# Looking for ride suggestions within 2 hr drive of Denver.



## looigi

Hey. I'll be vising Denver for a week or so and am looking for ride suggestions. I'll probably be able to do 3 or 4 rides while there and am looking for routes around 30-60 miles within a couple of hours drive from Denver, perhaps starting in Ft Collins, Boulder, west of Denver or even CO Spgs. Climbs are good. Flagstaff comes to mind out of Boulder...maybe Deer Creek out of Den? Pikes Peak is a thing. What's the scoop there? And what're some good rides out of Ft Collins?


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## thalo

Trail Ridge Road, starting in Estes Park. Only 1.5 hr from Denver, NW. I have not done it before but will be riding it on 10 or 11 July.


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## looigi

I rode it a few times many years ago, in the late 70's. Back then it was really narrow, no shoulder and quite a bit of traffic, much of it motorhomes. Except for that, it was awesome. I'm looking for something a bit less hectic.


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## Mootsie

There are so many. It just depends if you want to loop or do an out and back. There are classic routes like Squaw Pass, Loveland Pass, Lookout Mountain, all the canyons west of Boulder. Have you checked mapmyride.com?


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## Rokh On

looigi said:


> I rode it a few times many years ago, in the late 70's. Back then it was really narrow, no shoulder and quite a bit of traffic, much of it motorhomes. Except for that, it was awesome. I'm looking for something a bit less hectic.


Depending on the day, time of year, free access to RMNP, etc. trail ridge can be a pretty busy road. That's why I mentioned riding around Tahoe in the other post. If he is ok with that then he will be fine on TR.

I haven't been up there since all the rain and flooding of last year but the road is pretty nice. It's reasonably wide.

I agree with Mootsie. There are so many. He mentioned some of my favorite areas. Bergen Park over Squaw/Juniper down into Idaho Springs and then up to Loveland Pass and back. Any number of turn around spots or you can start in Idaho Springs. There is Guanella Pass out of Georgetown. Great cupcake bakery there. Also good view of the Georgetown rail road.

There is always Pikes Peak. Fun ride. Narrow in spots but plenty of pull off areas. Yep traffic here also but every time I've been up drivers have been way cordial and cautious.


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## looigi

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not totally familiar with the area but a few years ago I did some riding in CO, including doing the Deer Creek Challenge and a multi day ride from Sand Dunes to Salida to Fairplay to Frisco to Idaho Spgs, to Left Hand Canyon into Boulder. 

The ride you suggest, that would be hw 66 to 103 into Idaho Spgs.. or 151/155 to Idaho Spgs? And what's the route from there to Loveland Pass? Georgetown and Guanella is between the two so are you suggesting stringing that in somehow?

Back during that multi-day ride I rode the shoulder of I70 from Loveland Pass downhill to Bakerville...pretty fast going, especially with the slipstreams of the passing trucks.


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## godot

Ft Collins - Rist Canyon. Take Overland North to Bingham Hill. Go left. Take a right on Centennial. Take a left when that road ends. Go uphill for 10 miles.

Sadly the road that can be used to make it a loop is still closed after the flooding. So take a break at the top and turn around.

Give me a shout, if you are heading to Ft Collins.


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## OldChipper

Deek Creek, High Grade, Pleasant Park, Shadow Mountain, Myers/Parmalee Gulch, down Deer Creek.

Golden Gate Canyon (out of Golden, CO), right on Peak to Peak Highway (CO 119), right on CO72/Coal Creek Canyon, right on CO93 back to Golden. **Classic** (NO idea why this hasn't been used for the Pro Cycling Challenge yet). 

Golden, Red Rocks, Bear Creek Canyon, right on Kerr Gulch rd, Right on Evergreen Parkway, I-70 for 2 exits (exciting!), down Lookout Mountain (fun!!!!) back to Golden.

Unfortunately, many of the canyon rides out of the Boulder area were affected by the floods last fall and aren't fully re-built. 

Hit me up if you want a guide for any of these or other routes around Golden, CO. I'll post up others as I think of them. 

Copper Mountain, up Fremont Pass to Leadville, down to Minturn, Vail Pass back to Copper Mountain (known as the "Copper Triangle").


