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The best Colorado FAll bike rides

By Evan Lee

Crisp cool mornings, sunny mild days, and the golden beauty of the aspens as they begin their annual color show. Here are a few of our favorite autumn cycling routes through Colorado for any type of discipline.

WHAT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR: FALL IN COLORADO! 

Today is the Autumnal Equinox. While there are key astronomical aspects to this annual event, it really means only one thing to us: This is the first day of the best riding season of the year. Crisp cool mornings, sunny mild days, and the golden beauty of the aspens as they begin their annual color show. Here are a few of our favorite autumn cycling routes. 

MOUNTAIN BIKE

Kenosha Pass to Georgia Pass

Just an hour southwest of Denver on Highway 285, you’ll find yourself at the summit of Kenosha Pass before it descends into South Park. There is a paid parking lot for campers and day use, and there are large parking areas on the sides of 285 as well. Be advised: start EARLY on weekends. These parking areas fill up fast! 

The well-marked trailhead is on the west side of the road. The route comprises most of Segment 6 of the Colorado Trail, the 500-mile route that runs from Denver to Durango, and is commonly referred to as Kenosha Pass.

This is a challenging 24-mile round trip ride, much of it above 10,000 feet. Total climbing is around 4,000 feet. The route begins with a punchy little climb. Catch your breath at the summit and begin the long descent through massive aspen groves to the base of the mountain. When you get to the fire road, cross it. There will be three well-marked intersections, all pointing out the Colorado Trail.  Follow these and in an hour or so you’ll be at the summit of Georgia Pass. Grab a rest and some snacks, and then decide how you want to return to the car. You can retrace your route or opt for the Jefferson Creek Trail option. Either way, you’re going to be climbing back up Kenosha Pass to the summit. Save some legs for this one!

https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/65904/kenosha-pass-to-georgia-pass-and-west-jefferson

The Dyke

Arguably the classic autumn aspen ride in Colorado! Kebler Pass is home to the largest aspen grove in the state, and is often mentioned when discussing Earth’s largest organisms. All aspen groves share the same interconnected root system, so when the memo to go gold comes out, all the trees shift pretty much at once. This one is truly spectacular and the main forest road that feeds the area is open only in summer and early fall.

You’ll have to go to Crested Butte for this one (oh the horror) and it’s worth every bit of the road trip. It’s a loop of about 14 miles total with 2,000 feet of climbing overall. The Dyke section is about five miles of the loop, awash in glittering aspens, crunchy leaves in the trail, creek crossings, and a bomber descent.

If you’re riding it from town go west on Whiterock Avenue to where it turns into County Road 12 and climb up to the intersection of Forest Road 826 and Lake Irwin Road. It’s 6.5 miles from town to this point. Don’t be ashamed to drive up and park if you don’t want to ride the dirt road. There is also a new trail paralleling the road called Wagon Trail making for a more interesting approach if you’re riding up to the trailhead.

Head toward the Lake Irwin campground, pass Lake Irwin proper, and keep bearing left at all road intersections. Stay left on the double track and keep an eye out for the Dyke Trail sign. This trail will throw at you everything a mountain bike ride can. If you can pull your eyes away from the trail on the climbs, look for carvings in the old trees made by 19th century sheepherders.

https://travelcrestedbutte.com/crested-butte-trails-dyke-trail/

ROAD BIKE

Peak to Peak Scenic Byway

Peak to Peak is one of Colorado’s classic road cycling routes, and the best time of year to do it is autumn. There are two ways to do this, long or short, and either one will get you jaw dropping views of the Continental Divide, Indian Peaks and Long’s Peak as your cruise along a road awash in golden aspens. The long way is a 60 mile route between Black Hawk/Central City and Estes Park with a little over 5,000 feet of elevation gain. The shorter option utilizes the same stretch of Highway 72 and covers 23 miles between Nederland and South St. Vrain Junction. Pick your route and spin it out!

https://www.colorado.com/byways/peak-to-peak

Maroon Creek Road

Probably the most photographed mountains in the state if not the country, the Maroon Bells southwest of Aspen also offer one of the best aspen rides. It’s a mild 11 miles with just 1,700 feet of elevation gain and practically the entire route is aspen forest all the way to the iconic Bells. Best part: no cars from 8am to 5pm!

Links to look at: https://www.aspensnowmass.com/visit/activities/summer/maroon-bells/faqs

https://www.aspentimes.com/news/fee-reservation-system-proposed-for-all-maroon-creek-road-bikers/

GRAVEL BIKE

Back before gravel bikes became an actual thing, WRC staff was riding gravel roads on road bikes. In fact, we even held a gran fondo event on one of our favorite routes in 2010, which is still held today. There are route descriptions for the 25-mile and 67-mile options:

https://events.outsideonline.com/crookedgravel/

The course traverses Crooked Creek near Winter Park. Our original route was a 95-mile thigh popper that included 30 miles of pavement. This is still very much available for those inspired to ride it, and there are also several ways to make it shorter. Whichever distance you choose, you’ll be riding through some of the best aspens groves in Grand County.

E-BIKE (non-mountain)

While you could certainly take an e-bike on the aforementioned Maroon Bells ride or the gravel forest road from Crested Butte up Kebler Pass, a fine high-country e-bike ride not to be overlooked is the Tenmile Canyon Recreation route from Frisco to the top of Vail Pass.

https://www.traillink.com/trail/ten-mile-canyon-recpath/

The Mineral Belt Trail in Leadville is actually a paved path that winds its way along an old railroad route. The Rails to Trails program established this 11.6 mile long system. The route is all above 10,000 feet with spectacular views of the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges as you ride through the golden aspen groves above Leadville.

https://www.traillink.com/trail-itinerary/mineral-belt-trail/

So there you have it. Leaf peeping season generally last about four weeks so get out there and enjoy the views, the perfect temperatures, and those glorious golden aspens.