Touring Colorado - For Those....

[GnA]

Touring Colorado - For Those who have the time before or after the Durango event or any other time in the summer.
The Front Range of the Rockies offers hundreds and hundreds of miles of outstanding roads and great destinations.

Here are a few you might want to consider... if you have the time:

Mt. Evans - Still North America's highest paved road 14k+ ft.

Pike's Peak - now paved to the top 14k+ ft.

Garden of the Gods - Colorado Springs

Trail Ridge Road - highest continuous paved hwy. in the U.S.A. 12k ft.

Peak-to-Peak Hwy. to Rocky Mountain Nat'l. Park

Echo Lake and Squaw Pass 10k ft.

Idaho Springs / Central City Parkway

Black Hawk / Central City and Cripple Creek - Colorado's Casino towns

Leadville 10k ft. - old mining town

Independence Pass 12k ft. - leads into Aspen

Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen, Steamboat Springs - great resort destinations, all 1-3 hours away from the Denver area

Glenwood Canyon - must be one of the finest stretches of Interstate ryding in the country

And the hundreds of miles of canyon runs on the Front Range alone, such as Boulder, Left Hand or Deek Creek Canyons

If anyone would like additional details, please let me know. Unfortunately, my wife and I are invovled with a fundraiser on the weekend of the 23rd-24th.... but will be available the weekend and days before the event starts on the 20th.

 

[wngrr]

Great list! I've been lucky enough to ride everything listed... Colorado is a great place to ride and if Beartooth Hwy was in Colorado it would be the perfect place to ride. A couple more, Million $ Hwy, the hanging flumes and Gateway Auto Museum in Unaweep Canyon ,,,:thumbup:

 

[dancogan]

Just released in late 2011 is Steve Farson's excellent book, The Complete Guide to Motorcycling Colorado. It covers the entire state and upon buying the book you get access to his website with videos of most of his rides. Steve also does a great job on his videos. My wife and I had been planning a Colorado trip long before BRP announced the owner's event and hope to spend 3 weeks or so enjoying one of our favorite states. Because we're planning rides that are also off road we won't be bringing the Spyder this trip, just the dual sport, but hopefully we'll still be allowed to participate in the Owners' Event.

By the way, any fly fishermen (or women) in the group? It's my all time favorite fishing destination and I'm planning on bringing a fly rod and waders along.

 

[Littlebadwolf]

Add Red Rocks natural ampitheater...the place is amazing...especially if you attend a concert there.

 

[thehawk]

All great, for sure ...

... and I plan to do 12 days in all and add:

Black Canyon of the Gunnison
The Arches
4 Corners
Mesa Verde
Wolf Creek Pass
Great Sand Dunes
Chama Pass (and the Cumbres-Toltec scenic railroad) to Antonito
Los Alamos

and some time in Albuquerque and Santa Fe!

WOW!

thehawk
Hurry up June.

 

[Oldmanzues]

Touring Colorado - For Those who have the time before or after the Durango event or any other time in the summer.
The Front Range of the Rockies offers hundreds and hundreds of miles of outstanding roads and great destinations.

Here are a few you might want to consider... if you have the time:

Mt. Evans - Still North America's highest paved road 14k+ ft.

Pike's Peak - now paved to the top 14k+ ft.

Garden of the Gods - Colorado Springs

Trail Ridge Road - highest continuous paved hwy. in the U.S.A. 12k ft.

Peak-to-Peak Hwy. to Rocky Mountain Nat'l. Park

Echo Lake and Squaw Pass 10k ft.

Idaho Springs / Central City Parkway

Black Hawk / Central City and Cripple Creek - Colorado's Casino towns

Leadville 10k ft. - old mining town

Independence Pass 12k ft. - leads into Aspen

Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen, Steamboat Springs - great resort destinations, all 1-3 hours away from the Denver area

Glenwood Canyon - must be one of the finest stretches of Interstate ryding in the country

And the hundreds of miles of canyon runs on the Front Range alone, such as Boulder, Left Hand or Deek Creek Canyons

If anyone would like additional details, please let me know. Unfortunately, my wife and I are invovled with a fundraiser on the weekend of the 23rd-24th.... but will be available the weekend and days before the event starts on the 20th.

Brings back wonderful memories. I was stantioned at Denver for three years ( 80 to 83 )in the USAF. I fully agree with your list.
Trail Ridge. Dress warm and do not wiggle the handlebars. It is a long way down.