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## Rokh On

looigi said:


> Back during that multi-day ride I rode the shoulder of I70 from Loveland Pass downhill to Bakerville...pretty fast going, especially with the slipstreams of the passing trucks.


WOW ... that was probably an attention getter. Now there is an mut that you access just on the east side of Loveland Ski area. It goes thru the woods down to Bakerville. It is still a fairly fast descent to Bakerville. Actually all the way back to Idaho Springs.

Anyway the parking lot is an RTD lot on the south east corner of Evergreen Parkway (74) and Bergen Pkwy. You head out to the traffic light and make a left onto Evergreen pkwy and go a short distance and make a right onto 66 which is Squaw Pass Road I think it becomes 103 at the intersection of Old Squaw Pass rd. You just stay on that all the way to Idaho Springs. or ride to the top and back. Or ride to echo lake and back. The road has just been completely redone. Nice bike lane all the way up and many signs coming down that side stating cyclists use full lane. There is a great frontage road all the way to Bakerville. It crosses back and forth over I70 a couple of times. 

Not sure when you will be here but there are big rides every weekend from now into the beginning of Aug. One in particular that I am not looking forward to.

I can send you more details of getting thru Idaho Springs.


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## looigi

Rokh On. OK. Got it. Evergreen PKW up Squaw Pass Rd (66-103) out and back. Looks like 16 miles to Juniper Pass, 18+ to Echo Lake and 32 going all the way to Idaho Spgs. Out to Echo Lake or a little further and back sounds like it might be about right. Are there any convenience stores or anything along way to fill up bottles? I won't likely go all the way to Idaho Spgs.

That ride you're not looking forward to doesn't happen to be the Triple Bypass Ride, is it? I searched on the web and there sure are a lot of organized rides, at least one or more every weekend. I go on organized rides fairly often but I'm not planning to on this trip. 

Godot. So it sounds like Stove Prairie Rd over to Pouder is closed. Do you know if it's possible to make it through the closed section riding and walking some? Maybe I'll start out at the south end of Horsetooth, ride north along the reservoir then up Rist. Are there any places to fill bottles up Rist?

OldChipper. The Deer Creek ride is over many of the roads I was on when I did the Deer Creek Challenge a few years. Certainly a good possibility. That Golden, Red Rocks, Lookout Mtn, sounds interesting, particularly sailing down I70. I rather enjoyed doing that from Loveland Pass to Bakerville when I was out there a few years ago. 

So, all three of you. If you had a buddy visiting who wanted to do one 30-60 mile ride where would you send or take him?


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## OldChipper

The Golden Gate-Coal Creek Canyon loop definitely. It's kind of un-discovered, has less traffic than many canyon rides and the views are very hard to beat, especially along the Peak-to-Peak Highway (CO 119). It is definitely a tough ride though gaining 3,300' in the first 18 miles including 2 short, steep downhills along the way. Just an awesome ride though.


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## MerlinAma

Haven't seen Mt. Evans mentioned. It's sort of a bucket list ride. Not that hard of a climb (compared to Pikes Peak, at least) but the descent is brutal as a result of freeze cracks in the road. At least they were there about 4 years ago.
The views are spectacular. If you ride there, pay very close attention to the weather!


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## looigi

OldChipper. Golden Gate-Coal Creek Canyon looks like a very interesting suggestion. Plots out at 53 miles and 6000+ climbing. A definite possibility, based on your description. I guess there'll be places to refill bottles somewhere along the way.

MerlinAma. That a distinct possibility too, maybe as an add on to Squaw Pass road from Bergen Park. Clocks in at 65 miles out and back with 7000+ climbing.


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## OldChipper

There's a Conoco about 2.5(?) miles after turning right on CO119. They're cyclist friendly and have clean rest rooms and the usual snack foods. There's a small store/coffee shop right before reaching CO119 (near the ballfield) too; we've never stopped there, but I've seen cyclists there. There are a couple of other stores/bars between the turn onto CO119 and CO72, but one stop is normally enough for me (and it's about half way). There's also a pretty decent restaurant at the top of the hill in Wondervu that we've stopped and eaten at a couple of times too - it's pretty much all downhill after Wondervu so safe to have a good meal. About 2/3 of the way down Coal Creek, there's another gas station on the right where I've gotten food/water in the past as well (normally when doing the route in the other direction). 

