Route Segments
The following route segments provide an easy way to index into the route description. The segments don't represent suggested single-day efforts, although in some cases it might work out that way. All segment endpoints will have lodging or camping. If you'd rather follow a day-by-day plan, see the suggested 11-day itinerary below.
Suggested 11-Day Itinerary
We first rode the entire loop in August of 2024 using this 11-day itinerary, which included a wonderful half-day off in Hot Sulfur Springs. It had a great cadence — riding most of the day, starting just after 8:00 am, with time to take in the scenery and stop for meals along the way.
| Day | Start | End | Miles | Gain | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Collins | Glen Echo | 51.6 | 5,742' | Pavement to Buckhorn Canyon then county gravel roads; lunch at USFS ranger station in Buckhorn; pass through 2020 Cameron Peak Fire burn scar; steep climb on FS salt cabin park road; technical singletrack descent on Lower Dadd Gulch; pavement to Rustic. Dinner at Glen Echo restaurant, camping at resort was $50 but includes restrooms with showers; resupply at Glen Echo store. |
| 2 | Glen Echo | Hohnholz Lakes | 47.9 | 5,492' | Steep climb on county gravel Manhattan Road; moderate climb on Deadman; included lookout tower sidetrip for views; huge views of Laramie River Valley from Deadman descent; camp at Hohnholz Lakes state campground with vault toilets and the Laramie River nearby. |
| 3 | Hohnholz Lakes | Walden | 43.3 | 4,639' | Moderate climb out of the valley, steep climbs on some USFS roads; huge views of North Park from the Mendenhall Road descent; late for showers but city park free camping is the bomb; dinner at restaurant, resupply at grocery or dollar store. |
| 4 | Walden | Buffalo Pass | 33.6 | 3,306' | Good pavement and gravel county roads out of North Park and good climb on the east side of Buffalo Pass road; several water sources on the climb; beautiful wild camp at a lake on the pass. |
| 5 | Buffalo Pass | Lynx Pass | 57.4 | 3,715' | Awesome descent on Buffalo Pass to Flash of Gold et al. singletrack; lunch and resupply in Steamboat; pavement and gravel county roads to Stagecoach Reservoir; great climb up a long valley to Lynx Pass; camp at USFS Lynx Pass campground with vault toilets. |
| 6 | Lynx Pass | Kremmling | 41.3 | 3,713' | Great gravel roads for the descent from the pass and first climb, with great views at the passes; steeper climbing and descending from the pass to Radium; lunch at the Colorado River; good grades and surface on gravel and pavement Tunnel Road to Kremmling; resupply and ice cream in Kremmling, camp at the RV park. |
| 7 | Kremmling | Hot Sulfur Springs | 26.2 | 2,028' | Flat and easy grades initially until past Williams Fork Reservoir, then moderate grades on the climb from Parshall over the divide to Hot Sulfur Springs with great views; arrive at noon for restaurant lunch and hot springs soaking; camp at the town campground; trains are very loud but it has a great small-town vibe — all services including food, resupply, and the spa are close together and convenient. |
| 8 | Hot Sulfur Springs | West side Rollins Pass | 40.4 | 4,602' | Short bit of highway pavement then an awesome gravel road climb up the long Beaver Creek valley, then descent into Fraser; lunch and resupply in Fraser, then bike path through Winter Park to the Moffat Road climb; wild camp off the road with views of the Winter Park ski runs and Fraser valley. |
| 9 | West side Rollins Pass | Caribou Flats road | 41.5 | 3,533' | Alpine climb on the railroad grade, with amazing views and a long stretch above treeline; hike-a-bike trail to bypass the tunnel; railroad grade descent on a rocky road to the Moffat Tunnel, then pavement downhill to Rollinsville; lunch at the brewery and food truck, pavement to Nederland for resupply; wild camp on a rocky and rough Caribou road above Eldora. |
| 10 | Caribou Flats road | Pierson Park road | 39.4 | 4,362' | 2.5-mile hike-a-bike on a rough, steep road, then rideable rough roads to the Sourdough Trail singletrack — technical but epic riding through the woods; rough 4x4 roads to the Peak to Peak Highway; pavement to Ferncliff and Allenspark for restaurant dinner and resupply; pavement to the turnoff, county gravel road to Pierson Park road, wild camp off Pierson Park Road. |
| 11 | Pierson Park road | Fort Collins | 48.8 | 3,076' | Steep climb up Pierson Park Road but freshly regraded, steeper descent to the 2013 washout section which is now repaired and open; steep up again and steep down again; county road and paved bike path into Estes Park for lunch; pavement the rest of the way home: easy-grade climb to the corkscrew, fast descent through Glen Haven and down Big Thompson Canyon, county roads to Fort Collins. |