 

[wngrr]

... and I plan to do 12 days in all and add:

Black Canyon of the Gunnison
The Arches
4 Corners
Mesa Verde
Wolf Creek Pass
Great Sand Dunes
Chama Pass (and the Cumbres-Toltec scenic railroad) to Antonito
Los Alamos

and some time in Albuquerque and Santa Fe!

WOW!

thehawk
Hurry up June.

Make sure and ride East Portal road and its 16% grade while at the Black Canyon. Also, you may want to take in Bandelier National Monument while you're in the area visiting Los Alimos.. Be carefull around 4 corners. The litter on the side of the road tells the story..


wngrr

 

[dancogan]

Make sure and ride East Portal road and its 16% grade while at the Black Canyon...wngrr

Is this the road that goes down to the bottom of the canyon? Where do you get on it? I saw a video of the road and it looked like it would be fun.

 

[NancysToy]

And let's not forget all the great scenic tourist railroads!

 

[thehawk]

Make sure and ride East Portal road and its 16% grade while at the Black Canyon. Also, you may want to take in Bandelier National Monument while you're in the area visiting Los Alimos.. Be carefull around 4 corners. The litter on the side of the road tells the story..


wngrr

Thanks so much for the suggestion ... and the heads up! What a shame.

thehawk

 

[wngrr]

Is this the road that goes down to the bottom of the canyon? Where do you get on it? I saw a video of the road and it looked like it would be fun.

It is the road that goes down to the bottom of the canyon and the river. I tried to post some pictures but they were all too big. I guess I need to learn how to re-size. The entrance to use is Hwy 347. It's about 15 miles from Montrose on Hwy 50. Their is a small store on the corner where you turn. You can look up Black Canyon National Park Maps. They have a real nice .pdf of the area. Hwy 92 accross the dam is nice too and has some great vistas.



the hawk... I was a bit dissapointed with four corners. Although a cool thing to do, the main focus there of the tribe seems to be to sell you beads and silver. Mesa Verde is assume! I also really enjoy Hwy 17 north of Chama.

 

[GnA]

All great additions... Colorado is like an amusement park full of Roller Coasters. The climb up the east side of I-70, through the Eisenhower Tunnel and down into the Silverthorne, Dillon, Frisco area... is a ride in itself. Once you get into the foothills west of Denver, the interstate becomes a 150 mile scenic adventure ride. One of the few interstate roads that is just as good as many of the secondary highways in the US.

And, Colorado is a great hub to get to Taos, Sturgis, Moab, Las Vegas, the Tetons / Yellowstone... Don't get me wrong, I lived in seven states and ridden in 47, and they all have great roads. I just think that a summer of riding 3 or 2 wheels in Colorado should be on every biker's bucket list!!!

 

[dancogan]

It is the road that goes down to the bottom of the canyon and the river. I tried to post some pictures but they were all too big. I guess I need to learn how to re-size. The entrance to use is Hwy 347. It's about 15 miles from Montrose on Hwy 50. Their is a small store on the corner where you turn. You can look up Black Canyon National Park Maps. They have a real nice .pdf of the area. Hwy 92 accross the dam is nice too and has some great vistas...

Thanks, I found the pdf map. Yet another place to visit near Durango! :thumbup:

 

[wngrr]

All great additions... Colorado is like an amusement park full of Roller Coasters. The climb up the east side of I-70, through the Eisenhower Tunnel and down into the Silverthorne, Dillon, Frisco area... is a ride in itself. Once you get into the foothills west of Denver, the interstate becomes a 150 mile scenic adventure ride. One of the few interstate roads that is just as good as many of the secondary highways in the US.

And, Colorado is a great hub to get to Taos, Sturgis, Moab, Las Vegas, the Tetons / Yellowstone... Don't get me wrong, I lived in seven states and ridden in 47, and they all have great roads. I just think that a summer of riding 3 or 2 wheels in Colorado should be on every biker's bucket list!!!

I couldn't agree more. Although my favorite ride is not in Colorado my wife and I continue to be drawn back. We already have two trips planned for 2012 to Colorado, the first to Manitou Spring in March, the second to South Fork to ride ATV's in June. The bike trip this year will be from Oklahoma to Keystone SD through Red Lodge and across Beartooth to Yellowstone.. It will be the second time for this trip but we can't get enough of this area either. What a great county we live in!!