If you were going to Colorado (pics added)

[yogidozer]

We can ride out there next spring......you can clean the bear pens too   

No big deal. I grew up around farms. I would go around asking the folks if they would let me clean the horse stalls, feed their pigs or chickens, whatever, just to be around their critters. Started doing that around 7 years old. Lots of good memories.
Oh yeah, one more thing NEVER turn your back on a goat, they get a chuckle out of ramming your backside! 

[Utrider]

Brian,

Lots of great suggestions already. I take long rides in Colorado at least once, but usually twice per year; one of my daughters lives in Fort Collins.  Here are a few of my favorite routes:

550 between Durango and Montrose is truly spectacular, but often is congested with slow moving RV's; it might be late enough in the year for  it to be less crowded than it is in mid-summer. It really is worth checking out sometime.

Already mentioned: rt. 14 between Fort Collins and Steamboat Springs

I will be traveling between Steamboat and Fort Collins, the middle of September (in a convertible) do you recommend 14 over 34?  I haven't been on either of them, and would be glad to hear about it.

As to the other posts, I concur.........

Great loop: Salida to Gunnison (over Monarch Pass) to Lake City to Monte Vista (over Slumgullion Pass) and back to Salida (also go over Poncha Pass). Salida is a good home base. A good side-trip is rt. 114 between Saguache and Gunnison. IMO, the mountains around Lake City are among the most scenic in the state. This route takes you along the headwaters of the Rio Grande, which is truly beautiful before it reaches New Mexico.

A few lesser known great rides:
In the NW part of the state: Craig to Meeker to Rangely to Grand Junction.
Grand Junction to Naturita (via rt. 141) to ridgeway to Montrose and back to Grand Junction. Montrose is another good home base.

If you plan to do it this year, you better hurry; you might run into snow on some of these high passes in the not-too-distant future.


Jon

I am going from Steamboat to Fort Collins the middle of September (in a convertible).  Would you recommend 14 over 34?  I'm open to either at this point.

As to the other posts, I concur......

[Guzzistajohn]

No big deal. I grew up around farms. I would go around asking the folks if they would let me clean the horse stalls, feed their pigs or chickens, whatever, just to be around their critters. Started doing that around 7 years old. Lots of good memories.
Oh yeah, one more thing NEVER turn your back on a goat, they get a chuckle out of ramming your backside! 

Google Indigo Mountain Nature Center

[twowings]

All the above plus some lesser-known gems:

CO-139 from Fruita to Rangely then CO-64 to Dinosaur

CO-114 from Saguache to Parlin to Gunnison on US-50

CO-125 from Granby to Wyoming border

CO-145 from Cortez to Naturita

+1,000 on the Cumbres-Toltec Railway ride....the best time-machine ever! 

[yogidozer]

Google Indigo Mountain Nature Center

Thanks! I see they give them all names. Even the frogs 

[blackbuell]

I am going from Steamboat to Fort Collins the middle of September (in a convertible).  Would you recommend 14 over 34?  I'm open to either at this point.

As to the other posts, I concur......

In a car, especially if you have never been through Rocky Mountain National Park, I would recommend 34; very spectacular in the park. Crowd should be somewhat thinned out that late in the year.


Jon

[Texas Turnip]

One thing that has not been mentioned is the availability of gas. A town on a map might be a ghost town. Dusty reported on limping into Kim to get gas. We were in the town of Kim two years ago and no gas. Don't wait until the low fuel light comes on and start looking for gas.

Have lots of money.
 Have a good trip.
Tex

[twowheeladdict]

One thing that has not been mentioned is the availability of gas. A town on a map might be a ghost town. Dusty reported on limping into Kim to get gas. We were in the town of Kim two years ago and no gas. Don't wait until the low fuel light comes on and start looking for gas.

Have lots of money.
 Have a good trip.
Tex

And don't be surprised by the price when you get away from the major towns!  This past trip I was on the Road Glide that gets 300 miles to a tank before you are pushing so fuel was not an issue. 
Back in '12 I was on a Versys 650 which has a decent range, but my riding bud was on a ZZR600 and he sweated it a few times because he didn't stay on top of it.  Didn't see many signs saying last fuel for x number of miles where there should have been.  Also, on Sundays some of the smaller towns are shut down.