Couple of things to be aware of on this ride: 1) Unlike a lot of rides in the area, there is almost NO cell service ANYWHERE along the route once you head uphill and until you return to the flats. There is a pay phone at the Conoco. 2) It can be fairly easy to miss the turn onto CO72 as it's in a turn at the bottom of a fast downhill and kind of cuts back to the right a bit, so measure out the distance ahead of time and stay heads-up for the turn.

Another option... A new (to me) route that I did today is Bergen Park -> Squaw Pass -> Idaho Springs -> frontage road/bike path/US40/Evergreen Parkway back to Bergen Park. About 46 miles and 5,000' of climbing. Pretty nice ride with great views.


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## pulser955

looigi said:


> Rokh On. OK. Got it. Evergreen PKW up Squaw Pass Rd (66-103) out and back. Looks like 16 miles to Juniper Pass, 18+ to Echo Lake and 32 going all the way to Idaho Spgs. Out to Echo Lake or a little further and back sounds like it might be about right. Are there any convenience stores or anything along way to fill up bottles? I won't likely go all the way to Idaho Spgs.
> 
> That ride you're not looking forward to doesn't happen to be the Triple Bypass Ride, is it? I searched on the web and there sure are a lot of organized rides, at least one or more every weekend. I go on organized rides fairly often but I'm not planning to on this trip.
> 
> Godot. So it sounds like Stove Prairie Rd over to Pouder is closed. Do you know if it's possible to make it through the closed section riding and walking some? Maybe I'll start out at the south end of Horsetooth, ride north along the reservoir then up Rist. Are there any places to fill bottles up Rist?
> 
> OldChipper. The Deer Creek ride is over many of the roads I was on when I did the Deer Creek Challenge a few years. Certainly a good possibility. That Golden, Red Rocks, Lookout Mtn, sounds interesting, particularly sailing down I70. I rather enjoyed doing that from Loveland Pass to Bakerville when I was out there a few years ago.
> 
> So, all three of you. If you had a buddy visiting who wanted to do one 30-60 mile ride where would you send or take him?


The washed out part of Stove Prairie Rd is not possible by bike. I'm told you have to cross the stream to make it. I have driven out as far as the the road is open and every section that has a stream crossing is dirt. You can still make it a loop by just taking Stove Prairie the other way and coming back on down Poudre canyon. The traffic really isn't that bad during the week. I wouldn't recommend the canyon on a weekend but I ride it allot.


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## godot

looigi said:


> Rokh On.
> 
> Godot. So it sounds like Stove Prairie Rd over to Pouder is closed. Do you know if it's possible to make it through the closed section riding and walking some? Maybe I'll start out at the south end of Horsetooth, ride north along the reservoir then up Rist. Are there any places to fill bottles up Rist?


Stove Prairie to Masonville is not passable. You could do what Pulser said, and make a loop by going down Poudre Canyon. I'm not a huge fan of riding Poudre Canyon, and would definitely vote against it on a weekend.

There are no spots to fill up on water in the canyon. The closet thing that comes to mind would be the parking lot at Overland Trail and the Poudre Trail.

I love Rist and ride it a lot, but honestly - I'd do Squaw Pass to Idaho Springs then back to Evergreen via Floyd Hill. The scenery up high on Squaw is amazing.


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## OldChipper

I didn't see that anyone responded about water on the Squaw Pass loop... there's a souvenir shop/ restaurant/convenience store (no auto fuel) at Echo lake just over the top of Squaw/Juniper Pass. Also gas stations/convenience stores in Idaho Springs. Pretty good cell service the whole way around this loop if it matters. Careful on the descent from Echo Lake to Idaho Springs. The road is better than it used to be but still some road damage and steep sharp curves. Very fun, just stay heads-up.

Here's info on the Squaw Pass-Idaho Springs loop:

Bike Ride Profile | Squaw Pass I Springs Floyd Hill near Evergreen | Times and Records | Strava

Make sure to look at the section from Idaho Spring to Floyd Hill on Googlemaps or RideWithGPS as some of it is on bike path so finding the start to the path requires a small amount of research and watch for the turn off of US6 onto US40 (Floyd Hill) at the end of the path. Nothing terrible, just helps to have a mental image of the route.


