Why this ride
A 299 km one-way ride from near Aurora, about 4 h 55 of riding. The stops in between: Berthoud and near Nederland. Near Berthoud, on the way back is the high point. It tops out at about 3,050 m.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Rocky Mountain National Park Trail Ridge · part 1
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 299 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 55
- 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fuel stop near Aurora
Planning note
Rocky Mountain is where the day begins. Next is Denver / Colorado Rockies return.
2. Near Berthoud, on the way back
There the Rockies rise in a long blue wall, with Longs Peak standing out as a notched summit above the rest, and on a clear morning the contrast between the field in front of you and the peaks behind is sharp. Campion is a small, quiet community; Berthoud, about six kilometres away, is a small town of some six thousand people with a historic main street.
Read the complete Denver / Colorado Rockies 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 Food stop near Nederland.
3. Food stop near Nederland
Nederland is a mountain town that has never entirely decided whether it is a ski-resort suburb, a hippie holdout or a mining camp that kept going. The answer is probably all three. It sits at about 2,500 metres where Boulder Canyon spills into the high country, at the edge of the Barker Reservoir, with the Indian Peaks on the horizon. Once you ride in from the canyon, the first thing you register is how cold the air has become, even in summer.
Read the complete Food stop near Nederland write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
A break here. Next is Photo stop near Evergreen.
4. Photo stop near Evergreen
Planning note
Photo stop near Evergreen closes the day.
Leg by leg
Fuel stop near Aurora to Near Berthoud, on the way back
Fuel stop near Aurora → Near Berthoud, on the way back is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Food stop near Nederland to Photo stop near Evergreen
Food stop near Nederland → Photo stop near Evergreen is 136 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
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