Dillon-Leadville-Aspen-Glenwood loop

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Dillon, CO, US

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Let's Go Wander

Cycle Touring in the Colorado Rockies and Front Range

375 km

4.111 m

A challenging and scenic multi-day ride through some of Colorado's most iconic mountain towns with half of the route on off-road bike paths.

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# Overview
This is a challenging and scenic 4 or 5-day ride through some of Colorado's most iconic mountain towns.  With half of the route on off-road bike paths, this ride offers lung-busting climbs, thrilling descents, and some easy scenic cruising.  Highlights include @slice[Ten Mile Canyon](d,12748.65,21749.54), the historic mining town of @point[Leadville](d,58944.15), @slice[Independence Pass](d,92849.48,142873.24), @point[Aspen](d,148396.74), the @slice[Rio Grande Trail](d,149911.58,214737.25), the @poi[Hot Springs](6472018) at Glenwood Springs, a hike to @poi[Hanging Lake](6473397), Vail Valley and @slice[Vail Pass](d,329999.74,351127.54).
# Stats
* 233 Miles
* 4-5 Days
* 13,489 Elevation Gain (Ft)
* 5,723 Minimum Elevation (Ft)
* 12,059 Maximum Elevation (Ft)
# 
# Conditions
* 50% Bike Path
* 3% Gravel/Dirt
# 
# The Route
Start off in the town of Dillon and follow the bike path along Lake Dillon to the picturesque town of Frisco.  Outside of Frisco, pick up the bike path again heading up Ten Mile Canyon towards @photo[Copper Mountain](3600045).  Once past Copper Mountain, you will ride on highway 91 over @photo[Fremont Pass](3523950) to Leadville.  With the exception of a @slice[few miles](d,23110.17,25266.29) outside of Copper Mountain, the shoulders on this section of highway are quite good and this is a popular road for cyclists.

@photo[Leadville](3523972) is a good town to spend a night in, providing good accommodations for a fair price.  Leadville is an old mining town with a funky, outdoorsy vibe and features a number of good dining options and a local craft brewery to boot.  Numerous camping options are available around beautiful Turquoise Lake which is just a few miles outside of town.

Head out of Leadville on highway 24.  The shoulders on this section of highway are generally narrow or non-existent, but about 7 miles outside of town you will turn off onto a road that soon turns to @photo[dirt](3524424) which provides a scenic and enjoyable alternative to 24.  This road is in good condition and ridable on a standard road bike, but you may be more comfortable on wider tires.  To avoid this section of dirt road, you can remain on highway 24 and turn right once you reach highway 82.

Highway 82 will bring you into the tiny town of Twin Lakes.  There are some limited lodging options in or near @photo[Twin Lakes](3523951), although dining options are even more limited.  There are several campgrounds along the route as you head west of Twin Lakes.

The ride over @photo[Independence Pass](3599974) is one of the most spectacular rides in Colorado.  The very best time to do this pass is in the week (or so) before Memorial Day weekend after the highway has been cleared of snow but before it opens to car traffic on the Thursday before Memorial Day (check CDOT’s [website](http://www.cotrip.org/travelAlerts.htm#?roadId=84) for current road information).  Late September is also a beautiful time to ride this pass as the Aspen trees come into their peak @photo[fall colors](3600155).  Independence Pass usually closes for the season around early November, but this can vary from year to year.

On the west side of Independence Pass, there are sections of road that are so narrow as to only accommodate one lane of traffic and there is no yellow center line in these stretches.  Use caution when descending and watch for oncoming traffic.

After soaking up the beauty of Aspen and its surroundings, head out on the @photo[Rio Grande Trail](3523957).  This is a nice easy cruiser ride all the way to Glenwood Springs.  Consider stopping in the quaint town of Carbondale for lunch before continuing on to Glenwood Springs where you might want to stay a night to enjoy the famous hot springs pools.

From Glenwood, you will enjoy a scenic ride through @photo[Glenwood Canyon](3523968).  The bike path through the canyon will take you along the majestic Colorado River and deliver you into the wide-open vistas of Eagle County.

The final day of riding will take you through the Vail Valley and up Vail Pass.  From Vail until the end of the ride, you will be almost exclusively on bike paths.  This day will entail quite a bit of climbing although not at the altitude that you experienced on the first two days.  Once you reach the top of Vail Pass, the rest of the route is mostly downhill or flat as you make your way back to Dillon.

This route is ideal for a 5 day trip because it allows you to stay over in some great destinations along the way.  For the 5-day option, I would recommend overnighting in Leadville, Aspen, Glenwood Springs, and Avon (or Vail if you want to push ahead on day 4).  For the 4-day option, you might consider staying overnight in Twin Lakes, Carbondale, and Eagle.

# Accommodations and Services

There are lots of dining and lodging options in most of the towns along this route, but some of them are on the expensive side of the spectrum.  In the POI’s for the route, I have noted some budget friendlier options along the way that I would recommend or that other cyclists have recommended.  There are also quite a few campgrounds along the route which I have notated as well.

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Dillon-Leadville-Aspen-Glenwood loop

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