Colorado High Country Cycling Tour

Meals: Dinner

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Distance: 55 miles

Elevation Gain: 5,650 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 2,500 feet

We’ll get a taste of one of Boulder’s great training rides on Day 2 as we climb through South St. Vrain Canyon from Lyons to its junction with Peak-to-Peak Highway near Allenspark. We’ll ride the beautiful Peak-to-Peak to Estes Park, where we’ll spend our next evening.

Accommodation: Gateway Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Distance: 50 miles

Elevation Gain: 5,500 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 3,050 feet

Rocky Mountain Park and Trail Ridge Road will command our attention for much of Day 3. We believe that Trail Ridge reigns as the premier alpine experience in North America. From the summit of Trail Ridge, at 12,183 feet, we actually descend well over 1,000 feet to reach the Continental Divide at Milner Pass (10,756′). We’ll continue on to Grand Lake and a night at the Gateway Lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Distance: 71 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,045 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 1,298 feet

On Day 4 we head into the remote reaches of North Park with a mellow ride over gentle Willow Creek Pass (9,683′).

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Distance: 57 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,125 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 900 feet

Day 5 will have a gentle climb to Muddy Pass (8,722′), and perhaps not so gentle to the Continental Divide atop Rabbit Ears (9,426′), before descending into the Yampa Valley and Steamboat Springs. We’ll spend the next two evenings in Steamboat Springs, with its inviting pool and quiet setting near the slopes of Mt. Werner.

Day 6 is a layover day and there will be options of a road ride, a hot springs trip or some hiking in the beautiful Mount Zirkel Wilderness. The hiking destination is Gilpin Lake, an 8-mile round-trip hike, with a stop for a soak in the natural hot springs at Strawberry Park on our way back to Steamboat.

Distance: 57 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,300 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 525 feet

Day 7 has a gentle climb over and unnamed pass. We’ll trace the course of the Yampa south of Steamboat through an area that poignantly expresses the vast, rugged expanse that is Colorado. We cross from the Yampa Valley into the Colorado River Basin. There are optional extensions available on our way to Vail. We then get to enjoy a fabulous dinner and evening in the famous ski town of Vail..

We will enjoy a second layover day in Vail. Options to choose from include road and mountain biking, hiking, fishing, and exploring.

Distance: 38 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,315 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 1,200 feet

It’s back on the bikes on Day 9 when we’ll ride the separated paved trails to the Continental Divide at Vail Pass (10,666′), down to Copper Mountain, and on to Breckenridge. We’ll arrive in Breckenridge early-afternoon with ample opportunity to explore this lively resort community.

Distance: 42 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,710 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 2,550 feet

The adventure continues on Day 10, past Keystone Resort and a final visit to the Continental Divide atop Loveland Pass (11,992′). The road to Loveland’s summit is much quieter thanks to I-70 and the Eisenhower Tunnel, and makes for a spectacular climb above treeline. It’s downhill to Georgetown from the summit for our final evening in this quaint 19th-century Victorian village.

Distance: 44 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,900 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 3,400 feet

Our descent along Clear Creek continues early on our final day, but we can’t resist one more adventure. Just up the road from Idaho Springs, lurks mighty Mt. Evans (14,260′). Our route continues on its flanks to the beautiful Echo Lake at about 10,000′, cresting at Mestaa’Ėhehe Pass, and then it is downhill all the way to Bergen Park, where we’ll call it a tour and van shuttle back to Denver.