Passes & Canyons Blog

It’s pretty dang hard to beat motorcycle riding in Colorado.

Over the years I have received numerous requests from folks coming to Colorado to ride, asking me for recommendations on a route. I’m always happy to oblige and each one is different, with different parameters of what they want, how long they have . . . that kind of stuff.

The most recent is from Kevin in Indiana. He said he and a buddy have ridden many of the unpaved passes throughout the state by now they want to come on street bikes with their wives and do the pavement. Rather than the hub and spoke riding they have done out of Frisco and Crested Butte, Kevin asked for “an epic continuous trip” for his buddy’s 60th birthday.

Here’s what I sent him.

OK Kevin, I have something mapped out. A couple days are a bit over 250 but under 300. Obviously you can make any changes you see fit.

Figuring on you starting in Denver you can go north to Loveland, up the Big Thompson Canyon to Estes Park, over Trail Ridge Road to Granby and then take US 40 on to Kremmling for the night. This is shorter than 250 but with Trail Ridge Road you’ll definitely want to be making stops. You will need to make a reservation to get into Rocky Mountain National Park. The less busy entrance is the Fall River Road entrance. Park entrance differs if you want to see the park or just go through. I believe they allow people passing through in without reservations both early and late. You’ll see plenty of the park just going through. If you don’t make a reservation you might want to spend the night in Estes so you’ll be right there to go through early. That’s what my wife and I did last year.

(As an alternative to Loveland and the Big Thompson you could go up any number of passes to the Peak-to-Peak Highway and take it north to Estes.)

From Kremmling take US 40 west a bit further and turn onto CO 134 over Gore Pass. At Toponas go south to Wolcott and I-70, then east to the Minturn exit and take Tennessee Pass to Leadville, then a bit further south to Twin Lakes and go over Independence Pass through Aspen and down to Carbondale. From Carbondale take CO 133 over McClure Pass down to Hotchkiss for the night.

From Hotchkiss go west on CO 133 to CO 65 through Cedaredge and over the Grand Mesa. When the road forks north of Mesa stay on 65 (left fork) on to I-70. Take I-70 to Fruita then take the road south through Colorado National Monument, on Rim Rock Drive. Exiting the south end of the monument find your way to US 50 south and go maybe 8 miles to Whitewater. Take CO 141 west toward Gateway, then south to Telluride. This is the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic Byway. Spend the night in Telluride.

From Telluride go over Lizard Head Pass down to Cortez, US 160 east to Durango, then US 550 north over Red Mountain Pass (the Million Dollar Highway) to Montrose, then east on US 50 to Gunnison. Overnight in Gunnison.

From Gunnison, run back a few miles to the Blue Mesa Reservoir and turn south on CO 149 through Lake City over Slumgullion Pass, through Creede and down to South Fork. Take US 160 west over Wolf Creek Pass to Pagosa Springs, then turn south on US 84 down into New Mexico to Chama. Go northeast from Chama over Cumbres and La Manga Passes on CO 17 up to Antonito, then US 285 north to Alamosa. Spend the night in Alamosa.

From Alamosa you have several options to get back to Denver. You can just take CO 17 north to pick up US 285 and follow that all the way to Denver. Or you can take US 160 east over La Veta Pass to Walsenburg, then go right back west and north out of Walsenburg on CO 69 to Westcliffe, then east on CO 96 on to Pueblo or up to Florence, to Penrose, and on to Colorado Springs.Or make your way to Canon City and then, because you guys are comfortable on gravel, take Phantom Canyon Road (CR 67) up to Cripple Creek, CR 61 up to Divide, pick up US 24, and take that to Woodland Park. At Woodland Park you can either continue on US 24 to Colorado Springs or go north on CO 67 through Deckers to Pine to US 285 southwest of Conifer. Then take 285 on into Denver.

This would be a heck of a good ride. Pick and choose what you like.

Besides being a nice guy and mapping this out for Kevin and his crew, I’ve done myself a favor here. First off, I got this blog post out of it. At this time of year it is harder than during the summer to keep coming up with blog ideas. But I may make it a triple. I figure this might well be a good basis for planning the 2025 OFMC trip. The 2024 trip is already planned but I might incorporate a lot of this for 2025. Also, I’ve been thinking for a long time about putting a ride together for the RMMRC. This might also go a long way toward that plan. We’ll just have to see what develops.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if your only scoot has been a Knucklehead & you don’t even know what that is.

One of the narrow spots on Independence Pass.

Who knew it was 400 miles to Grand Junction from Denver? Or that it would take more than nine hours? We all know shortcuts; here we’re talking about longcuts.

I took off a week and a half ago with eight others from the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club (RMMRC) on a four-day Colorado Cruise ride and that was our first day. This is not a group that just rides out to the local bar; this is a group for people who really want to ride.