[oldbike54]

One thing that has not been mentioned is the availability of gas. A town on a map might be a ghost town. Dusty reported on limping into Kim to get gas. We were in the town of Kim two years ago and no gas. Don't wait until the low fuel light comes on and start looking for gas.

Have lots of money.
 Have a good trip.
Tex

 Impressive memory Ken 

 Dusty

[Chuck in Indiana]

Let me second the Durango Silverton railroad. We hired a van to take us to Silverton, then took a jeep tour up in the high country, around the mines, etc. Lunch in Silverton, then rode the train back to Durango. Great memories from that trip. The train ride up and back might be a bit much..
Edit for a pix..
2018-08-24_03-57-25 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr
2018-08-24_03-55-28 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr

[rider33]

550 is priceless, 'not to be missed. A word of caution tho:  I was headed out to Oregon retracing Prizig's Zen route this week and by the time I got to Montana the smoke/haze was getting to be a bit much.  Checking the active fire maps to the west there were at least two fires on my planned route,
one crossing the road even so I deflected south and headed back.  ' No idea if that is impacting Colorado or if so how much but you might want to check.  In the Dakota's and Montana I expect to see endless blue sky,  what I got was grey haze....

[bpreynolds]

Tremendously good info here.  Much thanks.  There is all the road info here and that's the bees knees; yet, one thing that keeps sticking out to me is the temp issue and how to pack for it.  Around here, I'm a big baby and usually pull out the heated gear in anything below 55.  Of course, once I have the heated gear going I'll ride down into absurdly low temps so that doesn't bother me too much.  I'm you are ascending and descending as with most great motorcycle roads; yet, is it going to be one of those things I've experienced before where 30 minutes from now I'm gonna be in temps 20 degrees cooler, then back up again, etc. or is it longer stretches of roughly the same temp (cool or hot).  Also, how would you pack for warmth if you were going out there this coming week?

[twowings]

layers, layers, layers...

wool socks
merino wool underwear
heated jacket/pants liner
riding jacket/pants with zip-out liners
proper gloves
balaclava

And before anyone starts bitching about wool being itchy, quality wool clothing lost the itchiness quite some time ago...

I also usea stocking hat and a sleeping bag liner for extra warmth sleeping up in the mountains...

[LowRyter]

prepare for any kind of weather.  During the warm summer, there is usually a rain shower to go through during the day.  The lowlands can be really hot and dry. 

[Sheepdog]

Whether warm or cold, it's very dry in Colorado. Drink lots of water against dehydration and altitude sickness. If you are from lowiish elevation, cut down your daily mileage until you have acclimated.

[alanp]

Tremendously good info here.  Much thanks.  There is all the road info here and that's the bees knees; yet, one thing that keeps sticking out to me is the temp issue and how to pack for it.  Around here, I'm a big baby and usually pull out the heated gear in anything below 55.  Of course, once I have the heated gear going I'll ride down into absurdly low temps so that doesn't bother me too much.  I'm you are ascending and descending as with most great motorcycle roads; yet, is it going to be one of those things I've experienced before where 30 minutes from now I'm gonna be in temps 20 degrees cooler, then back up again, etc. or is it longer stretches of roughly the same temp (cool or hot).  Also, how would you pack for warmth if you were going out there this coming week?

I have lived here for almost 40 years and ridden pretty much every road.  You have a lot of great suggestions and I am sure way more than you can do.  But a couple of things:

1.  Weather.  It is typically much more extreme than what you discuss above.  I have seen temp swings of 50 degrees in maybe 30 minutes of riding, and you will be lucky if it only changes 20 degrees as you ride over a pass.  In fact, I can almost guarantee you will see 30 degree or more swings routinely over short distances, and 40 to 50 degrees during the day of riding.  If by "this coming week" you mean the week of Aug. 27, the mountain weather looks to be generally good, and will range from the high 30's at night to the low 80's during the day, depending on where you are.  This is typical.  As already mentioned, layer, layer, layer.
2.  Weather.  Beyond large temp swings, be aware that if there are storms, they often contain sleet, hail and snow, even when the temps are above freezing.  And you can have rain turn to snow on you very quickly.  If it is cool and stormy, be cautious of attempting to go over high passes.  Take a lower elevation route if you have the option. 
3.  Smoke.  It has been mentioned, and it is here now.  It has been changing day to day, coming and going with the wind as it is coming from CA, Idaho and Canada, but the amount of it is significant.  We have had warnings against going outside over the past week, and it doesn't look very pretty.  Don't know what to expect in the next weeks, but just letting you know. 
4.  I will give you just one road/ride suggestion.  My absolute favorite ride in CO is State Hiway CO92 from Sapinero (west of Gunnison on US50) to Crawford.  It is a great road with very little traffic, but the real reason to do this is to stop at the 3 or 4 lookouts down into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  Several of them require SHORT hikes to see the view, but they are extremely worth it.  Some of the most amazing vantage points into one of the narrowest, deepest canyons you will ever see. 

Hope you have a great trip!

[LowRyter]

agree about CO 92. The southern section has the best curves and views to Black Canyon.  I was surprised when I saw the road on up from Hotchkiss to Delta, although flat and straight, there some completely different but spectacular views of mesas on that section following the railroad tracks. 

[bpreynolds]

I have lived here for almost 40 years and ridden pretty much every road.  You have a lot of great suggestions and I am sure way more than you can do.  But a couple of things:

1.  Weather.  It is typically much more extreme than what you discuss above.  I have seen temp swings of 50 degrees in maybe 30 minutes of riding, and you will be lucky if it only changes 20 degrees as you ride over a pass.  In fact, I can almost guarantee you will see 30 degree or more swings routinely over short distances, and 40 to 50 degrees during the day of riding.  If by "this coming week" you mean the week of Aug. 27, the mountain weather looks to be generally good, and will range from the high 30's at night to the low 80's during the day, depending on where you are.  This is typical.  As already mentioned, layer, layer, layer.
2.  Weather.  Beyond large temp swings, be aware that if there are storms, they often contain sleet, hail and snow, even when the temps are above freezing.  And you can have rain turn to snow on you very quickly.  If it is cool and stormy, be cautious of attempting to go over high passes.  Take a lower elevation route if you have the option. 
3.  Smoke.  It has been mentioned, and it is here now.  It has been changing day to day, coming and going with the wind as it is coming from CA, Idaho and Canada, but the amount of it is significant.  We have had warnings against going outside over the past week, and it doesn't look very pretty.  Don't know what to expect in the next weeks, but just letting you know. 
4.  I will give you just one road/ride suggestion.  My absolute favorite ride in CO is State Hiway CO92 from Sapinero (west of Gunnison on US50) to Crawford.  It is a great road with very little traffic, but the real reason to do this is to stop at the 3 or 4 lookouts down into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  Several of them require SHORT hikes to see the view, but they are extremely worth it.  Some of the most amazing vantage points into one of the narrowest, deepest canyons you will ever see. 

Hope you have a great trip!

Fantastic!
Any advice on the gas station situation?  While touring on thirsty boy (KTM), I can generally get about 35mpg which equates to about 150-160 miles per tank.  Are there particular stretches of road I need to look out for in terms little or no petrol?
Accommodation suggestions?

If you were coming to the area and had about 4 full days of riding planned, would you do the San Juan Skyway with Million Dollar included, Peak to Peak (up north), Black Canyon, etc.  Or is that just too damn much crammed into 4 days of riding?  This would be my first visit there and I don't like to rush once I'm to the good riding.  I generally stop, smell a few roses, and take lots of pictures and so forth.  Last time I did the whole of the Blue Ridge, tried to do it in a limited number of days and I just started to feel like Chevy Chase pulling up to the Grand Canyon, taking one look, and getting back in the car    But the reality is I have no idea if nor when I can/would get back out there so I'd like to get some super riding in once I'm there and see as much as possible within reason and time.