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## pulser955

godot said:


> Stove Prairie to Masonville is not passable. You could do what Pulser said, and make a loop by going down Poudre Canyon. I'm not a huge fan of riding Poudre Canyon, and would definitely vote against it on a weekend.
> 
> There are no spots to fill up on water in the canyon. The closet thing that comes to mind would be the parking lot at Overland Trail and the Poudre Trail.
> 
> I love Rist and ride it a lot, but honestly - I'd do Squaw Pass to Idaho Springs then back to Evergreen via Floyd Hill. The scenery up high on Squaw is amazing.



You can get water at the camp store in Pouder park. There is also the gas station after the canyon at 14 and 287. I have stopped at the Mishawaka for water.


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## looigi

Lots of great info. Thanks. Yeah. I was specifically looking for something out of Ft "Fun", Boulder and the Denver Area, and figure I'll be able to get three rides in, one in each. 

I understand Rist to Masonville is not possible (bummer) but coming down Pouder would be. If I do it, I'll be sure to avoid the weekend and probably start up Rist in the AM so as to be coming down Pouder late morning before lunch. Does that make sense traffic-wise? 

For Boulder it's looking like Flagstaff, Cold Creek, 119 and down Magnolia Rd? 

A lot of choices so far for the Denver area: 

Evergreen Pkw, Squaw Pass up Mt Evans sounds tempting but perhaps a bit too ambitious. Maybe if I save it for the third ride and I'm feeling good... 

Squaw Pass, Idaho Spgs, I70 Bike path. The track on STRAVA is coarsely segmented so I can't tell what it's really following down along I70. A few of the bike paths I've been on in CO were far less than ideal, poorly maintained with sand, rocks, big cracks, sharp blind turns... How's the path down from Idaho Spgs? 

Golden Gate, 119, down Coal Creek, looks pretty straightforward. 

Golden, Red Rocks, Bear Creek Canyon, right on Kerr Gulch rd, Right on Evergreen Parkway, I-70 for 2 exits (exciting!), down Lookout Mountain (fun!!!!) back to Golden. Looks like another good one.


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## pulser955

The poudre has the least traffic in the mornings. Its definitely the best time.


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## Rokh On

looigi said:


> Rokh On. That ride you're not looking forward to doesn't happen to be the Triple Bypass Ride, is it?
> 
> So, all three of you. If you had a buddy visiting who wanted to do one 30-60 mile ride where would you send or take him?


I am doing the Double Triple but the ride I am not looking forward to is the race up Mt. Evans at the end of the month.

Already mentioned but there is a store/bathroom/food at Echo Lake.

Yep ... you have the mileage correct. There are a couple of picnic areas on the south (left side) of the road when you get to Squaw and Juniper with a rest room. False summit on Squaw. There is about another 3 miles uphill to Juniper. Echo Lake is about 4 miles down hill from there. That side of Squaw if newly paved and in great condition. Nice bike lane most of the way up.

Visiters? Depends on who. The most requested road bike ride is to downtown Denver and REI via the Platte and/or Cherry Creek trails. Not my favorite but oh well. The other route some love is from Idaho Springs to Georgetown in the fall.


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## OldChipper

If you look on RideWithGPS (I think using their planning tool requires you to sign-up but it used to be that basic sign-up was free), you can see the details of the Idaho Springs bike path. For a section, it runs right next to I-70 but is separated by concrete Jersey barriers. The very start has about 50 yards of dirt/gravel but no big deal (and I'm not a fan of the "gravel grinder" rides that seem to be all the rage nowadays). The rest is asphalt that has some frost heaves etc. so you don't want to bomb down it, but is very lightly traveled so generally not a big deal (and you don't spend all that much time on it in any case).


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## looigi

Yes. I frequently lay out rides on RWGPS and download them to my Garmin, and I laid out all these suggested rides to see the route, profile and distance... and even used satellite and street views to check things out. It's a far cry when I was riding in CO in the late 70s before GPS, cell phones, the web, email, etc...It's kind of funny how I've come to rely on all this technology when I used to just use a gas station paper road map and go out and ride. I still have many of those maps. 

