Loveland and Vail Pass

2 Big Mountain Passes in one day

Keystone - Loveland Pass - Keystone - Swan Mountain - Frisco - Vail Pass - Frisco - Swan Mountain - Keystone!

Ride two of the best local passes in Summit County in one day. Climb breathtaking (in beauty and oxygen) Loveland Pass and gentle Vail Pass. After this ride, having ridden border to border from east to west, you will feel as if you know Summit County very well.

This route offers plenty of choices: you may start in Dillon or Frisco, or reverse the route. Simply copy the route to your Ride with GPS account and modify the route if needed.

Loveland pass has a maximum grade of 9% and is my favorite climb in the area. I like the atmosphere at the top of the pass and the descent off the south side seems to never end. The climb up the gentle bike path to Vail Pass is stress free and often populated, but Vail Pass feels like an accomplishment in its own right. Connecting the two routes takes some time as you wend your way through towns, over Swan Mountain and past Lake Dillon.

This is a long morning to mid-day ride, allow enough time and be sure to start early. Enjoy an outside patio after your ride to soak in the high mountain scenery and revel in your accomplishment of two summits in one day.

Your ride:

• Start: Keystone, CO, US
• Distance: 66.5 mi
• Elevation: + 5907ft / - 5911ft
• Steepest grade on climb: 8.9%
• Average grade of Loveland Pass: 5.9% (from Keystone)
• Max altitude at summit of Loveland Pass: 11,990ft
• Finish: Keystone (or Frisco, Dillon, Breckenridge)
• Difficulty: Intermediate-Advanced ride for cyclists who enjoy a steep climbs. Due to long descent on road down Loveland Pass, this is not a ride for children.

Please read the additional riding in Summit County cycling tips offered on this page.

Wondering which passes are the highest in Summit County:

Loveland Pass - 11,990 Feet
Boreas Pass (dirt) - 11,481 feet
Hoosier Pass - 11,542 feet
Fremont Pass - 11,318 feet
Vail Pass - 10,662 feet (border of Summit County & Eagle County)
Tennessee Pass - 10,424 feet

ROUTE LOCATION:

Summit County, Colorado. Nearby towns include: Dillon, Silverthorne, Keystone, Montezuma, Frisco, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Georgetown. You may start this ride from any of these towns.

START/FINISH AND PARKING

This route begins and ends at the parking lot in Keystone. You may also begin this route from Breckenridge or Frisco by riding over Swan Mountain first before Loveland Pass, or begin from the town of Dillon.

DESCRIPTION OF PLACES

Note: For cyclists, when I speak of Keystone I am referring to River Run Village of Keystone Resort. This is the most active area of Keystone during summer months.

Loveland Pass: There is a wide shoulder for cyclists, big mountain road, at altitude, max grade of 9% with several sections of 8%. There are no services at the summit, and a long descent on the main road.

Keystone: You will be riding on neighborhood roads on bike path through the resort and past a golf course and small man-made lake.

Swan Mountain: Less steep on the east side where you will follow a designated bike path to the top. Much more steep on the west side where you will be climbing on the road.

Frisco: A quaint Main St with lots of restaurants and services - an excellent place to take a break. You will be riding along Main St and on bike paths.

Copper Mountain: The two-way bike path between Frisco and Copper Mountain, and Copper Mountain and Vail Pass, is well maintained and graded. Just keep going straight. Copper Village is a seasonal ski village; some businesses may be open in the village in summer.

Vail Pass: The top will feel like the top of one giant grassy hill. For a nice view continue past the rest stop at the top to the lake on the other side. Vail Pass has full services at the summit.

WATER ON ROUTE

Start with two full bottles of in Keystone and you should be fine up to the summit and back down to Keystone if you ride a good steady pace. You'll want to pick up more water again in Keystone Village before heading over Swan Mountain to Frisco. You won't find anything open at Arapahoe Basin in summer and there are no facilities on the summit of Loveland Pass.

After you pass through Frisco, there is a convenience store along the bike path before Copper Mountain, fill up here for your ride up Vail Pass (and again after), this should be enough to get you back to Keystone. You may stop at the cafes on the east side of Swan Mountain if you need more water before reaching Keystone.

RESTROOMS ON ROUTE

Restrooms are marked on the route map and are numerous, your best bet is inside River Run Village where you start and finish your ride in Keystone, or inside the building of the convenience store near Copper Mountain, and at the top of Vail Pass in side the rest stop building.

CAUTIONS ON ROUTE

Come prepared for changing weather. Plan your ride between 7:00am-2:00pm. Afternoon rain showers are common; seek shelter for lightening. Large tank trucks use the road over Loveland Pass, but there is a shoulder for cyclists. The bike path up and down from Vail Pass is narrow and two-way, some small children use this path, take caution at high speeds. There might be snowmelt and gravel inside the dark tunnel just before the summit of Vail Pass.

ADDITIONAL MILES

You may add the loop route ride around Lake Dillon after climbing Loveland Pass. You may also extend your ride to the small town of Montezuma east of Keystone, or to Ute Pass from the Dillon Marina, or to the town of Breckenridge. For the ultimate tour of Summit County see the Circle the Summit route on Ride with GPS..

