Bike Colorado Mountain Towns – Spring, Summer & Fall
Bike Colorado Mountain Towns & Beyond Spring, Summer and Fall
By Ellen Hollinshead
The hubby and I have spent the last thirty springs and falls traveling through the western US, mostly in Colorado, always with our bikes, and always in some kind of camping rig, no tents or hotels for us. Our priority is to keep it simple – drive a few hours, find a quiet place to camp for the next couple days, ride bikes, read books, stay warm. We live in a ski town, Breckenridge, and our seasonal jobs allow us to take month-long vacations during the off-seasons.
Our first camping rig back in the mid 80’s was a ‘76 Dodge Van where the steering had a life of its own, heat was a white gas lantern, and the bikes were awkwardly stored on the roof. After a few more years of primitive campers with no toilet or shower, we decided that our knees and the environment could no longer handle using the great outdoors as our bathroom and it was time for a hard side camper and today, as I write this, we are traveling in luxury – a toilet, hot shower, and even an oven! Even the bikes are traveling in style – Jeffrey took out the back seat of the truck for bike storage.
After so many years of biking all over the west, we both have concluded that our home state of Colorado is the best. It meets all the needs of anyone who loves to recreate on two wheels, road, gravel or mountain. Red rock desert, sagebrush foothills, ponderosa pine woodlands, healthy spruce and fir forests, sunny Aspen groves, and of course the high alpine. Colorado has it all.
By late March you can find temperatures in the upper fifties at lower elevations and in higher terrain by June. Plenty of buffed dirt roads for the gravel rider, pavement with decent shoulders for the roadie, and singletrack for the mountain biker ranging from smooth and fast to technical and rocky. Car camping certainly was easier twenty years ago, but you can still find beautiful spots to park the van or stay in one of many primitive forest service or BLM campgrounds.
By mid April, most ski town residents desperately need a break from snow and there is a mass exodus to somewhere, anywhere where we can put on shorts and ride on brown dirt or dry pavement. Jeffrey and I aim for areas below 7500 feet, and also look for trails that aren’t too difficult so we can ease into the bike season. By July it’s time to take advantage of what Colorado provides like no other state – high alpine riding. But easily our favorite time to be on the saddle in our home state is the fall when the crowds are gone and fall colors are in full swing, beginning with the alpine tundra turning a rusty red, and a few weeks later it’s the changing colors of Aspens.
Bike Colorado Mountain Towns by the Season
SPRING
There’s a pretty good chance that we will bump into a few friends from Summit County when we head to Fruita in April. It will be crowded since most ski town residents are feeling the same urge to escape snow as soon as the resorts close and Fruita is the perfect destination. Camping can be a little tricky, so try and make a reservation or splurge on a motel. But the crowds are worth it because the riding is phenomenal. This is high desert country and often the weather is warm enough to wear short sleeves and shorts, the cottonwood trees will have just bloomed (that initial gorgeous shade of lime green) and the desert wildflowers are just starting to pop.
Fruita/Grand Junction are most famous for the mountain biking, and has everything from easy smooth singletrack to the technical classic desert rocky, ledgy stuff. Road riding the National Monument is a must do classic, but if you want to ride without crowds the farm roads north of Fruita on gravel or a road bike are great for some easy cruising. By mid May you can count on fields of mariposa lilies for a gravel ride on the Frontage road, and the Kokopelli trail near Loma is your best chance to find Indian Paintbrush, desert primrose, phlox and more.
Sometimes the spring crowds of at Fruita/GJ can be a bit much for us two old curmudgeons and we will sacrifice a little bit of variety of trails for places less busy like Nucla/Naturita. Similar to Fruita, you can still ride in beautiful red rock canyons, buffed dirt or paved roads next to the Dolores River or cruise along on old school singletrack like the Paradox trail or the Camp V trail. Check West End Trails Alliance’s website for an extensive list and map of their trails both for gravel, and mountain bike.