Nine of us on eight bikes left Morrison at 9 a.m., heading up along Bear Creek to Evergreen, cutting over toward I-70 on Evergreen Parkway, and then taking Jefferson County Road 65 from Bergen Park over to old US 40 alongside I-70, and finally down to where that road meets old US 6 coming up out of Clear Creek Canyon. Then we had no choice but to get on the interstate for a few miles.

We got off I-70 to go over Loveland Pass, down the other side and onto the Shadow Mountain Road to go around that reservoir, over to Frisco and back on the slab. Then off again at Copper Mountain to go up Fremont Pass to Leadville, where we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we headed down to Twin Lakes and turned up over Independence Pass. That brought us down to Carbondale but no way were we interested in continuing to Glenwood Springs on I-70; we turned south and went up over McClure Pass and down to Paonia. That put us on CO 92 heading west but at the tiny town of Austin we took a shortcut north to connect with CO 65 at Orchard City, on through Cedaredge and over the Grand Mesa.

Our day was getting long at this point but the folks in the lead are go-fast guys and there was no traffic so we probably crossed the Grand Mesa in record time, coming on down finally to I-70 and blasting on into Grand Junction as the rain started falling. Just as we reached the shelter of the motel entryway the skies opened up briefly and then we had a terrific rainbow.

And that’s how you cover 400 miles on a trip the map says is about 250 miles. Our ride was a lot prettier than the interstate, a lot more twisty, and we got up high where the leaves were already turning. A beautiful day to ride. A very auspicious start to the trip.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you buy your 3-year old niece a Harley-Davidson t-shirt.

Bill and Dennis, coming down McClure Pass.

We got another early start leaving Hotchkiss the next morning and it was another of those glorious, pristine early mornings out riding through nature. McClure Pass is always nice but at this time of day it is especially nice.

Of course, at Carbondale we picked up CO 82 to Aspen and that is always busy, just as passing through Aspen is always a snarl. Just get those behind you. Then, amazingly, we had Independence Pass almost to ourselves. I have never seen such light traffic on this pass. How nice.

After a stop in Twin Lakes for lunch we cruised on the short distance to Leadville and to our motel on the south side of town. I had deliberately chosen a place in this area because on other trips we have stayed on the north side of town, in a newer motel, but it was a long walk from there to downtown. So we were close to downtown but I can only say the place we stayed was a bit dumpy.

Our stay in Leadville was uneventful, other than the fact that we had an excellent dinner at the Tennessee Pass Cafe. I have no connection to this place; we just thought it was excellent and I’m passing along a tip.

In the morning it looked like rain to the south so we geared up but before we got to Buena Vista it was clear and getting hot so we stopped to shed the gear. Then east on U.S. 285 toward home. A stop in Fairplay and then another stop on top of Kenosha Pass so Bill could get a picture.

We were still a good way out but said our farewells here because at about this point we turn into horses headed for the stable and don’t even concern ourselves with staying as a group. Sure enough, Dennis took off at a serious clip and Bill and I soon lost him up ahead. We weren’t really trying but Bill and I did stay together until we reached our point of divergence and then we were each on our own. Another OFMC trip was in the books.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: Motorcycles don’t insult you if you are a bad rider.

Don’t go heading for Independence Pass just yet, it’s not open.

The RMMRC was planning a ride over Guanella Pass last week and I was very much inclined to go. But the day was extremely windy and that dampened my enthusiasm. I’ve been out on days when it was windy in town, and when I got to the high country, especially above timber line, it was howling. That’s not my idea of fun, and I ended up not going.

Well, I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to anyone who did go but the next day I read in the Denver Post that Guanella was not open yet. OK. Did they find that out when they got to Grant? Or when they got near the top? Or did they get over despite it being officially closed? I’m curious to find out.

This tied in very conveniently with a post I was already planning, which was to check out the status of all of the larger Colorado roads that close in winter. Here’s what CDOT, the Colorado Department of Transportation, has to say.

Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park is closed for the season and will remain closed until further notice due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns. To hear updated road status please call the Trail Ridge Status Line at 970-586-1222.

Independence Pass. Closed for the season. (OK, does that mean it closed last fall and is not yet open? Are they not going to open it at all this year? I find that doubtful. CDOT could be more helpful here. But the Post article said it will open on June 1.)

Cottonwood Pass. Same. The Denver Post also says this will open on June 1.

Guanella Pass. Same. The Post says to be opened at a date to be determined.

Mount Evans Highway. To be determined.

Pikes Peak. Is expected to be open to the top as of June 1.

So the bottom line here is, check before you go. Don’t count on things opening up at the time they usually do. But I tell you, once it does open I really want to do Cottonwood Pass. They finally got it paved all the way last year and I have not been on it since they were done. This is number one on my list.

