I'm headed for Sturgis for a couple of days and then want to spend four (or five) nights exploring Colorado. I've read about all the roads I shouldn't miss, but I'm looking for some specific routing information.

My friends and like to ride about 200 - 300 miles a day. So if you were starting in the Fort Collins area, what roads would you ride each day and where might you spend each night?

Starting at Fort Collins
Day 1?
Day 2?
Day 3?
Day 4?

Thanks for any help.

 

We stayed 3 nights in Gunnison, and rode loops out of there...........I hate packing and unpacking

 

Brilliant! You've got me thinking now. I also don't like the packing and unpacking which will do plenty of this ride. Nice to have a few days in one place.

 

Day #1 From Ft. Collins take Trail Ridge Road (hwy 34) all the way to Dillon. Stay in Dillon for the night. Day #2 Dillon to Gunnison via 9, 285 and 50. From Gunnison go to Crested Butte. Day #3 Lake City and South Fork on 149 and then to Del Norte and north to 114 back to Gunnison. Day #4 from Gunnison again take 50 west to 92, then 92 to Delta and 550 and 550 down to Durango.


Bill

 

Bill - Thank you. I'm poring over the maps now looking at your route.

 

There are 22 paved passes that are over 10,000 in Colorado. Get your map and highlight each one, then come up with a loop that suits you. You can work it out so it forms sort of a double figure eight with only a couple of spots with back tracking.


I never bothered counting how many eight and nine thousand foot passes it includes.
This is a perfect middle of summer tour. Try to be off the high ground by late afternoon.

 

BUZZARD - Wow! Thanks for the idea. Tioga Pass in Yosemite, at 9,948 is the highest pass in California. All those high mountain passes are why we planned on riding to Colorado this summer.

 

There are actually more than that. 24 or 25 I think. We have a 7 day HD Forums ride starting August 10 that is going to include all of them. Anyone interested, there is still time to join us. We have 14 or 15 going right now. You can get all the info in the Southwest Section of this forum under Green Chile Run 2015.


Bill

 

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/Routes/Colorado_81.html

 

Day1 from Ft. Collins I would head west through the Cache Le Poudre canyon to Walden, loop down to Grand Lake and enter RMNP on the west side, going up and over Trail Ridge road to Estes Park. Depending how frequently you stop, that could be a full day...or you can head south on 7 out of Estes Park and ride the Peak-to-Peak hwy to Black hawk and stay at one of the casinos for the night.

Day2 from Estes Park or Black Hawk, take the Central City Parkway over to 70, get off in Idaho Springs and head up to Echo Lake and Mt. Evans...you can ride to the top of Evans if you wish (14,038ft??) and, imo, Evans is better riding than Pikes Peak. If you don't wish to go to the top, keep going over Squaw Pass rd down to Evergreen parkway...head in to evergreen and take 285 south to Buena Vista. If you're tired, BV is a good place to stay the night, or you can push on to Gunnison (bout an hour to hour and a half more).

Day 3 and 4, from BV or Gunnison, Bill's suggested route sounds perfect.

I ride the Front Range roads all the time and Cache Le Poudre, Trail Ridge, Peak to Peak, and Squaw Pass are can't miss roads. Trail Ridge is can't miss for the scenery and the fact it is the highest paved pass in North America. And the other 3 roads are just plain fun...from fast gentle sweepers on Peak to Peak and Le poudre canyon, to the tighter, Aspen-lined switchbacks of Squaw Pass. Those two days will make you feel like riding can't get any better...and then you get into the San Juans of SW Colorado and the front range will seem like a distant memory!