[alanp]

Fantastic!
Any advice on the gas station situation?  While touring on thirsty boy (KTM), I can generally get about 35mpg which equates to about 150-160 miles per tank.  Are there particular stretches of road I need to look out for in terms little or no petrol?
Accommodation suggestions?

If you were coming to the area and had about 4 full days of riding planned, would you do the San Juan Skyway with Million Dollar included, Peak to Peak (up north), Black Canyon, etc.  Or is that just too damn much crammed into 4 days of riding?  This would be my first visit there and I don't like to rush once I'm to the good riding.  I generally stop, smell a few roses, and take lots of pictures and so forth.  Last time I did the whole of the Blue Ridge, tried to do it in a limited number of days and I just started to feel like Chevy Chase pulling up to the Grand Canyon, taking one look, and getting back in the car    But the reality is I have no idea if nor when I can/would get back out there so I'd like to get some super riding in once I'm there and see as much as possible within reason and time.

I don't find the gas situation to be a ... situation.  Not much different than any place else I have ridden, but I guess you can get caught off guard if you don't fill up when you have a reasonable opportunity. 

As for what to do, I don't think the things you list are too much for 4 days (if I was riding), BUT, it depends on how much riding you like to do in a day.  You say you like to stop and smell the roses, and distances in CO go by slowly because of several factors
- lots of scenery to stop and see
- lots of twisty roads
- difficult to pass slow moving vehicles, like trucks and campers which can go VERY slow up the hills
So you won't be averaging 65 mph.  More like 35.  Factor that in.

Of the things you list, I would put the Peak to Peak on a lower priority.  It is a great road and I ride it all the time, but it is in a different part of the state than the other places on your list and might be hard to get to from the other areas. I am not saying don't do it, just not priority 1.  It is better to do less and enjoy what you do, than to do too much and rush through it all.   

[twowings]

One more thing...mountains make their own weather...on their own time...don't be too stubborn to turn around in the high country when things get dicey...

[Chuck in Indiana]

Of the things you list, I would put the Peak to Peak on a lower priority.  It is a great road and I ride it all the time, but it is in a different part of the state than the other places on your list and might be hard to get to from the other areas. I am not saying don't do it, just not priority 1.  It is better to do less and enjoy what you do, than to do too much and rush through it all.   

Good point. About everything west of Denver is great, including the Peak to Peak.. but some are greater than that.

[oldbike54]

 It is so disappointing to find out the *Red Barn* in Montrose is closed . The *Old Mad Dog Cafe*  is also shut down and has been for years , what next , will we hear that Pikes Peak has closed do to a lack of business ?

 Dusty

[Sheepdog]

It is so disappointing to find out the *Red Barn* in Montrose is closed . The *Old Mad Dog Cafe*  is also shut down and has been for years , what next , will we hear that Pikes Peak has closed do to a lack of business ?

 Dusty

Well, you could always go to the Red Barn in Ft Smith...

[oldbike54]

Well, you could always go to the Red Barn in Ft Smith...

 We went there almost every week for several years , unfortunately it just isn't the same 

 Dusty

[Gliderjohn]

If you want to consider a "home base" to take different day rides from look up the little town of Green Mountain Falls. You are only about 15 miles from Colorado Springs but still in a beautiful, somewhat remote and quite setting with a good central location.
GliderJohn

[Sheepdog]

We went there almost every week for several years , unfortunately it just isn't the same 

 Dusty

I loved their relish tray hors d'oeuvres, though eating in a stable was strange. Good steaks...

[Dharma Bum]

The Pantry in Green Mountain Falls is not to be missed!

[Gliderjohn]

From Dharma Bum:

The Pantry in Green Mountain Falls is not to be missed!

They have the best Eggs Benidict I have had anywhere.
GliderJohn

[Rich A]

Colorado is beautiful, but I think Utah is even more so.

Rich A

[bpreynolds]

Quick question.  One of many I'm sure as I get further into this.  Black Canyon looks spectacular; however, I notice there is a South Rim road, and East Rim road, and maybe even another one.  Which ones should I take?  All of the above?