If you’re planning to ride Colorado and want a base of operations from which to take day rides, where should you stay? This is a question I received twice recently so it occurred to me that I ought to post my answer here. In this case, I’ll be responding to this particular question.
We will be trailering our bikes to Colorado from Florida and plan to ride from August 1st through August 8th. We’ve been out west to ride in other states and usually stay in two separate locations. This allows us to ride a different route each day and really see the area. What would you recommend as the two best areas to stay in while doing day rides?
This was my reply.
I would suggest these two spots as your home bases: Ouray and Breckenridge. Here’s my thinking.
Ouray, first of all, is gorgeous. Of all the cool places in Colorado, Ouray stands out. If you end up not staying there you must at least go there. Of course, Ouray is at the northern end of one of the best roads in Colorado, Red Mountain Pass. (By the way, this photo is of Red Mountain Pass approaching Ouray, although it’s not usually so crowded. This traffic resulted from a construction blockage.)
That also positions you to take the loop and do Lizard Head Pass and go to Durango and Mesa Verde. You can also go north to Montrose and then visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and take the Unaweep Canyon road.
And there’s a lot more in the area. You could spend your entire vacation there.
Breckenridge gives you access to a whole other part of the state. Go south over Hoosier Pass into South Park and take any of several roads that converge there. Or, go north of I-70 and loop up through Steamboat Springs over Rabbit Ears Pass or go east over Trail Ridge Road.
Also from Breckenridge you’re very close to Loveland Pass and Mount Evans.
En route from one base to another you might want to make a point to go via some route that takes you over Independence Pass. This is another of the very best.
So there are some ideas to consider. If you have questions I’m happy to address them to the best of my ability. Truth is, though, you really can’t go wrong riding the Colorado mountains, wherever you go.
Biker Quote for Today
Don’t ride so late into the night that you sleep through the sunrise.
In fact, it’s not even being called “Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Day.” It is now just “Ride to Work Day,” and it has been moved to the third Monday in June. That’s June 15 this year.
Denver is fortunate in that we have a mayor who “gets it” and is willing to consider new ideas. He created an agency called 
Those of us in the OFMC take pride in riding our bikes to whatever distant state we choose for our summer trips, but let’s face it, we live in the heart of great riding. But you notice we never ride the Smoky Mountains or New England, not to mention Europe or Australia or so many other places. If we ever decided to do that we might be looking for a tour.