Edit: For Rist-Pouder, it looks like a good place to start/park would be Lory State Park at the northwest corner of Horsetooth: 44 miles from there with 3870' of climbing on RWGPS. 

Thanks for all the great suggestions and info. Now I just have to get there and see how my schedule develops to decide which I can fit in.


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## pulser955

looigi said:


> Yes. I frequently lay out rides on RWGPS and download them to my Garmin, and I laid out all these suggested rides to see the route, profile and distance... and even used satellite and street views to check things out. It's a far cry when I was riding in CO in the late 70s before GPS, cell phones, the web, email, etc...It's kind of funny how I've come to rely on all this technology when I used to just use a gas station paper road map and go out and ride. I still have many of those maps.
> 
> Edit: For Rist-Pouder, it looks like a good place to start/park would be Lory State Park at the northwest corner of Horsetooth: 44 miles from there with 3870' of climbing on RWGPS.
> 
> Thanks for all the great suggestions and info. Now I just have to get there and see how my schedule develops to decide which I can fit in.


You can park at Lory it will be $6 to park and you will have a little dirt road to get out of the park. You can park for free in the bike path parking lot on overland trail rd. Where the pouder passes under overland trail.


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## looigi

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering if there was a fee at Lory. I also considered parking at Vern's but the Lion's Park lot sounds like a better option. Looks like parking at Brigham Hill Park could also be an option. 

No problem with some dirt. That's why I was wondering if Stove Prairie/Buckhorn road down to Masonville was possible on a bike riding or with some shouldering. There's a webpage on the road closure and work: http://larimer.org/engineering/PROJECTS/Stat9323.htm

Also Larimer County Road Closures which says: September 2013 Flood. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. Closed and signed as such. Those who proceed beyond the "Road Closed" sign do so at their own risk. 

I'm going to try calling the number on the webpage and see what they say.

Update: Talked to Larimer County engineering and they said they had heavy construction going on and will be blasting so it would not be advisable to try to make it through, on a bike, on foot, or otherwise. He also said that it was impassible when the water was up, though it isn't now. Soooo, I guess I'm not going to try.


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## DMH2979

+1 for Golden Gate. Boulder - GG - P to P - Wondervu back down to Boulder used to be one of my favorite rides. One suggestion is to take the right onto Mountain Base Rd (pretty sure there is NOT a sign) just after the little lake/reservoir about 7-8 miles up Golden Gate. It's a small, twisty, steep road. Beautiful wildflowers in the spring. When you hit the dirt "T" turn left and that dumps you onto 119.


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## looigi

Thanks. I found Mountain base road on the map. According to RWGPS it takes about 2.5 miles and 200' of climbing out of the ride, but from your description it sounds like the quality more than makes up for the quantity.


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## Rokh On

MerlinAma said:


> pay very close attention to the weather!


Hey looigi. Not sure if you are here yet but what Merlin points out and was mentioned in the other thread really holds true right now. The weather has gone south. 9 people were struck by lightning today. 1 didn't make it. They were all in RMNP either on or near Trail Ridge. Ride early. Local station gave an advisory to all hikers and cyclists. 

Weather is suppose to be bad thru Wed.


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## looigi

Wow. Thanks for the wx update. My trip isn't for a couple of weeks yet. I know wx can be very changeable in the mountains and big thunderstorms can brew up very quickly in the afternoon. I'll defo keep abreast of the wx and am basically planning to go early and get rides done by noon.


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## looigi

Boulderites: I see Magnolia road is dirt for around 8 miles toward the top. It looks decent enough in Google street view. Any issues with this stretch I should be aware of?


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## looigi

Found out Flagstaff is closed much of the time for construction due to last year's floods!? I guess plan B will be up Left Hand Canyon etc...


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## PDex

Lefthand to Ward is OK. Lee Hill is under construction and reduced to one lane, but is usable. James Canyon is closed. 

Here's the latest on road closures in Boulder County.

Road Closures - Motorists


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## jayfree

Magnolia - dirt portion can vary wildly, depending on when last graded and weather. Typically, rideable on road bike-but will have washboarding. If descending-be very careful since extremely steep on lower paved portion and can overheat rim and tire blowout. 

