Why this ride
Sustained elevation change, linked bends and open summit views. It also links naturally to Rocky Mountains.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Top of the Rockies
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 49 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 47 min
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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.
Access context
Check seasonal gates, park access and state 511 notices before publication. Specific flag: seasonal.
Seasonal context
Jun-Sep
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Leadville
Leadville claims to be the highest incorporated city in the United States, sitting at 3,094 metres, or 10,152 feet, and when you step off the bike you will believe it. The air is thin, the nights are cold even in July, and the town itself, a grid of Victorian brick and false-front wooden buildings on a broad plateau, feels like a place that has survived on stubbornness. Around it stand the highest mountains in Colorado, with Mount Elbert, the state's top summit at 4,401 metres, and Mount Massive both visible on a clear day.
Read the complete Leadville write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Leadville sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Minturn.
2. Minturn
Minturn was a railroad town and a rough one, built in the 1880s where the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad climbed the Eagle River valley toward Tennessee Pass, and it kept the character of a working place long after the trains stopped. The main street is a short row of old brick and timber buildings, a few bars and restaurants, and a farmers' market in summer. It lies in a narrow valley between steep slopes, with the Eagle River running through, and only a few miles from the resort of Vail, which was built in the 1960s on what had been sheep pastures. People in Minturn like to say that they are the real place, and they have a point.
Read the complete Minturn write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Minturn comes up 49 km in.