Riding in Colorado

[oldguy]

Any suggestions for rides/routes in the Summit County,( Breckenridge, Silverthorne, Frisco, Leadville ) area? My wife and I are going out there in early September.
Thanks, Jack.

[allikanbe]

Originally Posted by oldguy

Any suggestions for rides/routes in the Summit County,( Breckenridge, Silverthorne, Frisco, Leadville ) area? My wife and I are going out there in early September.
Thanks, Jack.

join www.k-bikes.com and search for a member named sfarson. he lives in that area and has a Duc, BMW, and HD. He has several excellent self-made videos of riding out there. I know he has a least one of Breckenridge.
The BMW site is a lot like this one.

[billyb]

I know of a few in that area, but I don't know what the highway numbers are. Give me a few days and I'll get them for you.

[CH_Luke]

Check out this thread on Speedzilla when I posted a question on CO riding spots last year. My wife and I wound up in Yellowstone down to Mesa Verde and back up to Aspen, in to Loveland for bike maintenance and out through Laramie and the Black Hills. Lots of great tips in this thread.

Went in the two weeks after Labor Day. With the post-hurricane fuel price gouing there was no one else there except a few very slow moving HD's. All the motor homes were parked.

http://speedzilla.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1827

[Oldskier]

I live about 90 miles from Breckenridge and September is my favorite month. The heat of summer has passed but it's still warm. Plus, if you're there the toward the end of the month you'll get to see the Aspen trees in their magnificance.
Riding---you can't go wrong if you stay off the interstate. One of my favorites is Hiway 9. Starts near Breckinridge, crosses Hoosier Pass (12K ft) and winds eastward to where it ends near Canon City (where I live). It's a great road and little traveled. Return via highway 50 to Salida and Buena Vista. You can also ride over Hoosier Pass and then go over Trout Creek Pass to Buena Vista from their head toward Salida over Poncha Pass to the Great Sand Dunes NP, then over Buffalo Pass and Monarch Pass back to Salida. There are some great rides around Florissant. I'm sure someone else can fill you in on Western Slope rides.
Hope you have a long vacation.
Ron

[Motophoria]

For West Slope rides: Last month I rode from Avon to Cortez. 400 miles of beautiful scenery. Highway 133 from Carbondale to Hotchkiss is really nice in the early morning light. Watch for deer coming into Hotchkiss. Highway 141 from Whitewater to Telluride is excellent. Then hwy 145 to Cortez. From Cortez take 160 east across the bottom of the state including Durango, Pagosa Springs and Wolf Creek Pass. It's a nice ride.

When riding hwy 24 near Buena Vista and Salida watch for a heavy law enforcement presence and watch your speed. There is lots of traffic there with few passing opportunities. Just take it easy and go with the flow...Also heavily monitored was I 70 through Glenwood Canyon...the prettiest interstate I've ever ridden...twisty! Speed limit is 50 mph however...

Enjoy your trip!

[j_slyter]

I can vouch for the western slope ride, I just did a ride from Colorado Springs to Mesa Verde and back, but from Summit county, that is not really a day trip if you want to stop and see a few things along the way. If you do end up down there, don't miss Mesa Verde, besides the ruins, the roads through the National Park are great. If you plan on staying within a couple of hundred miles of summit county, then I'd recommend the following. 119 from just outside Idaho Springs all the way to Boulder is a nice ride (if you want to try your hand at some gambling, it takes you through Central City also). 72 from Nederland to Rocky Mountain National Park is also nice, and then you can head through the the park (but beware of summer traffic). From the west side of the park, you can take 40 back to I-70, or west to 134 and 131 (I did those last year and they are nice rides also). Hwy 24 between Leadville and Vail is nice too. These rides pretty much all let you head out in the morning and get back to Summit County in time for dinner, and still make some stops along the way (well, except for maybe going through Rocky Mountain National Park, unless your stops are really short). If you end up near Gunnison, try not to miss the Black Canyon. Hard to go wrong if you stay off the interstate though.

[sfarson]

Originally Posted by oldguy

Any suggestions for rides/routes in the Summit County,( Breckenridge, Silverthorne, Frisco, Leadville ) area? My wife and I are going out there in early September.
Thanks, Jack.

Jack,

From this area, day rides...

- Take 24 south out of Leadville, turn west on 82 and go over Independence Pass to Aspen. See the Marroon Bells while there. Scenic peaks. Leaves will be changing slightly by then in the high country.

- Take 24 north from Leadville over Tennessee Pass to Minturn. Head west on 70 to the Wolcott exit / Hwy 131. Go north on 131 to Toponas. Go east on 134 over Gore Pass to Hwy 9, head south to the Frisco area. If starting from Frisco reverse the route.

- Take Hwy 9 north out of Silverthorne, over Rabbit Ears Pass to Steamboat Springs.

Other good ideas in previous posts. I sometimes point two wheeled visitors to the Colorado Scenic Byways site. Every route is two wheeled bliss: http://www.coloradobyways.org/Main.cfm