Western Colorado Road questions

[Az Wingrider]

ST Raider,

I ride Colorado and New Mexico a lot. I was just in the San Juans last week and was also there in May. There is a loop ride in the area you are interested in, It is called "The San Juan Skyway" The loop is Durango to Cortez on US160, Colorado 145 from Cortez to Placerville, Colorado-62 from Placerville to Ridgway and US-550 from Ridgway to Durango. The loop can of course be started at any point and run in either direction. I recommend riding counter-clockwise because the climb from Ouray over Red Mountain Pass to Silverton is the most spectacular going south. There are currently two trains a day running from Durango. the first arrives Silverton about 11:30 and the second about 12:30 and it is neat to watch them arrive. They each stay about 2 1/2 hours but watching them arrive is the fun part. The ride up the Dolores Valley and over Lizards Head Pass (CO-145) is also more scenic going north.

From Taos to Durango I recommend US-64 and US-84 to Pagosa Springs and US-160 to Durango. The ride through the Carson Forest (between Taos and Chama) is breathtaking. Chama also has a steam train that runs to Antonito Colo and it is fun to watch it leave.

Jeffedose mentioned riding CO-141 from Naturita through Gateway and I assume onto Grand Junction. He is right this is a spectacular ride, the auto museum at Gateway is really good. The downside of this ride is it drops to 4,000 ft elevation and when I rode it two weeks ago we experienced temps in the high 90s.

If you have room in your budget the very historic Strater Hotel in Durango is a step back in history and very luxurious for a hundred year old hotel. In Silverton the Imperial Grand Hotel is also very historic. The saloon and grill in the Imperial Grand is also the best place in town to eat and they always have a honky-tonk piano player.

The US-160, CO-149, US-50, US-550 loop is a good ride but I don't put it in the same class as "the San Juan Skyway". Just my opinion but I really like the Dolores River Valley as well as US-550.

I hope this helps you. Colorado is some of the best riding in the country and I am always up there at least once a year and usually more often.

Have a great ride

[STRaider]

ST Raider,

I ride Colorado and New Mexico a lot. I was just in the San Juans last week and was also there in May. There is a loop ride in the area you are interested in, It is called "The San Juan Skyway" The loop is Durango to Cortez on US160, Colorado 145 from Cortez to Placerville, Colorado-62 from Placerville to Ridgway and US-550 from Ridgway to Durango. The loop can of course be started at any point and run in either direction. I recommend riding counter-clockwise because the climb from Ouray over Red Mountain Pass to Silverton is the most spectacular going south. There are currently two trains a day running from Durango. the first arrives Silverton about 11:30 and the second about 12:30 and it is neat to watch them arrive. They each stay about 2 1/2 hours but watching them arrive is the fun part. The ride up the Dolores Valley and over Lizards Head Pass (CO-145) is also more scenic going north.

From Taos to Durango I recommend US-64 and US-84 to Pagosa Springs and US-160 to Durango. The ride through the Carson Forest (between Taos and Chama) is breathtaking. Chama also has a steam train that runs to Antonito Colo and it is fun to watch it leave.

Jeffedose mentioned riding CO-141 from Naturita through Gateway and I assume onto Grand Junction. He is right this is a spectacular ride, the auto museum at Gateway is really good. The downside of this ride is it drops to 4,000 ft elevation and when I rode it two weeks ago we experienced temps in the high 90s.

If you have room in your budget the very historic Strater Hotel in Durango is a step back in history and very luxurious for a hundred year old hotel. In Silverton the Imperial Grand Hotel is also very historic. The saloon and grill in the Imperial Grand is also the best place in town to eat and they always have a honky-tonk piano player.

The US-160, CO-149, US-50, US-550 loop is a good ride but I don't put it in the same class as "the San Juan Skyway". Just my opinion but I really like the Dolores River Valley as well as US-550.

I hope this helps you. Colorado is some of the best riding in the country and I am always up there at least once a year and usually more often.

Have a great ride

That Loop starting in Durango sounds every bit as good as I had hoped. I don't want to do 400-500 mile days, but may have to a couple simply due to time restraints. The routes you are describing are pretty much how we are getting up to Durango, through Taos, up to Pagosa Springs, and over. Originally, I had us booked for two nights in Durango, but since my buddy must be back Sunday, the loop in Durango may get missed. As it stands now we are riding from Taos to Delta, then the next day hitting 92 to 149 and try to get to Raton that day.

