Colorado Motorcycle Rides – Charley’s Top Five

Take I-25 South to Hwy 119. West on Hwy 119 to the Diagonal. [About 8 miles] Ride the Diagonal 14 miles into Boulder till it starts going back West and then go South on Broadway. Broadway is also Hwy 93; continue South for 13 miles and go West on Hwy 72. Coal Creek Canyon is about 19 miles and it will then intersect with Hwy 119 also known as the Peak to Peak. Turn right (North) and take that all the way into Ward. From Ward, turn right and head East down Left Hand Canyon down to Hwy 36. You can turn right and go back into Boulder or go left and intersect with 66 and go East to hit Hwy 287 and I-25. Sidenote: Once you get out of Coal Creek Canyon and headed for Ward you will see three different canyon roads to the right any of which will take you back down into the Boulder area: Hwy 132 [Magnolia Rd.], Boulder Canyon Dr & Sugarloaf Rd. but I always continue on to Ward and Left Hand Canyon or just straight across the Peak to Peak into Estes Park.

Take I-25 to I-70 and head West for Grand Junction. You will actually take the I-70 Business Loop East of Grand Junction at Clifton. Stay on that for about a mile and go South on Hwy 141. Hwy 141 will then dump you out on Hwy 50 about 5.5 miles down the road. Take Hwy 50 into Delta. From Delta continue South on Hwy 550/50 about60 miles all the way through Montrose and into Ouray and the start of the "Million Dollar Highway." From there you can ride the 70 miles into Durango and the turn around and go back to Montrose. Trust me...it will look different going the other way. From Montrose go East on Hwy 50 through Gunnison and into Poncha Springs where you will turn North on Hwy 285 into Buena Vista. [285 turns into 24] Stay North on Hwy 24 and cruise into Leadville then jump on Hwy 91 to Climax, Copper Mountain and back onto I-70 to head East back to Denver and I-25.

I-25 North to Mulberry/Hwy 14. Go East on Mulberry to Riverside and turn Right. Turn right on North College/Hwy 287. Take Hwy 287 to Hwy 14 and turn left at Ted's Place. Stay on Highway 14 and go through Gould and into Walden. [114 miles] From Walden go South on Hwy 125 through the Arapahoe National Wildlife Refuge towards Rand and Granby. From Granby take Hwy 34 North through Grand Lake and up and over Trail Ridge before descending into Estes Park then Hwy 34 East back to Loveland and I-25.

Frontier Pathways Scenic & Historic Byway climbs from the high plains of Pueblo, up over Hardscrabble Canyon into the Wet Mountain Valley, and descends back into the high plains at Colorado City. Make sure to allow for some time at Bishops Castle. Just take I-25 down past Pueblo to Colorado City and go West on Hwy 165. Ride this for about 35 miles and you will intersect with Hwy 96. Turn right and go East through Greenwood and then jump on Hwy 67 going North towards Florence and Hwy 50. Turn left on Hwy 50 and ride 40 miles till you see Hwy 9 and turn right and go North. 8.5 miles down the road you will see County Road 11..TURN RIGHT! Stay on CR11 for 22 miles then turn left and go North on Teller County Road 1 and into Florissant then Hwy 24 into Woodland Park. Then go North on Hwy 67 all the way to Deckers. From Deckers continue on Hwy 67 into Sedalia. You will be able to jump onto Sante Fe and then I-25 for your trek home.

This 115-mile stretch of high country diversions will keep you mostly above 9,000 feet. Take I-25 to I-70 and head West to Glenwood Springs then take Hwy 82 and ride into Aspen. Take hwy 82 South and East through Twin Lakes and into Hwy 24. From here you can take Hwy 24 back North through Redcliff and into Vail. From there it's I-70 East back to I-25.