[cowasockee]

In this cold wintertime blues suffering we are all going through (OK OK It's supposed to be 72 degrees here today but hey...the days are still freaking short) I am contemplating my next adventures.

Next year (2016) or the next (2017) I would like to trailer out west and hit some of the Rocky Mountain area.

I need a list of absolute must rides. So far I am considering the San Juan loop in Colorado; Going to the Sun in Glacier; the canyons area in Utah.

There's just so much area to cover. I might take a couple weeks to do this.

Ideas?

 

[Day Trippin]

Go to best biking roads and look there. It might give you some more ideas. I am partial to SW Colorado & California. There are so many good places to ride in California it is like paradise here. OTOH when I lived in Albuquerque there were a lot of good riding in New Mexico.

Around Santa Fe & Taos you can have some great fun and then ride up into SW Colorado. I really like the area around Durango and Silverton and most of the riding is around 10,000' and up so time of year is critical.

I think timing in so many places is critical from either weather or tourists' perspective. Some great places to ride get clogged with motorhomes and sometimes a lot of traffic so take that into consideration. I just thought of another ride, to the top of Pike's Peak. Definitely a nice ride and the view from the top is pretty amazing.

Don't forget PCH either. Pacific Coast Highway. It it truly is one of the world's best rides. The area around Monterey/Carmel is quite amazing and the views are spectacular. I would suggest riding from North to South for better views. A lot of nice "side roads" all along PCH as well to just wander around.

 

[KR52]

Cold at 72* and short days. LOL. Try highs of 0 to 30, with an 8:30 AM sunrise and a 4:30 PM sunset.

Lots of great roads in Washington, Idaho, and Montana. As DT suggests go to best biking roads and narrow down your route. Instead of hauling the bike you could ride and pick up some of the better roads in each state you pass through.

 

[landman]

the areas you mentioned are all great but you can not travel out west without spending time in the black hills of South Dakota,needles highway iron mountain road and spearfish canyon to nams a few must do roads.

 

[Chrispy]

My GF and I did a two week tour of Colorado last summer. Not the most twistiest of roads but the scenery is outstanding !

This summer, we're going to do South Dakota and Wyoming, maybe a little Montana ?

 

[luciano136]

My vote would be CA. So many different areas to explore! Spring or Fall would be my choice. The inland areas are way too hot in the summer and all the tourists are out.

 

[sprockethead]

I've found Butler Maps to be really helpful in trip planning. Something awesome about a paper map... and you can take it with you on the road.

 

[Buelligan]

HWY 191 in Arizona from Alpine to Morenci
HWY 149 in Colorado from Gunnison to South Fork, then south over wolf creek pass to pagosa springs.
Hwy 92 in Colorado from Blue Mesa Reservoir to Hotchkiss, then 133 over Mclure pass, to carbondale, and 82 thru Vail and over Independence pass.
HWY 550, (milion dollar hwy) from Durango to Ouray, Colorado is highly over ridden, and packed with tourists. While it does have some nice curves, and decent views, it's not worth the hassle of riding 25 mph behind a ton of slow moving RV's and Hardleys.
HWY 145 in Colorado from Cortez, to Telluride, then onto Grand Junction. Awesome curves, and views...
Many other roads in New Mexico, and Utah that I ride on a regular basis.
Ping me if interested...