Vail Valley 3-day Cycling Getaway

Meals: Dinner

Distance: 35 miles

On Day 1 of our weekend getaway we will meet in Denver and shuttle into Summit County. We start cycling on the bike path in Silverthorne, a community that sits in the middle of nature’s playgrounds: statuesque peaks topping out above 14,000 feet; bold rivers with renowned rapids and fishing holes; and hundreds of miles of wilderness. The path winds along Dillon Reservoir, through the quaint town of Frisco, past the world class Copper Mountain Ski Area, up over Vail Pass and down into the glitzy town of Vail. We recommend lodging in the European style village of Vail, where you can walk the brick lined streets to stores, ice cream shops and galleries. 2100 ft

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Distance: 63 miles

Day 2 includes a tour of the entire Vail Valley to start, then continues down along the Eagle River to Dotsero – named for the mile marker (dot zero) of the famed Dotsero Cutoff that connected the rail road route west out of Denver through the Moffet Tunnel, to the Denver & Rio Grande line that continued to the west coast. From there we pick up the Glenwood Canyon Bike Path that follows the Colorado River through the narrow and scenic Glenwood Canyon. You share the gorge-like canyon with the river and I-70, where you can marvel at the engineering genius required to create a major transportation passage through the canyon. At the end of the route is the opportunity to soak in the natural waters of the world’s largest mineral hot springs pool at Glenwood Hot Springs, before the van shuttle return to Vail. 1100 ft elevation gain and 3500 ft elevation loss)

Meals: Breakfast

Distance: 63 miles

You’ll get your climbing in on Day 3 as we leave the town of Vail, climb over Tennessee Pass and head for the community of Leadville, which was once one of the world’s largest (and most notorious) mining camps. Steeped in history and renowned for being the highest-elevation city in the United States, you’ll want to take some time to explore this unique town. From Leadville it is a surprisingly easy climb to the top of Freemont Pass, then an enjoyable downhill back past Copper Mountain Resort and into Frisco where our weekend getaway concludes. 5500 ft elevation gain. The van will return you to Denver in the late afternoon.