Biker Quote for Today

If the countryside seems boring, stop, get off your bike, and go sit in the ditch long enough to appreciate what was here before the asphalt came.

On top of Independence Pass.

Motorcycle Touring With Ball O’ String

One of the fun aspects of an organized tour is the opportunity to meet other people who share your interests. If you, or you and your spouse, are the only ones on the tour, the only people you’ll meet are the tour guides.

So it was that Willie Fuhrman invited Judy and me to come along on a tour they were running through Willie’s company, Ball O’ String Custom Adventure Tours. She had a couple whose sons had given them a trip that included two days riding but no one else had signed up. Would we like to come along to make for a more lively group, paying our own expenses? Sure, you bet. Sounds like fun.

We headed out of Denver mid-afternoon on Friday and cruised up to Eagle, where Willie and her husband, Jungle, live. The tour was centered on the Eagle-Vail area and we’d be coming back to their house each night. The paying customers, Tom and Marsha Tuttle, would be staying each night in the hotel in Vail that was part of the gift from their sons. We reached Eagle, unloaded the bike, and headed back to Vail with Willie and Jungle to meet and have dinner with the Tuttles. Willie’s friend Terry would also be joining us, both for dinner and for riding.

Tom and Marsha, from Connecticut, ride a Harley back home and had rented one from a dealer in Denver. They weren’t thrilled with the rental but that’s the thing with any rental motorcycle, it’s not your bike. Sometimes that’s nice but sometimes you just make do.

We ate, got acquainted, and made plans. Then Saturday morning we met up and took off up U.S. 24 over Tennessee Pass to Leadville. Along the way we stopped at Camp Hale, where the 10th Mountain Division trained during World War II to fight on skis in the Alps. All that remains today of Camp Hale are some building foundations and some signs telling its story. It’s an interesting story.

Speaking of interesting stories, we learned the origin of the name “Ball O’ String” over the weekend and the stop at Camp Hale fits right in. Years ago, when their daughter Becca was young, Willie and Jungle used to travel with the two of them on the bike and Becca and the dog in a sidecar. One year they passed a sign announcing the world’s largest ball of string, so of course they stopped to see it. Becca was not impressed.

The following year, as they planned another trip, Becca was asked if she wanted to come or not.

“Is this going to be a real vacation or is it just another ball of string trip?” she asked.

When the business needed a name, Ball O’ String was just a natural.

From Leadville we cruised on down to Twin Lakes and then over Independence Pass to Aspen, where we stopped for lunch. Then it was on to Glenwood Springs and a return to Eagle and Vail via I-70 through Glenwood Canyon. Total distance for the day was–for us Coloradans at least–an easy 190 miles or so.

After everyone had a chance to change and freshen up, we met again in Vail and rode the gondola up to the summit to watch the sunset, and then rode back down to have dinner. At dinner however, we learned from Tom and Marsha that it had been a tiring day for them, not the least because Tom was hurting pretty badly due to the lack of the backrest he is accustomed to having. He was looking forward to some hot tub time but unfortunately the hot tub at their hotel closed before he had a chance to get in. We had an excellent dinner, though, and made plans for Sunday.

Cutting it short
Come Sunday morning, Tom and Willie were in communication and our start was postponed. The plan was to head north out of Wolcott on CO 131 to Toponas, take CO 134 over Gore Pass to pick up U.S. 40 west of Kremmling, and then to take 40 over Rabbit Ears Pass to Steamboat Springs for lunch. From there we would continue west almost to Hayden and then take a very nice, minor road, called the 20-Mile Road, back down to 131 at Oak Creek and then back south to where we started.

Could we do something shorter, Tom asked? He wanted to be sure to be back by 3 p.m. so they could look around Vail more and so he could be sure of getting to the hot tub. OK, Willie countered, we could just take 131 straight to Steamboat, have lunch, and come right back. That still seemed too long, so at Jungle’s suggestion, we would meet at Wolcott and ride just to Toponas and there stop for gas. Then it would be up to Tom and Marsha to decide how much further they’d like to go.

At Toponas, Tom and Marsha said they were just going to go back to Vail, so the rest of us went on without them along the route as planned. We certainly had a nice ride. At dinner that night, in another of the really good restaurants that Vail seems to have in quantity, we had a lot of laughs. As well as some heat, as both Tom and Jungle demonstrated that they have strong opinions and are not hesitant to express those opinions, even though, in this case, they were conflicting opinions.

“Hey, how ’bout them Broncos?” was my effort at deflecting the conversation elsewhere.

