These are all half-day or shorter loops, and you should be able to ride two of them in any given day. They're basically broken into groups north of I-70 and south of I-70. Within either group the selected loops all intermingle and you can easily do any combination of them. What I'd recommend is to do one southern loop and one northern loop in a day, with a good lunch stop in between. - - Mark

Short Loops - South Side of I-70

Map of these routes (64k gif)

Triple By-Pass:

This route is popular with cyclists (as in bicycle), hence the name. This is little more than a warm-up route for a motorcycle, and is equally fun in either direction. Fom Avon, go over Vail Pass on I-70, turn south on CO 91 at Copper Mountain , and go over Fremont Pass to Leadville, then back north over Tennessee Pass and back home to Avon.

Aspen:

This is a pretty healthy 'short' loop. Leave Avon going east, turn south through Minturn, over Tennessee Pass, go through Leadville towards Buena Vista, turn off onto CO82 heading towards Independence Pass. Within just a few miles you'll come to the town of Twin Lakes, with their namesake lakes on the south side of the road. There is a big power hydroelectric plant here that's worth a look. They give regular tours and when the turbines get to rumbling, it shakes the whole place. Big, impressive hardware, and cheap entertainment for a short stop. Head on up the pass and enjoy the considerable twisties, but be sure to stop at the top for some incredible views of Colorado's high country - there's sure to be gobs of snow in the shadows around here (not on the road...).. Head on down the pass - and use a lot of caution - when the signs say 20 mph, they pretty much mean it. This pass is famous for the sections that are only a lane or lane and a half wide, hacked out of the side of a sheer cliff, with blind corners thrown in for fun. It's no problem on a bike - just watch out for the Winnebagos! Off the bottom of the pass is a nice mellow cruise into Aspen. Of course you'll want to stop and have lunch here, and do a little shopping, sightseeing,, celebrity spotting or other 'touristing'. Expect to pay more than average for everytheing here. Continue on out hiway 82 past Snowmass and Woody Creek (home of famed 'gonzo journalist' Hunter S. Thompson), through Carbondale to Glenwood Springs. If you feel like it, you can take a side tour for a short distance up McClure Pass from Carbondale, and visit the Cleveholm Manor in Redstone (also known as the Redstone Castle). You can have dinner here (reservations!). Rumor has it that there's a grand old hardwood pool table downstairs that was installed during the castle's construction, and there's no way to get it out, so there it sits! Just up the road a bit from here is the little town of Marble, which gets its name from the marble quarries there. The Lincoln Memorial and other monuments in Washington D.C. were made from marble quarried here. Ok - where were we? Oh yeah - in Glenwood Springs. Go for a soak in the big community hot pools, if you like, or head on down the road inoto Glenwood Canyon, and consider a hike up to Hanging Lake. See detailed notes elsewhere. Less than an hour later, you're back home in Avon.

Breckenridge:

This is almost as healthy a loop as the Aspen ride. Get onto I-70 heading east, and zip on over Vail Pass, and on down to Frisco. Turn south here and head on down to the Kingdom of Breckenridge. Yes, Breckenridge is a Kingdom - at least for a few days each year. It's kind of a holdover from the old minig days, and each year they elect a King and whoop it up for a few days. This is a beautifully restored old Victorian mining town, complete with gingerbread houses painted in colors that would have made miners ill in their day. Still, it's worth it to get off the bikes and look around for a while. This is another shopper's paradise. If you're hungry, th Breckenridge Brewery and Pub at the far end of town is a good choice. Leaving Breckenridge heading south and uphill you'll climb up over Hoosier Pass. There's plenty of evidence of mining activity all over the place up here. This road is also the gateway to the Mosquito Range, boasting more of Colorados 14'ers, all to the west side. As you head down the south side of the pass, you'll roll through the little town of Alma. Go the speed limit. Period. The town has one cop with one cop car, and I've seen him armed with the radar gun, or with someone pulled over every time I've ever gone through here. You can do it - it's not a very big town (4 blocks?). From here twist on down the road to Fairplay, but still be on the lookout for black & whites. You're in Park County, and the cops here have quite a reputation - not even the local DA tries to fight a ticket, if ya know wut I mean. Fairplay is another hot spot in Colorado's mining history. The old Fairplay Hotel is a great place to stop for a drink and some chow - it's a green, wooden building on your left and is a grand old relic. Ok - turn right heading out of town, and settle in for about 20 or 30 miles of high country cruising. You're running down the far western edge of South Park. Colorado has a few of these vast expanses up between the mountains in the high country, and they're called parks; North Park, South Park, etc. Before long you'll pass Antero Junction, and another mile or two puts you over the top of Trout Creek Pass, and you get to have a little fun rolling down to Buena Vista. Turn right (north) at the bottom of the pass, and head up through Buena Vista, and Leadville, and over Tennessee Pass and home to Avon.

