For those that count their engine size in ccs and who crave the rush of wind on your face, then consider these motorcycle-touring routes where nothing separates you from the outdoors.
Mount Evans
Trail Ridge Road
Santa Fe Trail
San Juan Skyway
Unaweep/Tabeguache
Frontier Pathways
Pawnee Pioneer Trail
Top of the Rockies
Independence Pass
Los Caminos Antiguos
Mount Evans Scenic and Historic Byway (Front Range Region)
As the highest paved road in North America, the Mount Evans Road rises to a height of 14,130 feet above sea level. Many clouds don’t even make it that high, but you can. Begin your trip in the historic mining town of Idaho Springs. While the mine in the area no longer functions or supplies gold, it does provide tours. The town is also known for its natural hot spring pools, which is a great place to relieve any road-related soreness after your trip. From town, travel south on Highway 103 to the junction of Highway 5, the entrance to Mount Evans Road. Groves of pine trees first greet you on this section, but gradually give way once the timberline is breeched. Riding along the exposed mountainside, you'll get a magnificent view of glacier-cut valleys and a seemingly endless horizon of sharp rocky peaks. Mountain goats and bighorn sheep are seen grazing roadside, and are accustomed enough to visitors in the area that they’ll usually lazily stare back at you as you snap a picture. Trees aren’t the only things you leave behind along this route—the guardrails also disappear up here so caution is advised as you traverse the switchbacks to the top.
Distance: 28 miles (one way)
Route: Idaho Springs to Mount Evans
Travel time: 1 hour
Fees: $10 entrance fee to Mount Evans Road
Highlights: Switchback turns, highest paved road in North America, Idaho Springs, wildlife viewing
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Trail Ridge Road Scenic and Historic Byway (Front Range Region)
One of the best ways to see Rocky Mountain National Park is on a motorcycle. Mount Evans Road may be the highest paved road, but Trail Ridge Road Scenic and Historic Byway is the highest paved road in the United States that doesn’t dead-end. The grandeur of rocky peaks and lush blankets of pine trees accompany you through this route. Keep your eyes open for grazing elk, bighorn sheep and other animals—they're common visitors to the roadside and surrounding cliffs. The ride combines straightaways with twists in the road that showcase all aspects of the park's beauty. Tundra with brush no higher than a few feet is a contrast to the granite peaks of the Rockies that loom like immovable giants.
Distance: 48 miles (one way)
Route: Estes Park to Grand Lake
Travel time: 2–3 hours
Fees: Rocky Mountain National Park entrance fee, $10 a day per person on motorcycle
Highlights: Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Lake, wildlife viewing
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Santa Fe Trail Scenic and Historic Byway (Southeast Region)
The original Santa Fe Trail carried pioneers and traders hundreds of miles over the prairie to points west during the 1800s. The trail is still in use today, but as a scenic and historic byway, taking travelers through a history-laden slice of Colorado. At certain points, you can even see the wagon ruts of original pioneers winding their way through the prairie grasses. This route is almost completely straight, and is a relatively easy, though longer, drive. Midway on the trip sits one of Colorado’s most significant and historic treasures, Bent’s Old Fort. Originally built in 1833 as a trading post along the Santa Fe Trail, it became a cultural meeting place. The Cheyenne, Arapaho and Kiowa Indians were native to the area and struck up a close partnership with the traders. Today, the fort has been rebuilt and guides dressed in period clothes give tours. This route also takes you through the Comanche National Grasslands, where the land still grows the original prairie that the pioneers saw when forging through the plains.
Distance: 184 miles (one way)
Route: Trinidad to Lamar
Travel time: 4 hours
Fees: Free
Highlights: Bent’s Old Fort, Santa Fe Trail, Comanche National Grasslands, John Martin Reservoir, Welcome Center at Lamar, Welcome Center at Trinidad
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San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway (Southwest Region)
Mountains here look as if they were painted. Crimsons bleed into purples and grays with vibrancy nearly unmatched by other peaks. The byway traverses multiple mountain passes that each rise more than 11,000 feet above sea level. The towns that you'll pass through on this route are renowned for their history and beauty. Both Telluride and Silverton are rich in mining lore, and Cortez and Mancos stand at the entrance to perhaps the best Ancestral Puebloan site in the nation, Mesa Verde National Park. On the San Juan Skyway you can ride on what’s known in Colorado as the “Million Dollar Highway.” This specific stretch runs from Ouray to Silverton. Debate arises as to why this section of highway was given this name. Some theories circle around the high cost of building the highway, while others hold that it’s in reference to the rich ore-bearing sediment that was used in the road’s construction. Sights of Mount Wilson, Mount Eolus and Mount Sneffels—some of the highest mountains in the United States—also showcase their grandeur from roadside vistas.
Distance: 236 miles (loop)
Route: Cortez, Telluride, Placerville, Ridgeway, Ouray, Silverton and Durango.
Travel time: 6 hours
Fees: Free
Highlights: Mesa Verde National Park, Telluride, Ouray, Silverton, Durango, Durango Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad, Anasazi Heritage Center, Mount Sneffels, Wilson Peak, Mount Wilson, El Diente Peak, Mount Eolus, Lizard Head Pass
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Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway (Southwest Region)
Believe it or not, this section of highway played an integral role in World War II. The uranium used in the country’s first atomic bombs was mined near Uravan, the midway point of the route. There’s more history here than just the a-bomb. Precambrian dinosaur and amphibian fossils have been found within the striated red sandstone canyon walls that surround the road. This area’s soil has even produced rich copper reserves for entrepreneurial miners. The byway cuts through a canyon for most of the way, and follows the Dolores and San Miguel Rivers. Through the years, these rivers slowly ate away at the soft sandstone creating the flattop canyon through which you'll ride. The river also shaped industry in the area. The skeletal remains of hanging flume, an aqueduct system completed in 1891 to carry for the mining process, can be seen clinging to the side of a sheer cliff. To view this 19th century ruin, stop at the overlook just outside Naturita.