If you are willing to ride some dirt-the absolute best loop in Bldr is the golden gate-Mtn base-119-down to bldr-up Flagstaff -across Gross Reservoir- coal creek - back to start. 70+ miles and 7,000+ elev


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## OldChipper

Hey Looigi, just a recent update... Witter Gulch Road which splits off from Upper Bear Creek road was just paved all the way to its intersection with Squaw Pass Road. Can make for some very cool loops either heading up Squaw Pass or down from the intersection. I just combined it with a ride up Bear Ck Canyon yesterday and around through Bergen Park. Bring your climbing gears/legs though. The upper section is quite steep for a ways (couple of miles at an average grade of about 8% with a max around 15).


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## looigi

I'm back. Thanks for all the input and I really enjoyed the rides. 

In Fort Collins I went up Rist and down the Pouder. The scenery was spectacular from the outset beginning with the view from the top of Bingham Hill Rd. The last switchbacks at the top of Rist were unexpectedly rude. I saw maybe 6 cars on on Rist, none on Stove Prairie road and very little traffic on Pouder except for the rafting buses, some trucks and a few motorhomes/trailers. I could see where Pouder could get sketchy if/when busy, particularly above Mishawaka where the pavement was old narrow and broken up. Post ride lunch was at Vern's, of course. 

Out of Boulder I rode up Sunshine Canyon to Gold Hill Road, 72 to Ward, down Lefthand Canyon and back via Olde Stage and Wagonwheel Gap roads. Definitely a challenging and pretty relentless climb up through Gold Hill to 72 with some really steep dirt sections hitting 14+% at 9000' elevation... and few attention-getting dirt descents thrown in. 34-28 worked but lower would have been better, especially coming from sea level without time for acclimation. The flood devastation through Lefthand Canyon was very evident. There were quite a few stretches where dirt replaced washed out pavement and where the road narrowed due to the river bank being washed out. I saw only a few cars once I got a few miles up Sunshine Canyon and none past Gold Hill until hitting 72. 

The plan for the Denver area was up Golden Gate, Mtn Base, 119, and down Coal Creek but about 10 miles up Gold Canyon I broke a spoke and decided to turn around rather than risk breaking another further on and getting stranded. 

I also did a few rides around the Englewood, Littleton, Morrison area on the extensive MUP network there.


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## PDex

looigi said:


> Out of Boulder I rode up Sunshine Canyon to Gold Hill Road, 72 to Ward, down Lefthand Canyon and back via Olde Stage and Wagonwheel Gap roads. Definitely a challenging and pretty relentless climb up through Gold Hill to 72 with some really steep dirt sections hitting 14+% at 9000' elevation... and few attention-getting dirt descents thrown in. 34-28 worked but lower would have been better, especially coming from sea level without time for acclimation. The flood devastation through Lefthand Canyon was very evident. There were quite a few stretches where dirt replaced washed out pavement and where the road narrowed due to the river bank being washed out. I saw only a few cars once I got a few miles up Sunshine Canyon and none past Gold Hill until hitting 72.


There's an every-other-year race from the mouth of Sunshine (actually from the hospital) to just short of Gold Hill. This year's winning time for the Pro 1-2 category was 43:17. 

Glad you had a good time. It is raining cats and dogs today. (Well, cats and dogs by our standards).


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## Rokh On

OldChipper said:


> Witter Gulch Road which splits off from Upper Bear Creek road was just paved all the way to its intersection with Squaw Pass Road.


I'm beginning to wonder how many times we may see each other on the road. Are you riding the Red Rocks Century?


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## Rokh On

Sounds like you got some good riding in while you were here looigi. You're right about the extensive MUT in the area you mention. It can get quite congested on the weekends.

Hope you had a great time.


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## looigi

PDex said:


> There's an every-other-year race from the mouth of Sunshine (actually from the hospital) to just short of Gold Hill. This year's winning time for the Pro 1-2 category was 43:17..


Wow. If it's to the top of the climb before the descent into Gold Hill, I did that in ~1:10. Trying harder and with a bit lower gearing I could probably shave a coupla minutes off that...acclimating at altitude might take a few more off...I could stand to lose ~10 lb too...maybe break an hour? Something I'll have to try next time I'm out.


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