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.

Tags: great roads in Colorado, motorcycle touring colorado

This entry was posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 11:06 am and is filed under Colorado motorcycle rides, Suggested Rides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.