Short Loops - North Side of I-70:

The offerings on the north side of I-70 are not quite as plentiful as on the south side, but are equally entertaining. Again, mix and match at will.

Map of these routes ( 75k gif)

Gore Pass:

Leave Avon on I-70 going west to Wolcott Junction, and head north on CO 131. Ride up the Yampa River valley through State Bridge to Toponas. Turn east (right) onto CO 134 and climb up and over Gore Pass. This road appears to have two summits, both twisting through high pasture land and aspen forests. The pass is named for the spectacular Gore Range of mountains that run east-west just south of the pass itself. Drop down to US 40 and turn right; Kremmling is about 6 miles down the road (watch for cops in the blind up/down sections). Look for the signs to Dillon or Silverthorne, and take the right turn out of town, heading down CO 9 and the Blue River Valley. This is gold medal trout water all the way down to the Interstate. You'll see plenty of fishing boats on Green Mountain Reservoir to your right as you head down-valley. This road is a great bomber with great visibility and wonderful sweepers. Take it easy when you start getting close to Silverthorne and I-70. Turn right (west) on I-70, and head up through Officer's Gulch and over Vail Pass, back home to Avon.

Steamboat Springs & Rabbit Ears Pass:

The upper loop of this route can obviously be run in either direction, but I prefer counter clockwise, because I generally have more fun on all three legs of the loop in that direction. Leave Avon on I-70 going west to Wolcott Junction, and head north on CO 131. Ride up the Yampa River valley through State Bridge to Toponas. Turn east (right) onto CO 134 and climb up and over Gore Pass. Drop down to US 40 and turn left (north/west). You have about 20 miles of high country cruising through wide open rolling hills. Right at the point where you pass the turn off for CO 14 to Walden, the road gets steep and tight for a few miles - these are great low gear zingers. The road opens up as you get on top of the plateau, and you can rip along for miles. As you roll along, keep an eye out for the pass's namesake rock formation up on the ridge ahead to your right. Past the western summit of the pass you'll see great sweeping views of the valley below. Drop on down the pass, being watchful for cops hidden around blind turns. About four miles beyond the bottom of the pass and you'll roll into the ski village area, and another few miles brings you into the old main town of Steamboat Springs.

This town is the home of the last existing motorcycle roadraces which are run on public streets, in the whole country. Every September, the ski village is transformed into a race track for Vintage Car Racing over Labor Day weekend, and two weeks later, AHRMA takes over with three days of off-road vintage bike competition (flat track, trials, motocross/scrambles), followed by a day of vintage roadracing and finally a day of modern superbike races. If you're into anything along these lines, it's not to be missed! Stop off at the Chamber Resort Visitor Information Center opposite the ski hill between the ski resort and town to get more detailed information (or call them at 970-879-0880).

Steamboat Springs is named for a hot spring along the river that runs through town that used to billow steam rhythmically as the river would lap over the opening and back, creating a chuffing sound reminiscent of an old river steamboat. It hasn't done that for a long time, but the name, and the hot spring stands. If you're interested in a good hot spring soak, the public pool at the south end of town is nice, but for a really rustic hot spring in a gorgeous natural setting, ride about 7 miles out of town, mostly on steep, winding dirt roads, to Strawberry Park Hot Springs. It's not so bad a ride - I've done it on my Connie in the dark. Admission is likely to be $10 this year, and it's a great way to soothe a tired butt. Turn off of the main drag on 7th street and follow the signs. The main town offers plenty of ways to spend your bucks, and plenty of places to get good eats, but my favorite is in Ski Time Square, back in the ski village - Heavenly Daze Brewpub has great food, fantastic handcrafted beers, and spectacular mountain views. You might even consider taking a ride up the gondola lift to the top of Mt. Werner for lunch and a view. When you've had your fill of the Steamboat area, head back out of town to the south, and make the right turn onto CO 131 and ride down through Oak Creek, Toponas, State Bridge and back to I-70 where you'll grab a left and head home to Avon.

Be prepared, have fun, ride safely, enjoy!

Mark Folsom, folski@montrose.net
COG #260
SW Area - Assistant Director

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Comments, problems to: Me, rickh@concours.org

Last updated 18 Jun. 96