Great Places to Ride

I lay no claim to completeness, but here’s what I have, organized by road or area. Click on the date to go to the post. Some dates are approximate. (Note: So far this page covers 2012 and 2013 riding seasons. I’m adding more, going backwards—the 2011 season will be added next.)

Ouray County Roads 2 and 4 – right in my backyard

Montrose Adobes and Peach Valley (Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area)

  • April 6, 2013, video, Montrose Adobes to Peach Valley in Five Minutes
  • May 5, 2012, video, portion of Elephant Ridge Trail (I hope you don’t mind heights!)
  • March 17, 2012, good printable GPS map of Elephant Skin Road from Montrose Adobes to Peach Valley, now open to the public
  • March 17, 2012, Free riding area within Montrose Adobes. Partial GPS map of riding area
  • March 17, 2013, video, motorcycle dirt bike hill climbers in action in free riding area in Montrose Adobes

Powerline Roads (southeast of Montrose, CO)

  • April 6, 2013, video, Lower Powerline Road in 5 minutes, south to north
  • Jun 16, 2012, video, Lower Powerline Road in 5 minutes, north to south
  • April 27, 2012, video, diversions along Lower Powerline Road (very first GoPro Hero2 video!)
  • April 1, 2012, Good printable GPS map of Upper and Lower Powerline Roads, Glenn’s Road.
  • March 16, 2012, photos of Upper/Lower Powerline Roads, Glenn’s Road, still muddy

Owl Creek Pass and Silverjack Reservoir Area

  • Oct 5, 2012, video, fall color in Stealey Mtn Trail Complex (a favorite of mine!)
  • July 21, 2012, Stealey Mtn Trail Complex, excellent printable GPS map showing entire trail complex (usual caveats apply)
  • May 18, 2012, video, Stealey Mtn Trail Complex

Pleasant Valley and Millionaire Valley, both near Ridgway, in Ouray County (County Roads 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 24, and Cow Creek)

  • Sept 24, 2012, video, fall color in Moonshine Park (s. end of CR 5) ( a favorite video of mine!)
  • Jul 15, 2012, video, Cow Creek, entire length, speeded up
  • June 1, 2012, video, Dallas Trail 200 from Blue Lakes Trailhead (Ouray CR 7)
  • June 1, 2012, photos Ouray CR 5, 7, 9, good printable GPS map of CR 5, 7, 9
  • May 25, 2013, video, sheep along Ouray CR 24 (quite pastoral)
  • March 16, 2013, GPS map of largely unknown but publicly-accessible section of old roadbed for the railroad that used to go between Montrose and Ouray.

Red Mountain Pass (US Hwy 550 between Ouray and Silverton, includes Ironton, Red Mtn mining district)

  • Sept 14, 2012, video, Red Mountain Pass Fall Color (nice!), along US Hwy 550, Brown Mtn Rd, Mining District (CR 31). Includes Yankee Girl Mine.
  • Sept 7, 2012, video, Ironton Park along US Hwy 550 looking at early fall color

Southwest of Ouray, CO (Yankee Boy Basin, Imogene Pass, Camp Bird)

  • Sept 5, 2012, Imogene Pass, videos, Part 1, from Lower Camp Bird to Upper Camp Bird, Part 2, from Upper Camp Bird to False Summit, Part 3, from False Summit to Real Summit, Part 4, from Real Summit to Telluride
  • 19 July 2012, video, Yankee Boy Basin, beyond the Forest Service bathroom
  • June 8, 2012, video: the world famous overhang over road to Yankee Boy Basin just west of Lower Camp Bird
  • June 8, 2012, photos, Yankee Boy Basin, Red Mtn Mining District, San Juan CR 14

Silverton Area High Country (Passes: Engineer, Cinnamon, Corkscrew, Hurricane, California, Ophir. Town of Animas Forks. Placer Gulch. Picayne Gulch. Silverton. Durango & Silverton NGRR, miscellany)

  • Sept 5, 2012, video, Almost Eureka!, side road from San Juan CR 99, very south rim of Picayne Gulch (fantastic views!)
  • Sept 3, 2012, video: side road off Corkscrew Pass, very southern ridge of Corkscrew Gulch
  • Aug 31, 2012, photos of Stony Pass and Lake Como
  • Aug 17, 2012, video of various high country spots. Particularly good views from California Pass.
  • Aug 17, 2012, panorama from San Juan CR 99
  • Aug 11, 2012, video, San Juan CR 99 in Picayne Gulch
  • Aug 5, 2012, video, switchbacks on west side of Corkscrew Pass
  • Aug 5, 2012, video, Picayne and Placer Gulches in 5 minutes (hold onto your hat!)
  • Aug 5, 2012, video, old ghost town barracks building in Picayne Gulch along San Juan CR 9
  • Aug 4, 2012, video, California and Hurricane Passes
  • 12 May 2012, video, Engineer Pass Road in 4 minutes, from US Hwy 550 to Engineer Pass—another hold-onto-your-hat video
  • May 20, 2012, video, Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
  • May 20, 2012, video, Corkscrew Pass in 5 minutes
  • May 12, 2012, video, Oh! Point, near Engineer Pass

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