Other spring getaways that we love – Canon City, Cortez, Pueblo, Glenwood Springs, Gunnison. With a little research you can find numerous options for biking – dirt or paved. One gravel ride on my To Do list, is the Phantom Canyon Road out of Canon City, traveling through a deep narrow red walled canyon, and usually dry and not too busy by April. I’ve heard that Steamboat Springs, Buena Vista and Trinidad are great gravel riding destinations.
SUMMER
As soon as the lower elevations heat up, which for us wimps are temperatures over 75 degrees, we head for higher altitudes like Aspen or Crested Butte but be prepared for crowds. Crested Butte is famous for singletrack and wildflowers and early July tends to be the best just don’t forget the bug spray. Biking the Maroon Bells Road out of Aspen is another top five Colorado experiences. We choose rides though where for some portion we will be above treeline – Leadville, Monarch Pass, Ridgway, Molas Pass, Silverton, Cameron Pass are all good options. All of these offer either high alpine singletrack, or numerous dirt roads for the gravel grinder. But honestly, by mid July, we are happy to just stick around Breckenridge for the cooler temperatures, peaking wildflowers and how we have so many options for riding up to the alpine.
Now’s the time to tick off road biking the passes of Summit County – Vail Pass, Fremont Pass, Loveland Pass, and even the less traveled Ute Pass. I see quite a few Gravel riders on Boreas Pass from Breckenridge to Como and while it seems a bit bumpy to me, the alpine views and hillsides of Aspen sunflowers will be a worthy distraction.
For me, it is always about the wildflowers. Probably my all time favorite wildflower ride is the Colorado Trail from Molas Pass. Time it for late July, early August, avoid it on weekends and bundle up and ride it early in the morning to miss the crowds. This trail is busy with Colorado Trail hikers, so please be courteous and let the hiker have the right of way. Count on seeing rosy paintbrush, Indian paintbrush, Aspen sunflowers, delphinium, and plenty more.
I am not a downhiller, but I do know that some of the best lift served riding in Colorado are Winter Park and Keystone. Plus most bike-centric towns will advertise a few “downhill only” trails. The Crest Trail off Monarch Pass is usually done as a shuttle ride, with 5700 feet elevation loss, but I wouldn’t categorize it just as a downhill trail since you do have to climb close to 2000 Feet.
FALL
But it is always the fall (early September-October) where being on two wheels, whizzing through gorgeous alpine groundcover or buffed singletrack in peaking aspens, is truly what makes Colorado the best. Road Riding the steep Cottonwood Pass Road in early September from Buena Vista turns into a sea of rusty reds and orange when the alpine tundra changes. Groundcover fall colors are overlooked by many due to the difficulty to access since it is all above treeline, but it is so worth the effort and we will often drive as high as we can for a fall tundra ride.
By late September, temperatures are dropping, we’ve had our first dusting of snow on the peaks, and the aspens are changing. Riding a singletrack through peaking Aspens is a magical experience and I become this Aspen addict much to the frustration of my husband who loves riding it as much as I do, but not so much into driving for hours across the state to squeeze in one more fall foliage extravaganza before it all ends mid-October.
There are trails and roads in our Aspens throughout the entire state. In general aspens peak late September in the northern part of the state and early October further south. Crested Butte and Steamboat are well known for the rides through endless Aspen groves but southwest Colorado is a guaranteed good option, especially for road riders. Telluride and Silverton are two top destinations in the Southwest or check out the road ride from Creede to Lake City over Slumgullion Pass.
As I write this, we are in our camper, heading home from Northern California. And the usual has happened. This anxious feeling consumes me – I have to get back home as soon as possible, to Colorado. The sego lilies are peaking in Fruita, and a little side trip to Paonia for a road ride is in order. The trails out our front door in Breckenridge are finally drying out, and it will be so good to be home.
And there it is, the sign on I-70, “Welcome to Colorful Colorado.” On we go.
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