Map for 5-day ride.
I got a comment last week from Richard, referring back to a very old post where I had put together a suggested ride for someone who had found this website:
Hello Ken, I will be part of a 4-bike group coming from Central Texas September 20 and starting our CO tour 21st. This route looks great but would you recommend a slightly different one for us? Our only two wishes would be to 1. ride the MDH from Ouray to Silverton (north to south rather than the other way around) and 2. end up in the very south of CO as we need to head for Ruidoso NM on Day 6 (Saturday 26th).
I could probably adapt this myself but why not ask an expert who knows the state as I could route us right past something magnificent. We are coming from Brownwood TX and are comfortable with 600 miles or so on our ride to CO – so maybe staying that night in the very north of NM.
Of course I’m always happy to help riders plan their trips so using the original post as a starting point I put together this following route to meet Richard’s wishes.
Two points I would make: These days are around 300 miles and while that may not seem like much, on slow-going mountain roads that can actually be a pretty long day. So you should just pick different points to stop for the night and whatever other adjustments suit your needs. Also, this route leaves the group in southwestern Colorado for the fifth day so if they wish to stay west it could be a short day, but if they want to head back east it’s a nice day’s ride of their choice. Heading for Ruidoso the next day I suspect they will want to come back east. Here’s the route:
Arriving
Come from central Texas and stop for the night at either Raton or come into Colorado a bit to Trinidad or Walsenburg.
Day 1
Starting out Day 1, cruise a short distance north on I-25 to the Colorado City/Rye exit (CR 670) into Colorado City and pick up CO 165 west toward San Isabel. Pass through San Isabel and make a stop at Bishop Castle. After you’ve gotten enough of that amazing piece of art continue on 165 to where it hits CO 96 and turn right, heading up to Florence and then take CO 115 on into Canon City. Go west on US 50 just out of town and look for the turn-off to Skyline Drive. Ride Skyline Drive, which takes you right back into town. Then head west on US 50 again, this time looking for CO 9, at Parkdale and take it north to Fairplay. Continue on 9 over Hoosier Pass down to near Frisco and then take a right onto Swan Mountain Road along the east side of Dillon Reservoir. You’ll hit US 6. Take US 6 east over Loveland Pass and down to I-70. A short jaunt on I-70 will bring you to the US 40/Empire exit. Take US 40 through Empire and on up over Berthoud Pass, down to Winter Park. That’s just a hair under 300 miles so Winter Park might be a good place to stop for the night.
Day 2
Continue north and west on US 40 to just past Granby and turn right onto US 34, which runs up past Grand Lake and into Rocky Mountain National Park and over Trail Ridge Road. Be aware that you need to arrange your entrance into and through RMNP in advance. Trail Ridge Road brings you out at Estes Park. Continue on US 34 down the Big Thompson Canyon but before you get into Loveland make a left turn on CO 56 up toward Masonville. Take CR 27 (Buckhorn Road) to the left and stay on it (just stay on the pavement) up to Stove Prairie and down the other side where you’ll pick up CO 14 up Poudre Canyon. Take a left on CO 14, up and over Cameron Pass into North Park and Walden. At Walden go left and where the road splits, CO 14 and CO 125, stay to the right on CO 14 down to Muddy Pass, which is US 40. Go west (right) on 40 over Rabbit Ears Pass, down to Steamboat Springs. Unless you want to see Steamboat you will turn at the bottom of the pass onto CO 131/CR 14F and take that road down to Oak Creek, to Yampa, and on to Toponas where you will take a left onto CO134 over Gore Pass and will rejoin US 40 just outside of Kremmling. Take 40 into Kremmling and at just under 300 miles Kremmling would be a good place to spend the night.
Day 3
Head south out of Kremmling on CO 9 (right at the stoplight) on down to Silverthorne. When you reach I-70 get on it and blast west a short distance over Vail Pass, past Vail, to Minturn and turn off onto US 24 over Tennessee Pass. This will bring you to Leadville. Continue south to the Twin Lakes turn-off (CO 82) which will take you over Independence Pass. Go through Aspen down to Carbondale and turn south (left) onto CO 133 over McClure Pass. At Hotchkiss turn south on CO 92 through Crawford down along the north rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison until you get to the dam, where you reach US 50. Take 50 on into Gunnison for the night. Total mileage for the day about 315 miles.
Day 4
For Day 4 you’ll start with a little backtracking along the Blue Mesa Reservoir, but soon you’ll reach the dam again and now you keep going on US 50 to Montrose. A terrific sidetrip, if you don’t mind about 20 extra miles, is to turn into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and ask at the gate about how to find the East Portal Road. This very steep road twists its way all the way to the bottom of the canyon. It’s a great ride. Then you’ll come back up the way you came, all the way back to US 50. Then continue on into Montrose. Head northwest (right) on US 50 through Delta and on to Grand Junction. Follow 50 all the way until it hits I-70 and then take I-70 west a few miles to Fruita. Get off at Fruita and take the well-marked CO 340 down into Colorado National Monument and follow Rim Rock Road through the monument. This will ultimately bring you right back into Grand Junction where you will pick up US 50 and head back the way you came in, but only for about 8 miles. At Whitewater turn right onto CO 141, the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic Byway through Gateway and on down to Naturita. Past Naturita, where CO 145 splits off from CO 141 take CO 145 to Placerville. At Placerville go left onto CO 62 to Ridgway. Another 10 miles south on US 550 puts you in Ouray for the night. Total about 310 miles.
Day 5
This last day has you headed onto the Million Dollar Highway. You climb up into the canyon from Ouray and wind your way south to Silverton over Red Mountain Pass. From Silverton you continue south over Molas Pass down to Durango. That’s just over 60 miles. From here you have a number of options and I’ll leave it to you to decide what works best. You could head east out of Durango on US 160 to Pagosa Springs and then go over Wolf Creek Pass and down to South Fork. From there you would continue east on 160 to Alamosa and then maybe turn south to set up for your next day’s ride to Ruidoso. Or at Pagosa you could turn south on US 84 down into New Mexico and turn south at Chama toward Espanola. Or at Chama you could come back into Colorado on NM 17/CO 17 over Cumbres and La Manga Passes to Antonito. Then turn south on US 285 into New Mexico. Or from Durango you could continue south on US 550 to Aztec and wherever in New Mexico you want to make it to that day.
So, OK. Tweak away. I guarantee this route would be pretty darn sweet but everyone is different. Take from it as you wish. Have a great ride.
Biker Quote for Today
It truly is an odd thing we bikers do, riding through miserable conditions like this. We don’t invite then or look for them, surely, but when they are upon us we relish the challenge and silently claim the superiority of adventure over comfort, wilderness over warmth, discovery over certainty. — Foster Kinn