Front Range · San Juan Mountains

Colorado

Three passes over 12,000 feet and a silver-rush town every night. Your bike is waiting in Boulder when you land. From there it's Trail Ridge Road across the tundra, Independence Pass into Aspen, the Black Canyon, the San Juan Skyway, and the Million Dollar Highway both ways, with nights in the 1880s hotels of Leadville, Ouray, and Durango, and an afternoon in the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde.

4 riding days · 5 nights
~890 miles
Fly into Denver, home from Durango
Best: July–September

A rider on a loaded touring bike climbing Independence Pass, Colorado, with peaks behind

Along the route

What you'll see

The stops and roads on the Colorado ride.

The Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton (Day 4)
Independence Pass, 12,095 feet (Day 2)
The Maroon Bells, above Aspen (Day 2)
Black Canyon of the Gunnison (Day 2)
Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park (Day 3)
The Durango & Silverton steam train at Silverton (Day 4)

The route

Day by day

4 riding days, 5 nights. Best time: July to September; late September for the aspens.

Day 0
Fly into Denver, transfer to Boulder
Evening
About a 45-minute transfer. Bikes are waiting; orientation over dinner on Pearl Street.
Overnight
Hotel Boulderado (1909), Boulder
Day 1~240 mi
Boulder to Leadville over Trail Ridge Road
Roads
Peak to Peak Scenic Byway (CO-7) under Longs Peak to Estes Park · Trail Ridge Road (US-34) across Rocky Mountain National Park, topping out at 12,183 feet · Grand Lake · CO-9 through Silverthorne and Breckenridge · Hoosier Pass · US-24 into Leadville, at 10,152 feet the highest city in America.
Stops
The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park · the Alpine Visitor Center on the tundra · Breckenridge's Victorian main street.
Paid tours
Rocky Mountain National Park entry and timed-entry reservation
Overnight
Delaware Hotel (1886), Leadville
Day 2~270 mi
Leadville to Ouray over Independence Pass
Roads
CO-82 over Independence Pass (12,095 ft) into Aspen · CO-133 over McClure Pass past the coke ovens at Redstone · orchard country through Paonia and Hotchkiss · US-50 to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison · Montrose and Ridgway to Ouray.
Stops
National Mining Hall of Fame in Leadville · Aspen's silver-boom downtown · Black Canyon South Rim Drive · Ouray, the Switzerland of America, in its box canyon.
Paid tours
National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park entry
Overnight
Beaumont Hotel (1886), Ouray
Day 3~230 mi
The San Juan Skyway to Durango, by way of Mesa Verde
Roads
CO-62 over Dallas Divide with the Sneffels Range off your left · CO-145 up the San Miguel River to Telluride, then over Lizard Head Pass · Dolores and Mancos · US-160 to Mesa Verde and into Durango.
Stops
Telluride's box-canyon main street and free gondola · Lizard Head Pass · Mesa Verde National Park and the Cliff Palace tour.
Paid tours
Mesa Verde National Park entry
Cliff Palace ranger-guided tour
Overnight
Strater Hotel (1887), Durango
Day 4~150 mi
The Million Dollar Highway, both directions
Roads
US-550 north over Coal Bank and Molas passes to Silverton · Red Mountain Pass (11,018 ft), the Million Dollar Highway, down to Ouray · lunch and a soak, then back the way you came.
Stops
Silverton, a National Historic Landmark mining town · the Durango & Silverton steam train pulling in at midday · Ouray Hot Springs.
Paid tours
Ouray Hot Springs Pool
Overnight
Strater Hotel (1887), Durango
Day 5
Fly home from Durango
Morning
Breakfast, then a 25-minute transfer to the airport. Your bike goes back on the trailer and follows you home to Des Moines.

$6,850 per rider

One Price. The Whole Trip.

Included

Motorcycle transport there and back from Des Moines, Iowa
Round-trip flights from Des Moines
Airport transfers
Historic hotels every night
A planned route on the best roads in the region
A lead guide
A support vehicle for luggage and tools
Every paid tour and admission on the itinerary

Not included

Food and drinks
Fuel
Bike repairs and parts
Your riding gear
The spare emergency bike, if you need it ($50/day)

Good to know

Three passes over 12,000 feet. Mornings are cold up high even in July. Pack layers and rain gear.
Rocky Mountain National Park requires a timed-entry reservation in summer. We handle it.

Riding rule: Red Mountain Pass has no guardrails and long drops. We ride it at a touring pace, in formation, and nobody passes the guide.

Group: 3 to 6 bikes

How It Works

No two rides are the same. Every tour is built around the group that books it: the pace, the stops, how early you roll out, and whether the afternoon is one more pass or a hot spring. And we pay attention to who rides with whom. We've spent a lot of years around riders and have a good sense of who will mesh, so we match up groups that get along. Most people go home with new friends.

Every tour needs three bikes to run. Got your own crew of three to six? Book the whole tour for your group and we'll set dates that work for you.

Step 1
Reserve your spot for $200
Pick a tour and put down a $200 deposit. It holds your place, counts toward your tour price, and is refundable any time you ask. Change your mind about which tour? Move it to another one.
Step 2
We set the date
Once enough riders have signed up for a tour, we set the dates with the group. Every tour runs with three to six bikes. The balance is due 30 days before the tour starts.

Reserve your spot for $200 See all the steps

6 more rides

Other rides

Iowa · Illinois · Wisconsin
Mississippi River
4 days · Round trip from Des Moines, Iowa · 3–6 bikes
4 daysRide from Des Moines
$3,850
per rider · +$500 passenger
$200 deposit
Missouri · Arkansas
Ozarks
5 days · Round trip from Des Moines, Iowa · 3–6 bikes
5 daysRide from Des Moines
$5,050
per rider · +$400 passenger
$200 deposit
Kentucky
Kentucky Bourbon Trail
4 days · Bourbon country · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Louisville
$6,300
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
$200 deposit
North Carolina · Tennessee · Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains
5 days · The Parkway, the Smokies, and the Dragon · 3–6 bikes
5 daysFly to Asheville
$8,250
per rider · +$1,050 passenger
$200 deposit
South Dakota · Wyoming
Black Hills
4 days · South Dakota & Wyoming · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Rapid City
$6,050
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
$200 deposit
Montana · Yellowstone · Wyoming
Montana Backcountry
6 days · Montana & Yellowstone · 3–6 bikes
6 daysFly to Bozeman
$9,650
per rider · +$1,200 passenger
$200 deposit