IF we left early enough, I was wondering what yours and Jeffedose thoughts would be about us riding from Amarillo all the way to Durango via the route mentioned (through Taos, 64/84 to 160). That would put us at about 570 miles for the day, but that would give us the extra day to ride the San Juan loop out of Durango. At least it would be cooler than we are used to. Coming out of Amarillo is pretty straight and into New Mexico until we get a littler deeper in, allowing us to ride at a pretty good pace. I typically like to have the extra time to be able to "slow things down" a bit and enjoy the local areas, but it's not always possible. I'd love to be able to ride that San Juan loop while we are out there, but also realize you can't do it all every trip. I am still lobbying for him to be able to stay an extra day. Thanks for the great information.

[F6Dave]

The CO-141 loop is a little known gem of a ride. There are miles of canyons with wonderful sweeping curves. The roads are nearly deserted.

Few know about the Gateway Auto Museum (or the Gateway Canyons Resort) but it is a world class museum and resort literally out in the middle of nowhere. Here are a few snapshots I took the last time I visited:

Cadillac V-16:


Deusenberg:


Olds F-88 (only 2 built, bought for $2.5 Million)


Filling up my old Valkyrie at the resort's gas station (great scenery in the area):


Entrance to the museum:

[miramiramira]

What everybody else is saying about the Southwest corner of CO is spot on. You really can’t pick a bad ride. I’ll chime in about getting there.

I ride from Lubbock to CO at least twice a year. I can get to Durango or Gunnison in a day (through Taos and Chama) and I stage from one of those two cities. It’s day’s worth to be sure but entirely doable.

Going from Amarillo to Taos, consider picking up 104 out of Tucumcari (if you’re willing to exceed the speed limit). It’s a gorgeous ride and it’s a great view rolling off the high plateau into Las Vegas. Or, consider staying on the freeway past Santa Rosa and picking up 84 to Las Vegas. Lately, that’s been my choice of road, it’s not quite as scenic but it’s faster.

If you stay in Raton on the way back, you’ll be thinking about 87 Through Clayton, etc. to get back into Texas. I’d recommend against it because 87 in Dalhart is under major construction and the traffic tie up is brutal (easily over an hour of bumper to bumper stop and go). There isn’t a good way around the construction due to the railroad tracks. Consider running down 25 until you get to Springer or Wagon Mound and dropping down 39 to get back to 40.

This loop, “Durango, we could go east and take 50 to 149, and take 149 down to 160.” That route, Durango to Ouray to Montrose to Gunnison to Creede, to South Fork and back to Durango is all paved and it’s a fine ride. 114 is a good road until you get to Saguache, then it’s tedium. If I wanted to do 114, I’d probably turn around at Saguache and head back to 149. But, I’d probably skip 114 in favor of 149.

CO is a blast, have fun.

[STRaider]

What everybody else is saying about the Southwest corner of CO is spot on. You really can’t pick a bad ride. I’ll chime in about getting there.

I ride from Lubbock to CO at least twice a year. I can get to Durango or Gunnison in a day (through Taos and Chama) and I stage from one of those two cities. It’s day’s worth to be sure but entirely doable.

Going from Amarillo to Taos, consider picking up 104 out of Tucumcari (if you’re willing to exceed the speed limit). It’s a gorgeous ride and it’s a great view rolling off the high plateau into Las Vegas. Or, consider staying on the freeway past Santa Rosa and picking up 84 to Las Vegas. Lately, that’s been my choice of road, it’s not quite as scenic but it’s faster.

If you stay in Raton on the way back, you’ll be thinking about 87 Through Clayton, etc. to get back into Texas. I’d recommend against it because 87 in Dalhart is under major construction and the traffic tie up is brutal (easily over an hour of bumper to bumper stop and go). There isn’t a good way around the construction due to the railroad tracks. Consider running down 25 until you get to Springer or Wagon Mound and dropping down 39 to get back to 40.

This loop, “Durango, we could go east and take 50 to 149, and take 149 down to 160.” That route, Durango to Ouray to Montrose to Gunnison to Creede, to South Fork and back to Durango is all paved and it’s a fine ride. 114 is a good road until you get to Saguache, then it’s tedium. If I wanted to do 114, I’d probably turn around at Saguache and head back to 149. But, I’d probably skip 114 in favor of 149.

CO is a blast, have fun.

Great info and thanks for the heads up about Dalhart. I want no part of that mess. I'm sure I will make some revisions here with this info. Thanks much and Go Tech!!!!!!! I went to school there and by no small coincidence my bike is RED AND BLACK and is appropriately named RED RAIDER.

[F6Dave]

I forgot to mention traffic in Colorado. It can be bad, especially in the summer, and ski season too for that matter. Anywhere close to the big cities on the eastern side (Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Pueblo) can remind you of L.A. or Houston traffic at times. US-24 west of Colorado Springs is stop and go for miles on weekends. I-70 west of Denver can be bumper to bumper all the way to the continental divide.

