Just be careful around the 4th. Lots of Coloradans head to the mountains for the 4th. You might need some advanced reservations for that weekend.

 

Just a thought, when we rode RMNP we went north thru Winter Park and came in the west entrance and rode towards Estes Park, not as much traffic that direction. Also stay away from I-70 on Sunday evening as everyone from Denver area will be heading for home and the interstate will be backed up for miles.

 

Thanks for the tips, guys. I'll mostly be staying at KOA's, at least that is the plan for now. And I definitely plan on avoiding I-70 as much as possible.

 

Having 7 days is going to give you the opportunity to see most of the good stuff in Colorado. In 2007 we had an HD f Forums ride of all the 22 10,000 ft. passes in Colorado in 5 days. It was a mission, but doable. We have an upcoming HD Forum ride to do the same thing again, but with 7 days instead of 5 starting Aug 10.

Your routes look good and will let you se a lot of what Colorado has to offer. One road I didn't see in you plan was "Silver Thread". South Fork to Lake City to Gunnison. THis is a nice ride.

I have all the routes from the Forum Passes ride we did in 2007. PM me if you would like me to send it to you.

Bill

 

Hey, Bill! PM sent. Thank you.

 

Looks like you have a very nice route planned. it will rain in the afternoons. I liked the peak to peak hiway and the stop at Coors brewery. I'm a Coors Light fan so I thought that was fun. Independence Pass is a fun road. I believe Fairplay is just east of there. Cool little town and it was fun for happy hour there. The million dollar highway was great and going into Silverton is nice. It is also nice to ride into Telluride. Tall Mountains surrounding this ski town. Enjoy

 

I'm looking forward to this trip. I've been through Fairplay a few times. A friends in-laws have a cabin near that area that we stay at when we go skiing. Cool little place. Never have had my bike in Colorado though. Can't wait. Been wanting to ride Million Dollar Highway for quite sometime now.

 

Your going to have a great time on your ride and you've already received some great advice. But let me offer my own. First, You're going to be traveling in Colorado the week prior to July 4th; the peak of tourist season in Colorado. I think it would be wise to make lodging reservations or risk sleeping on a park bench. KOA's and national forest campgrounds will be full if you just show up. Second, a 300-mile day in the Rockies is a bit different than the same in KS. Some of your schedule is rather ambitious for riding the high country. IMO, the San Juan loop AND Dolores Canyon is quite a chunk to take on in one day. Part of what makes riding here so much fun is spending time in the small towns along the road. If your goal is just to get from one point to another you'll miss a lot of what riding in Colorado is about. Have a safe trip and wave if you come through town!��

 

Thanks for the info, Whiskers. I was wondering if I was getting too ambitious some of those days. Just trying to squeeze in as many great roads as possible. If July 4th is peak tourist season there, I will certainly make reservations. I don't want to sleep on a bench for sure. Good thing I am working on this now, plenty of time to rearrange the schedule.

 

This is one of my favorite routes. Takes you through orchard country, over McClure Pass to Carbondale/Aspen. Stop for pie in Hotchkiss