Why this ride
A 280 km one-way ride from near Indian Hills, about 4 h 59 of riding. It goes by way of Applewood, Scenic stretch near Erie and near Firestone. The climbs: near Evergreen and Denver / Colorado Rockies. It tops out at about 2,950 m.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Golden Gate Canyon Dawn · short arc
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 280 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 59
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 26 km this is Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 26 km
- Named road
- Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fuel stop near Indian Hills
Planning note
Golden Gate Canyon Dawn is where the day begins. Next is High point near Evergreen.
2. High point near Evergreen
Evergreen is the mountain town that Denver residents escape to, and you can feel it as soon as you arrive. Pine trees close in around the road, the elevation has crept above seven thousand feet, and the lake in the middle of town reflects aspen and sky. After the open prairie and the busy suburbs, this feels like a different state, and it takes only forty minutes by bike to get from one to the other.
Read the complete Evergreen write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Golden Gate Canyon Dawn checkpoint 8.
3. Near Applewood
Golden is a brewery town, a college town and a gateway to the mountains, and this finish lies just east of it, near Applewood, where Denver's western suburbs meet the foothills of the Rockies. The Coors brewery, one of the largest in the world, dominates the town, and the Colorado School of Mines sits on the hillside above. Two flat-topped mesas, North and South Table Mountain, capped with ancient lava flows, frame the view.
Read the complete Near Applewood write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 280 km. Next is Scenic stretch near Erie.
4. Scenic stretch near Erie
Planning note
Scenic stretch near Erie, about halfway. Next is Photo stop near Firestone.
5. Photo stop near Firestone
Planning note
Photo stop near Firestone sits at 195 km, about halfway. Next is Denver / Colorado Rockies return.
6. Denver / Colorado Rockies return
Comanche Crossing sounds like a made-up name, but it was real, and it was here, near Strasburg, that the railroad changed Colorado. In the summer of 1870 the last spike of the Kansas Pacific Railway was driven at this spot on the plains, joining the line from Kansas City to Denver, and the event ended the age of stagecoaches and wagon trains across the high plains. A small museum in Strasburg, in an old railway depot, keeps the story, and the long freight trains still rumble along the line.
Read the complete Denver / Colorado Rockies return write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Denver / Colorado Rockies return is the summit of this stretch. Next is Food stop near Ponderosa Park.
7. Food stop near Ponderosa Park
Planning note
Food stop near Ponderosa Park closes the day.
Leg by leg
Fuel stop near Indian Hills to High point near Evergreen
Fuel stop near Indian Hills → High point near Evergreen is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
High point near Evergreen to Near Applewood
High point near Evergreen → Near Applewood is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Scenic stretch near Erie to Photo stop near Firestone
Scenic stretch near Erie → Photo stop near Firestone is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Photo stop near Firestone to Denver / Colorado Rockies return
Photo stop near Firestone → Denver / Colorado Rockies return is 103 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Denver / Colorado Rockies return to Food stop near Ponderosa Park
Denver / Colorado Rockies return → Food stop near Ponderosa Park is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
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