Denver area - 4 days; car or bike; where?

I will have to visit Denver sometime this summer, to "say goodbye" to a buddy who has terminal cancer before he leaves us for a better world.

I reckon I can add 4 days for some touring, but don't know whether to hire a bike or a car. If SWMBO decides she wants to come, it will be a car hire question.

Is it right that we'd have to take our own helmets, gloves, jackets, boots, trousers, etc if we followed the bike option?

Second part of my post - could anyone suggest routes / roads that we should "do", and accomodation along the way.

I can't get really excited about the visit - I always lead the booing at funerals - but don't want to leave Denver without a positive experience. [That sounds wrong, because my buddy is one of the most intelligent and positive people I've ever met - but you know what I mean]

Many thanks,

Neil.

Neil, if you rent from Eaglerider, you cabn get all your riding kit from there as well. You can get everything there including chaps so just be careful

I'll have a look at some routes for you over the weekend because you can ride some great roads in that time. Even if you rent a car, it's still spectacular

Colorado Loop

Hi Neil,
I moved from North Yorkshire to Denver last summer and have discovered a lot of Colorado in that time. Sold my GS before I left and bought a Kawasaki KLR650....ideal for the mountain roads / trails here. Once you're away from the city and into the mountains, the scenery / roads are superb. In 4 days, I'd recommend the following loop, which can be done easily in that time:

Denver - Salida - Gunnison - Montrose - Telluride - Cortez - Durango - Ouray - Montrolse - then 2 routes to come back to Denver...the same route via Salida or head a bit further north, heading towards Aspen - Leadville. The Durango to Ouray leg, heading in that direction (north) is staggering.

Accommodation: Motels in every town.....Super8, Comfort Inns etc......$60 -ish for a large room with 2 doubles. Wouldn't book, just turn up and say 'Yes' when they ask if you have AAA cover (AA/RAC breakdown)....will give 10pc discount.

Email me at: p.isaacs@.net if you need any further info / help.

Regards

Gordo' (formerly 'Gordo' from this parish but can't remember my pswd !!)

Hi Gordo, good to see you back, maybe you could talk to a mod to get your original login restored?

Talking of routes around Denver and the Rockies, after last year’s successful car trip car to California and Nevada I’m under some pressure to come up with a bike trip between Las Vegas and Denver, by some miracle I’ve already included Durango to Ouray North bound on the US 550 then East on the US 50 via Gunnison. After that I’ve planned to go North via Independence Pass before heading West again via Arches National Park, Capital Reef and Bryce Canyon. If you have any comments I’d be very happy to hear them, If you do Garmin mapping I’d forward the route to you, its too big to post here.

Cheers, Martin

Hi Martin.....do you still have your website running...enjoyed lots of your previous RRs...Norway etc....great stuff.

The Bryce Canyon, Utah routes, I still need to do but pleased you're heading in the right direction out of Durango. It's good heading south but when heading north, your direction puts you on the best side for scenery, given than you're on the right hand side of the road.

I only just returned from a Dever - California trip last week, perhaps the best trip I've done as it took it so much different weather / landscapes....we had the lot from blizzards to sand storms...a real adventure.


link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/....80980160.100000601074312&type=3&l=a87d790645



On the way out of Colorado, heading towards Vegas, we went to 4 Corners (nothing exciting) but hit a gem at a place called Muley Point, right on the Arizona/Utah border. You need to google it or see it in my photos. It's off road but we saw a couple of Harleys on the track so that tells you how difficult it is. I thoroughly recommend this spot for the views.....about an hour away from the Mexican Hat and Monument Valley.

I think you'll hit the spot when you get into Colorado.....Nevada / Arizona are worth seeing for sure, just because some of the desert landscapes are immense but of course much of it is straight road whether you're on freeway or US highways....unless you come off road. Maybe consider flying into Denver and pick all those points you've mentioned to include Bryce etc. So long as you're West of Denver and off the freeway you'll hit great scenery, roads and one horse towns. I don't know what time of year you're considering but remember the altitude. You'll be bouncing between 5500'- 11000' for much of the time (in CO) and of course that brings 'weather'....definitely rain storms in the late afternoon and potential snow at those higher altitudes....even in the summer. Had a job leaving Denver 3 weeks ago because of this.

