up CO 145 to Norwood and Placerville. After passing through Placerville you start going up and what you’re really doing is coming around the back side of the mountains that enclose Telluride. Telluride itself is not actually on CO 145, so you have to take the county road about 5 miles to the town. Do. The setting for this little mountain town is simply awesome. And if you have the time, take the free gondola up to get a good look from above.

Heading south from Telluride, the next pass is Lizard Head Pass. Off to your right, high up on the ridge, you’ll see the rock formation that gave it the name. From there it’s down hill, down the valley, on to Cortez, where today’s ride ends.

Alternate Route

I have just one suggestion for this day, and it really only works when you consider the route the remainder of this trip will be taking. This is Day 4 and on Day 5, Steve and crew are heading over into Utah. When they return to Colorado on Day 7 there is not a lot on the agenda as they head for a night in the Eagle/Vail area. It might make good sense to skip Colorado National Monument on Day 4 and swing through there on Day 7, starting at the Fruita end and coming out at Grand Junction. Then on Day 4 you would just come north to the turn-off to CO 141 and the Unaweep highway. That would trim about 50 miles and at least an hour and a half off an otherwise long day, and add more interest to Day 7. Just a thought.,

Recap: Steve and some buddies are coming from New Zealand in 2009 for some motorcycle touring in Colorado and Utah. This series of posts lays out their proposed routes, with my comments. Your comments are welcome as well.

Day 3

Our biker buddies are leaving Gunnison today, making just a partial loop ride. The plan was originally to do another day trip and spend a third night in Gunnison, but that has been changed, and I think the new plan is a lot better. They’ll end up tonight in Ouray, which is a very nice place to stop. The ride will cover about 270 miles. If they pushed on back to Gunnison it would be another 90 miles, 60 of which they would then retrace the next morning. This is definitely a better plan. Here’s the map. Or click the link to view the larger map.

The day begins with a short jaunt west on US 50, just to the eastern end of the Blue Mesa Reservoir. Here you find CO 149, which goes south to Lake City and beyond. Lake City is a pretty little town that is famously home to Texans and the Alferd Packer Massacre Site. For whatever reason, Texans who like to vacation in Colorado have settled on Lake City as their main spot. I even heard a story some years ago that the state of Texas was considering acquiring property around here and creating a Texas state park. That was probably bull, but you get the picture.

As for Alferd Packer, he is Colorado’s only convicted cannibal. He and some other men were stranded by snow in the winter of 1874 and he was the only survivor. It turned out he had survived by eating his companions. The University of Colorado at Boulder has named the cafeteria in its student union the Alferd E. Packer Memorial Grill. There’s a monument that marks the site as you head south out of town.

Heading south out of town on CO 149, you soon cross Slumgullion Pass and then Spring Creek Pass. Once over Spring Creek Pass you will definitely want to stop and check out South Clear Creek Falls. It’s just a quarter mile off the highway on a good paved road. No fees as I recall.

Further along on CO 149 the route leads to Creede. If you just stay on the highway you’ll go past the town but that would be a mistake. Stop here for lunch, or at least for ice cream. Ice cream is very big in Creede.

CO 149 runs into US 160 at South Fork and our riders here take a right. This goes up over Wolf Creek Pass and down to Pagosa Springs. Wolf Creek Pass is another of those great passes you come to Colorado to ride. Here’s an example of what you’ll see coming down on the west side.

From Pagosa Springs US 160 leads west over Yellowjacket Pass, another low pass, and on to Durango. Durango is another town that would be well worth staying at for a day or two, but that’s not on the agenda today.

Heading north out of Durango on US 550, our riders will cross two lower passes, Coal Bank Pass and Molas Pass, before descending into Silverton. This part of Colorado seems thick with picturesque towns and Silverton is another of them. It’s also the home of a big hang-gliding festival each summer.

Continuing north, the road crosses Red Mountain Pass. You may get tired of me saying this, but this is another great pass to ride. Plus, one of the really spectacular parts of it is the descent into Ouray. I definitely prefer to take this road north to south rather than going the other way.

Ouray is an excellent place to stop for the night after a day in the saddle. Good restaurants and hot springs are a terrific way to end the day. Be advised that unless you stay at one of the motels that have hot springs on their property you will have to pay to soak. We stayed at the Box Canyon Lodge one time and that is one I could recommend. If anyone else has recommendations please leave a comment with your thoughts. Thanks.

An Aside

For those of you who have been here before and are surprised to see the change in the layout, let me explain. I just updated to a new version of WordPress, the blog application I’m using, and it blew away all my customizations. Now it’g going to take me a while to make this thing look the way I had it. Bear with me.