Distance: 133 miles (one way)
Route: Whitewater to Placerville
Travel time: 3 hours
Fees: Free
Highlights: San Miguel River Environmental Area, Unaweep Seep, Dolores River, San Miguel River, Uncompahgre National Forest, Hanging Flume
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Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway (South Central Region)
Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway charts a course through an area that was once a true cultural crossroads. These foothills to the Rockies were used by Ute Indians, Spanish and American explorers, fur trappers, ranchers, prospectors and now by visitors seeking stunning mountain views and prairie buttes. The journey takes you from the town of Pueblo and twice through the San Isabel National Forest. As you enter the San Isabel National Forest the first time, the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains make their presence known through astonishing vistas showcasing their high pinnacles and craggy outcroppings. The ride then takes you to the town of Westcliffe at the base of this range, then doubles back to the southern passage through San Isabel National Forest and ends in the plains of Colorado City, where flat-topped prairie buttes jut out from the prairie.
Distance: 103 miles (one way)
Route: Pueblo to Westcliffe to Colorado City
Travel time: 3.5 hours
Fees: Free
Highlights: San Isabel National Forest, Lake Pueblo State Park, views of the Sangre de Cristos, Westcliffe, Bishop’s Castle
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Pawnee Pioneer Trails Scenic and Historic Byway (Northeast Region)
Two of the most well-known buttes in Colorado’s prairie stand stark against the flat surroundings, the Pawnee Buttes. Their white and gray striations show the passage of time through geology and give you a view into the height of the original landscape. The ride here is flat and open, and travels through pristine and protected prairie. The Pawnee National Grasslands dominate much to the landscape and provide you with a look into exactly the same terrain pioneers encountered in the 1800s. Pronghorn antelope—the fastest land mammal in North America—can often be seen, as can coyotes, prairie dogs and hundreds of bird species.
Distance: 128 miles (one way)
Route: Sterling to Fort Morgan to Ault
Travel time: 3 hours
Fees: Free
Highlights: Pawnee Buttes, Pawnee National Grassland, Fort Morgan, Sterling, wildlife viewing
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Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway (Northwest Region)
Leadville, the highest incorporated city in the United States is found along this route at an elevation of 10,200 feet. As high as this town is, it’s dwarfed by the two tallest peaks in Colorado, Mount Massive (14,421 feet) and Mount Elbert (14,440 feet). This route also crosses the continental divide twice and follows the Arkansas River nearly to its headwaters. Mining history is tucked into the scenery along this byway. Millions of dollars worth of precious metal was extracted from the mountains in the area in the 1800s, and Leadville proved to be the silver queen of the Rockies, providing one of the richest silver veins in the state.
Distance: 75 miles (one way)
Route: Twin Lakes to Minturn and the junction of Hwy. 70 and Hwy. 91
Travel time: 2 hours
Fees: Free
Highlights: Mount Massive, Mount Elbert, Twin Lakes, Leadville, Arkansas Headwaters State Recreation Area, San Isabel National Forest, Pike National Forest, Arapaho National Forest, White River National Forest
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Independence Pass–Glenwood Springs to Leadville (Southwest/South Central Region)
Due to the high altitude and winter road conditions, this route is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The road rises to its peak at 12,095 feet on Independence Pass. Aspens and evergreens dissolve into each other as a lush valley meanders below, and the surrounding mountains provide jagged lines against the sharp blue sky. The ski towns of Aspen and Snowmass are also found along this stretch of highway. In the summer, their runs are free of snow, but once the seasons change, these green downhill meadows will be covered in powder, transforming them into some of the most popular alpine runs in the world. Glenwood Springs is found on the northern entrance to this route, and is world-famous for its claim to the largest improved hot springs in the world. Between Glenwood Springs and the tiny town of Basalt, look to the south for a view of the scene-stealing grandeur of Mount Sopris. Take Highway 82 from Glenwood Springs southeast to Twin Lakes.
Distance: 80 miles (one way)
Route: Glenwood Springs to Twin Lakes
Travel time: 2 hours
Fees: Free
Highlights: Independence Pass, Glenwood Springs, Aspen, Snowmass, Twin Lakes, Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness Area, views of Mount Sopris
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Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway (South Central Region)
From the oldest towns to the highest sand dunes, this route incorporates many of Colorado’s most intriguing sites. One of the first towns you’ll venture through is Conejos. Here, Colorado’s oldest Catholic parish still stands—Our Lady of Guadalupe, built in 1858. Continuing along the byway brings you to the town of San Luis, Colorado’s oldest surviving community, dating back to 1851. On the mesa adjacent to town is the spiritually inspiring Stations of the Cross—a string of bronze statues, each representing a moment during Christ’s crucifixion. Nearly 15 miles from San Luis is the town of Fort Garland, home to Colorado’s oldest military post, constructed in 1858. The town now has a museum dedicated to the fort and its former garrison—once commanded by the legendary Civil War hero Kit Carson. North of Fort Garland are North America’s highest sand dunes—Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The tallest dune towers 750 feet high at an elevation of 8,700 feet above sea level. The entire dune field itself encompasses 30 square miles within the 150,000-acre park.
Distance: 129 miles (one way)
Route: New Mexico border to Alamosa
Travel time: 3 hours
Fees: Free. Optional entrance to Great Sand Dunes National Park, $3 per person a day
Highlights: Cumbres Pass, La Manga Pass, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Stations of the Cross Shrine, San Luis, Fort Garland, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
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