If you did fly into Vegas, it would be a shame not to include Death Valley, only a desert and straight roads for the most part (but does have some superb tarmac and twisties on the western side of Panamint Springs.....oh, and the views)......then, that's not too far to the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite, which again, is breath taking.

When are you planning to come over....would be great to meet up.



Regards


Gordo'

KLRGordo' said:

Hi Neil,
I'd recommend the following loop, which can be done easily in that time:

Denver - Salida - Gunnison - Montrose - Telluride - Cortez - Durango - Ouray - Montrolse - then 2 routes to come back to Denver...the same route via Salida or head a bit further north, heading towards Aspen - Leadville.

Accommodation: Motels in every town.....Super8, Comfort Inns etc......$60 -ish for a large room with 2 doubles.

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Thanks Gordo! I'll start preping my tour soon.

Cheers,

Neil.

Thanks for the information Gordo, I'll take it all on board. The web sites still up, must be 10 years now, but I must admit I've not done much recently.

Our visits isn't for certain yet, it's dependant on permissions being granted. But May time maybe when we visit (would Indipendance Pass be open then?) calling in to visits you would be great and if this trip gets the go ahead rest assured I'll let you know.

Thanks again, Martin

Website for the pass says it's open between late May - late October. 'Memorial Day' (which is today) is the date when many mountain peaks (Mt Evans)/passes open.

g

KLRGordo' said:

Website for the pass says it's open between late May - late October. 'Memorial Day' (which is today) is the date when many mountain peaks (Mt Evans)/passes open.

g

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Hmmm, early June maybe when we need to visit then, lord knows what the temperatures around Las Vegas and Death Valley will be then

ebbo said:

Hmmm, early June maybe when we need to visit then, lord knows what the temperatures around Las Vegas and Death Valley will be then

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Not as bad as you think......about 110f

Sgt Bilco said:

Not as bad as you think......about 110f

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A quick in-out then, before you melt

Book on Colorado roads

This book on motorcycle touring Colorado maybe of use to anyone visiting the area, the writer Steve Farson is a member here (sfarson).
Amazon

I rode through Denver in 2006, and two places I headed for were Mount Evans and Pike's Peak. At 14,260ft Mount Evans is the highest tarmacced road in the US with Pike's Peak only a few miles away 130ft lower. The top third of Pike's Peak was gravel when I went but I am now informed it's been tarmassed to the summit. Yes, Ouray to Durango would take your breath away and Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley was 117f during the day and 100f at midnight! A wonderful part of the country.

Paul Rochdale said:

Yes, Ouray to Durango would take your breath away and Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley was 117f during the day and 100f at midnight! A wonderful part of the country.

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Ouray is a lovely little town and we stopped in the best B&B ever there (Black Bear Manor)

We quite liked the road out of Stovepipe Wells to Lone Pine as it climbed the mountains out of Death Valley. Death Valley itself was pretty spectcular too, which was surprising as I was expecting it to be another boring desert road

I spent the night in the Alpine Inn on Main St, Ouray. All chintzy curtains and a quilt on the bed. It really deserves the title 'Little Switzerland' as even the houses resemble swiss chalets.

From there I rode along the Million Dollar Highway to Durango, one of the most spectacular roads I'd ridden on. Durango was quite a place too, with an old steam train which went to Silverton each day, hugging the sides of rock faces with a torrent of a river in the valley below. I stayed at the Siesta Motel (3475 North Main Avenue) then caught a trolleybus into town. I found the microbrew pub, the Steamworks Brewery, and their excellent IPA and returned in the evening for more IPA and the best ever Jambalaya.

Later visited the FOUR CORNERS, the only place in the US where four states all meet up - Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and New Mexico. Nothing there of note except for a few dozen stalls selling Indian jewellery and a lot of sullen looking Navajo. Shortly afterwards, riding through Monument Valley was a dream come true as I'd seen the famous picture of the road leading up to the butes and just HAD to take a pic of my bike there. Stopped at a Motel 6 in PAGE on the shores of Lake Powell and the next day visited the gob smackingly amazing ZION and BRYCE CANYONS, and the North Rim of the GRAND CANYON.

When we left STOVEPIPE WELLS when the temp was 95f and climbed from 5ft above sea level to 4000ft above sea level in twenty minutes. Cool at last! Through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and over the TIOGA PASS where there was still snow on 11th July then down into YOSEMITE VALLEY and tented accommodation in Curry Village.