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I'm planning my summer ride now and am looking for some advice. I'll be riding from Ohio to Deadwood, spending 4 days there riding the area. I have that leg of the trip planned. From Deadwood, Im going to Estes Park and have 3 full days there to ride. Besides Trail Ridge Road, any suggestions? It's a new area for me and Im looking for the best way to maximize my time there.
If you have ridden in The West before, feel free to ignore this post. If not, heres a couple things you might notice out there that arent familiar to someone from Ohio.
1. Gas stations tend to be a LOT farther apart.
Even on an Interstate you can have distances between exits that your reserve wont be sufficient. Be proactive about keeping your gas tank full once you leave the more built up cities and towns.
2. If you get off the interstate looking for gas, keep in mind that the town indicated on the exit sign might be 15-20 miles away and on Sunday morning, everything is closed.
3. Out on the prairie..( Nebraska, North and South Dakota etc.) those large high rise buildings you see on the horizon arent Condos dont ride over there thinking you found civilization..! Those are grain storage facilities where youll likely not find much else.
4. Estes Park, and over the top . Take your time. It aint Tail of the Dragon riding. Enjoy the views, watch for wildlife..!
That whole area, US-34 through Estes Park and RMNP is absolutely stunning. If you can work your way through the clusterfk of traffic around Loveland you'll be richly rewarded.
North of the park, from Ft Colins west....(rte??)14 - aka Poudre canyon - that can be a fun ride.
South of the park, check out Cripple Creek. The gold mine is mind boggling for us tourists.
Should you do the 'loop' of into RMNP and down towards Netherland/Black Hawk.... you can spend a lot of time checking out the local sights.
Heed the note about gas stations. If in doubt, top off. They can suddenly be further than you care for. Also, be prepared for abrupt weather changes. Mountains are not consistently predictable.
That "loop" is called the peak to peak highway. Great little ride. If you have time, find a way to ride US 40 (Berthod Pass) between I-70 and Winter park. It's a bit technical with lot's if switch backs but stunning none the less. Really, unless you are on I-70, it's hard to go wrong in the Colorado mountains. All the roads are great riding. If you get altitude sickness, you might skip Trailridge road. If not, it's a must!
Don't forget, your bike will be down on power up to about 40% on the high passes. And drink LOTS of water, easy to get dehydrated at altitude.
Last edited by Black Ultra; Mar 16, 2024 at 04:33 PM.
You may know or you may not know that entrance permit into Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park and over Trail Ridge Road is limited and your entrance time must be reserved in advance.
If you qualify I strongly suggest getting the seniors pass for national parks, saved me serious money last fall on a trip. Myself I like the Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak riding over that area.
A lot of beautiful riding and scenery to so in that part of the state.
As someone stated earlier, the weather can change quickly and drastically in the mountains and the temperature changes with elevation.
Within a few hours you can go from riding in a T-shirt to needing leathers and/or rain gear so go prepared!
Many years ago we were staying in Estes Park and my wife was watching TV and the weather report was on and they mentioned hail.
My wife (who was riding two-up with me at that time) asked me" what do we do if we get into a hail storm"?
The NEXT DAY she got an answer to her question!
Fortunately (for both of us) it wasn't too bad and we were close to shelter.
Always keep an eye on the sky and watch or check the weather forecast before starting your ride,
Depending on how much time you have and how many miles you can ride per day some things that I would recommend are Pike's Peak, Mt Evans, the Royal Gorge Bridge and this is also a very cool ride: https://www.allestespark.com/scenic_...son_canyon.php
All good recommendations posted. Big Thompson Canyon road is a nice ride for 15 miles or so going out of town. I think that is the name. I like to ride over the mountain and eat lunch in Granby and then ride back to EP. Different view of the mountains in each direction.
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Estes Park and surrounding area