POINTS OF INTEREST (POI) ON ROUTE

• Keystone: with a population of just over 1,000, Keystone ski area offers nearly 3 acres of skiing per full-time resident. 20 ski lifts and 2 gondolas service a mountain with 57% terrain rated as "most difficult." Keystone Village is a man-made mountain base collection of condos, shops, homes and a golf course. Keystone has year-round special events.
• Keystone Bike Park features miles of single-track trails. You may ride the lift up and cruise the single track down. Bike rentals, helmets and safety equipment are available at the base of the lift in the village. Bike Park information. Attend a bike clinic in summer.
• Arapahoe Ski Basin: Nicknamed A-Basin, will host a stage finish of the 2015 USA Pro Challenge. Probably the least well known of the local ski resorts, A-Basin boasts the highest in-bounds skiable terrain (960 acres (3.9 km2)) in North America. Established in the 1940s, its relatively small 8-chair resort often stays open as late as July.
• Loveland Pass Summit Sign: The sign at the top of Loveland Pass marks an 11,990foot point on the Continental Divide. The views are worth the journey and this is a fun place for a photo-op.
• Swan Mountain is a short cut between Frisco/Breckenridge and Keystone. It is a nice climb for cyclists and a new bike path was recently built on the east side.
• Frisco Marina has rental boats and scenic activity.
• Frisco has a small museum, historic park and frequent festive outdoor town events.
• Copper Mountain Village is also a lovely setting for outdoor events.
• Copper Village has a kids play area featuring Go-Karts, climbing wall and mini-golf.
• Vail Pass is a large rest stop off of the Interstate (I-70). The descent back into Copper Mountain is quick and easy.

AREA HISTORY

EAST: Hwy 6 over Loveland Pass was the only passage over this section of the Rocky Mountains until the lengthy Eisenhower Tunnel was built and opened in 1973. Today, trucks carrying dangerous fuels are not allowed to enter the tunnel, they must instead continue over Loveland Pass on the old Hwy 6 through Keystone to rejoin I-70 in Dillon. Although most cars now use the tunnel, you will feel the push of air as these large fuel trucks pass you during your ride.

WEST: The modern Interstate I-70 was completed in 1992. The large highway climbs over Vail pass (with steep 7-8% sections) hosting 2 runaway truck ramps to prove its steepness. At one point engineers had considered tunneling through the Eagle's Nest Wilderness area, which would have greatly changed the landscape of what we have come to know as Vail Pass. I-70 replaced the old Hwy 6, which remains intact in parts and is now used by cyclists free of traffic.

Read more about the history of the towns you will be riding through and roads you will be riding upon here.

LOCAL FOOD AND DRINKS

Keystone

• Keystone Village: Numerous additional cafes and restaurants may be found in the seasonal village of Keystone; some with nice patios, fountains or flower baskets.

Summit Cove

• The Pour House: Coffee, bagels, panini, sandwiches, breakfast burritos. Location 40 Cove Blvd, Dillon, CO 80435 (Summit Cove). Open daily 6:30am-7:00pm.

Frisco

• Boatyard American Grill: Lunch, dinner and wine; good healthy food. Location Open daily 11:00am-10:00pm. 304 Main St, Frisco, CO 80443
• Greco's Pastaria: Pizza, salad, and pasta. Location 311 E. Main Street, Frisco, CO 80443
• Whole Foods: Grocery store; has bicycle parking and makes a good place to stop. Location 261 Lusher Ct, Frisco, CO 80443.
• Butterhorn Bakery: Good breakfast and lunch, plus pastries and breakfast burritos to go. Open 7:30am-2:30pm, (no dinner). Location 408 Main Street, Frisco, CO 80443.
• Prost Fine Beers and Sausages: Beer, sausages, soups and sandwiches. Open daily 11:30am-10:00pm. Happy Hour daily 4-6pm. Location 313 Main St, Frisco, CO 80443.
• Island Grill and Bar: Food and drink on patio restaurant in Marina. Nice patio. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day. Open daily 11:30am-7:00pm. Happy Hour daily 4-7pm. Free Live music on Friday nights during Happy Hour. Location 900 E Main St, Frisco CO 80443.
• Food Hedz: Very nice lunches and dinners, changing menu of fresh food. Best for sit down meals with wine. Location 842 Summit Blvd, Frisco, CO 80443. closed Sundays and Mondays, open Tue-Sat: 11:am-3pm and 5-8pm.

Copper Mountain

• Incline Bar and Grill: Serves a varied American menu and bar; outside seating. Location 178 Copper Cir, Frisco, CO 80443, Open daily 11:am-10:00pm, Happy Hour daily 3-6pm.
• Camp Hale Coffee Shop: Coffee, fresh pastries made onsite, breakfast and lunch snacks. Open daily 7:00am-12:00pm only. Location 184 Copper Cir, Frisco, CO 80443.
• Casa Sanchez: Family owned Mexican food and margaritas. Location - Located at Village Square Condo at the Boardwalk.
• Copper Mountain Village some restaurants or coffee shops might be open in Summer (this village is somewhat seasonal).
• Quiznos and Conoco: At the end of the bike path from Frisco, just before (east) of Copper Mountain Village is a cluster of buildings where you may find water and food and public restrooms. This is an excellent place to wait out afternoon rainstorms (which typically last 30-50 minutes). Location near I-70, Exit 195.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CYCLING IN COLORADO

More cautions, cycling tips, tourist information and a list of bike shops (including bike rental locations) may be found on the Pedal Dancer Ambassador Profile page.

ROUTE CONTRIBUTORS

Karen Rakestraw, Laurie Decoteau, and Sue Stokes.