It all ended on a positive note and we said our good-byes. Monday morning was cold and rainy and Judy and I put on all our rain gear plus a few things Willie and Jungle offered. We were dry and reasonably warm but I couldn’t help but wonder about Tom and Marsha, who were also returning to Denver but who didn’t have all the warm gear we had. I heard from Willie soon after we got home, however, that they had arrived safely, though though it was a very cold ride. We who live in Colorado understand this but people who come from elsewhere don’t: Carry warm gear. It can snow any day of the year on the higher passes. The fact that it’s August means nothing.

That ended our little outing and our first experience on a Ball O’ String tour. Then the phone rang last night and as Judy handed it to me I heard Jungle and Willie singing “Happy Birthday” to me.

“We want to see you guys again soon,” Willie said.

I think we can make that happen.

Biker Quote for Today

We got a gorilla and we shaved him and bought him a motorcycle — Flaming Lips

Note to the world: Colorado is open for the season.

That’s right, with today’s opening of Independence Pass and CO 5 to the top of Mount Evans opening tomorrow, all the seasonal roads are open. Even Trail Ridge Road is open, although the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) reports that it is icy in spots.

One note of interest, however, is that US 6 over Loveland Pass is closed at this time. This is not a seasonal road, but CDOT says it is “closed for emergency road repair until further notice.” Apparently they just closed it yesterday. That’s a good thing for me to know because I was planning to head up over that pass in just a couple days.

Here’s a bit more info from CDOT:

U.S. 6 over Loveland Pass is closed due to a culvert failure, about 1 ½ miles east of the summit. Excess water has washed out the bottom of the culvert. Safety considerations will not allow the road to be open to traffic due to a loss of roadway support over the culvert. All traffic will be detoured though the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70. Loveland Pass will remain closed until further notice. The Colorado Department of Transportation will send out more information when it becomes available.

Recent from Denver Motorcycle Examiner
Run For The Wall nearing its destination

Biker Quote for Today

If you don’t make it the first time, back up and try again, only faster!!

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 2

All right, today we’re in for some riding. The proposed route covers about 350 miles, and brings the group back to Gunnison for a second night. This is a good choice of roads and I have no alternatives to suggest. Here’s the map. Click the link to see the map in larger size.

The day starts heading west out of Gunnison on US 50. This soon runs alongside Blue Mesa Reservoir, which is the reservoir created by the dam above the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. At the dam, US 50 continues west but our group is heading northwest on CO 92. You cross the dam to get to the north side of the river and then cruise the twisty road running along the north rim of the Black Canyon. Be sure to stop and peer down into the canyon at some of the pull-outs.

Then the road leaves the canyon and heads north through Crawford. Now, Crawford is where rocker Joe Cocker lives, and his wife used to run a biker-friendly restaurant here, but that has closed. CO 92 meets CO 133 at Hotchkiss and a right turn takes you to Paonia and up over McClure Pass. One sidetrip you’ll definitely want to make once you get over the pass is to Marble. It’s not far and the road is paved. Check that McClure Pass link for more about Marble. You can easily spend a couple hours here, though, so that will add to the length of the day. But hey, it’s summer. There are a lot of daylight hours.

I also challenge you to pass the old coke ovens at Redstone without stopping. I’m sorry, this stuff is just too interesting.

Just past Carbondale, CO 133 meets CO 82. A left takes you down to Glenwood Springs, a right goes to Aspen. We’re heading to the right. For some people, Aspen itself would be the draw, but we’re on motorcycles so what really beckons is Independence Pass. This is one of the best in all of Colorado. In fact, that picture I use on the home page of motorcyclecolorado.com is taken along Independence Pass. It also closes for the winter and at the time Steve and crew are coming it will probably only have been open for a couple weeks. Here’s hoping no late spring blizzard delays the snowplows.

Independence Pass comes down at Twin Lakes and then joins US 24 a little further on. This is the road the group came in on the day before so from here they retrace their route down through Buena Vista to Poncha Springs. Having headed west yesterday from Poncha Springs over Monarch Pass, today the group will continue south on US 285. This road crosses Poncha Pass, which is a nice ride, but is not comparable to so many Colorado passes, which is why I don’t have a page about it on the website.

At Saguache they leave US 285 and pick up CO 114. This road connects with US 50 just east of Gunnison and the end of the day’s ride. In doing so, it crosses North Pass, which, like Poncha Pass, is a lovely ride but not as high or spectacular as so many Colorado passes. Still, it’s well worth the ride, especially if your other option is backtracking on roads you’ve already ridden.

So, at 350 miles, this is a pretty long ride in terms of hours, especially if you make stops at Marble and/or Redstone. For one thing, Independence Pass is very slow going, but you wouldn’t want to rush it anyway. It’s too spectacular. The highway along the rim of the Black Canyon is also slow going. Of course, passing through Aspen is going to slow you down. But it’s definitely doable, especially if you know you’ve got your night’s accommodations covered in advance. So ride. Ride a lot! Enjoy.