The west side of the state is much better. You'll still run into motor homes holding up a dozen cars but at least you're moving, and can always stop and take pictures. The main roads (US-550, US-50, US-24, US-40 and I-70) tend to be the worst in the west. The state roads like CO-145 and CO-141 will be better.

And there's also CO-65 over the Grand Mesa. That ride is spectacular and very lightly travelled.

[Az Wingrider]

This thread has really become fun. As I said previously Colorado is one of my favorite places to ride and I go there several times a year. What is amazing is that with all the responses here you don't see that many bikes on the road. There are always other motorcycles on US-550 but most of time when you ride the other roads mentioned here you are mostly by yourself.

Enjoy the trip and ride safe

[STRaider]

What everybody else is saying about the Southwest corner of CO is spot on. You really can’t pick a bad ride. I’ll chime in about getting there.

I ride from Lubbock to CO at least twice a year. I can get to Durango or Gunnison in a day (through Taos and Chama) and I stage from one of those two cities. It’s day’s worth to be sure but entirely doable.

Going from Amarillo to Taos, consider picking up 104 out of Tucumcari (if you’re willing to exceed the speed limit). It’s a gorgeous ride and it’s a great view rolling off the high plateau into Las Vegas. Or, consider staying on the freeway past Santa Rosa and picking up 84 to Las Vegas. Lately, that’s been my choice of road, it’s not quite as scenic but it’s faster.

If you stay in Raton on the way back, you’ll be thinking about 87 Through Clayton, etc. to get back into Texas. I’d recommend against it because 87 in Dalhart is under major construction and the traffic tie up is brutal (easily over an hour of bumper to bumper stop and go). There isn’t a good way around the construction due to the railroad tracks. Consider running down 25 until you get to Springer or Wagon Mound and dropping down 39 to get back to 40.

This loop, “Durango, we could go east and take 50 to 149, and take 149 down to 160.” That route, Durango to Ouray to Montrose to Gunnison to Creede, to South Fork and back to Durango is all paved and it’s a fine ride. 114 is a good road until you get to Saguache, then it’s tedium. If I wanted to do 114, I’d probably turn around at Saguache and head back to 149. But, I’d probably skip 114 in favor of 149.

CO is a blast, have fun.

Great info and thanks for the heads up about Dalhart. I want no part of that mess. I guess that would explain why a laquinta room there is $165.00 a night. I couldn't figure out why the rooms were so high there, as I looked at staying there one night. I'm sure I will make some revisions here with this info. Thanks much and Go Tech!!!!!!! I went to school there and by no small coincidence my bike is RED AND BLACK and is appropriately named RED RAIDER.

[jeffedose]

That Loop starting in Durango sounds every bit as good as I had hoped. I don't want to do 400-500 mile days, but may have to a couple simply due to time restraints. The routes you are describing are pretty much how we are getting up to Durango, through Taos, up to Pagosa Springs, and over. Originally, I had us booked for two nights in Durango, but since my buddy must be back Sunday, the loop in Durango may get missed. As it stands now we are riding from Taos to Delta, then the next day hitting 92 to 149 and try to get to Raton that day.

IF we left early enough, I was wondering what yours and Jeffedose thoughts would be about us riding from Amarillo all the way to Durango via the route mentioned (through Taos, 64/84 to 160). That would put us at about 570 miles for the day, but that would give us the extra day to ride the San Juan loop out of Durango. At least it would be cooler than we are used to. Coming out of Amarillo is pretty straight and into New Mexico until we get a littler deeper in, allowing us to ride at a pretty good pace. I typically like to have the extra time to be able to "slow things down" a bit and enjoy the local areas, but it's not always possible. I'd love to be able to ride that San Juan loop while we are out there, but also realize you can't do it all every trip. I am still lobbying for him to be able to stay an extra day. Thanks for the great information

can you send me a pm with your phone number a call might b easier ....Amarillo to Durango can be done good ride

[STRaider]

OK, we have our route pretty well set. Leave Amarillo after business meetings (5 pmish) and head to Tucumcari for the night. (avoiding traffic tie up in Dalhart) 120 miles
Head to Durango next morning via Taos 84/64 to Pagosa Springs, then 160 to Durango. Approx 400 miles
Head to Dolores, and up 145 to Placerville, then Ridgeway and down to Ourway/Silverton. Head up to Delta for the night. Won't be able to get 141/Gateway on this trip. This is approx a 250 mile day
Head to Raton via 92 to 50, then 50 to 149, then ride to Raton, NM. Long day here, close to 400 miles.

That will be our route. The rest will be a long trek back to the DFW area, with a possible stop in Wichita Falls.

Thanks for all the input. Sounds like a great trip ahead, albeit a little faster paced than I usually shoot for.