Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

Back to the Desert

Day 28: Sargents to Del Norte (111.4 miles, 6,063ft)

Based on the coming terrain—relatively flat—and relative dearth of camping that didn’t require long drives on dirt roads, we decided to pull a long day from Sargents to Del Norte.

We started out early, just after sunrise, and enjoyed 13 easy miles downhill on asphalt. Once we reached Doyleville, we turned south onto well-maintained dirt country roads and rode through beautiful, open countryside with mountains in the distance.

After a brief jog onto Colorado Highway 114, we continued south on dirt roads, climbing very gradually toward Cochetopa Pass. The open fields gradually became forests as we arrived at the pass, and we enjoyed a beautiful, forested descent down the other side, rejoining highway 114 at the bottom.

Six miles on the highway brought us to a dirt road turn off, heading south. There we turned right and climbed 11, steeper, miles to Carnerno Pass. A long descent awaited us on the other side, through an incredible, rugged valley following the Carnero River. The final few miles of the descent followed paved road that led us out of the mountains entirely, near the little town of La Garita.

From there, our route turned back southwest toward Penitente Canyon and Natural Arches, following a slow, sandy dirt road. Slowly ascending into a headwind, the next 9-10 miles were a slog; but that slog paid off, once we turned south onto a fun double track trail that rolled quickly through desert buttes down to the Del Norte airport.

We added a few miles when, with Del Norte in sight, we had to skirt around the airport; but we soon arrived in Del Norte, where we camped in the town park. Supposedly, we were supposed to register with the police; but the office was closed, and none of the listed numbers got us in touch with anyone who knew about camping. In any case, we set up our tents, and—lucky for us—the maintenance person for the park arrived in the evening to inform us that he’d turn off the morning sprinklers for our benefit. (There was also an elevated stage at the park that we could have camped on to avoid the sprinklers.)

Over Marshall Pass

Day 27: Hartsel to Sargents (88.6 miles, 6,124ft)

Our day started with a hearty breakfast of biscuits and gravy at the local cafe—offering free camping to cyclists seemed to be a pretty solid business model for the establishment—after which we packed up and headed southeast on Colorado Highway 9. Quickly, we turned off onto dirt county roads and enjoyed rolling pasture terrain, similar to the latter half of the previous day’s ride.

After 30-some miles, we began a steep 1,000 foot climb through aspen forests to a watershed divide.

From the top, we descended 3,000-some feet over the next 15 miles to the lovely town of Salida.

We continued on paved county roads to Poncha Springs and from there began a long ascent—nearly 4,000 feet—to Marshall pass. Again the climb’s grade seemed quite moderate (Marshall Pass was another that once had a narrow gauge railroad), and the first 5 miles were on asphalt; so we made good time. The changes in scenery were wonderful—from the arid valley where Salida and Poncha Springs were located to the lush pine and aspen forests at higher elevations. Along the way, we passed many wonderful camp spots—not ideal for us because of the support vehicle and children (established campsites with water, picnic tables, bathrooms, and easy car access worked best for us) but perfect for self-supported tourers.

We reached the pass around 5:00pm, getting some rain and hail on on the way up, and quickly descended the final 16 miles to Sargents—a tiny little town with a combo bar, gas station, restaurant, and RV Park, which at $13 a person including showers, seemed like good value to us.

From Ski Town to Small Town

Day 26: Blue River Campground to Hartsel (75.9 miles, 4,027ft)

We woke up to the rushing waters of the Blue River and, after a quick breakfast, started off toward Silverthorne along Colorado Highway 9. Traffic was heavy into Silverthorne, but we had a wide shoulder that allowed cars and trucks to give us a wide berth.

Once in Silverthorne, we joined a paved bike path that took us up to the picturesque Dillon Reservoir and then through the mountain vacation towns of Frisco and Breckenridge.

While we’d been climbing the whole day to Breckenridge—9,500 feet above sea level—from Breckenridge the grade became more perceptible as we ascended toward Boreas Pass. After riding the first few miles on paved road, we continued on a gradually graded dirt road. To our surprise, the ride to the top of the pass—at 11,482 feet, the highest pass we’d crossed yet and second highest pass of the route—was a breeze. (In 1882 a narrow gauge rail was constructed over the pass—always nice to ride on railroad grade roads.)

Bakers Tank, which served the Denver, South Park, and Pacific Narrow Gauge Railroad (1884-1937)

After enjoying the views from the top, we hung on tight to our bikes on the somewhat bumpy descent. Once in the valley on the other side of the pass, we felt like we’d entered a different world. We’d left the resort towns behind and now passed into more sparsely populated pasture country.

We road through the small town of Como and continued briefly on US Highway 285, before heading southeast on rolling dirt country roads through open countryside. We soon reached US Highway 24 and turned west, riding the last 5-6 miles into Hartsel—a small country town—on the highway.

Once in Hartsel, we stopped in the only lively joint in town—a roadside cafe/saloon (and apparent camp area)—for $1.25 happy hour beers and gigantic burgers. The cafe owners also directed us to a field across the road (behind some junked cars) that served as the camping area for cyclists riding through. Certainly, not the most traditionally “nice” campground we’d stayed in yet, but a pretty cool experience nonetheless.

On to the Colorado River

Day 25: Blacktail Creek Campground to Blue River Campground (74.3 miles, 6,436ft)

We woke up to a cold frosty morning at the Blacktail Creek Campground—not surprising as we’d camped around 9,000ft. After the normal couple of hours of tear down, pack up, and breakfast, the sun was already high in the sky and feeling significantly warmer we set off.

The first 15 miles to Radium were simply amazing. We followed a narrow rolling trail through forest, tight valleys, and the occasional open pasture as we wound our way toward the Colorado River. For the first time in our trip, we were riding along trails with sheer drop-offs, and we took the descents with care.

After descending some 2,200 feet to the Colorado River at Radium (6,800 feet above sea level), we crossed the river and turned back, climbing toward the Gore Canyon. Layers upon layers of mountain ridges surrounded us—many of which were barely perceptible on the horizon because of the lingering smoke—and we wondered what the views might have been like on a clearer day.

Approaching Radium and the Colorado River

Around 10 miles later we were back at 8300 feet as we crossed a watershed divide and descended back to the Colorado River and Colorado Highway 9. We jogged north on highway 9—at this point also the Trans-America bike route—and quickly turned right onto the first county road we reached, just short of crossing the Colorado River and entering the town of Kremling. From there we continued upstream, traveling roughly east with the Colorado on our left.

Soon we angled south, following a tributary of the Colorado upstream past a reservoir. Just past the reservoir, we were able to refill our water bottles at the house of a kindly resident of the area; and after the quick break we were off again.

The miles passed quickly—with the exception of my first flat of the trip, an internal tube failure caused by subpar rim-tape on my replaced rim—as we continued along fast, smooth county roads.

Slowly, we ascended the river valley, rolling up and down at times, before reaching asphalt surface at the base of the final ascent to Ute Pass.

East Branch Reservoir, halfway up to Ute Pass

A few more miles of gradual grade and we reached the top of the pass at 9,524 feet.

After a speedy descent back to Colorado Highway 9, we turned south and followed the Blue River upstream for around 5 miles to the Blue River Campground, one of the nicest national forest campgrounds, we’d stayed at yet, pleasantly situated along the rushing Blue River.

David’s front shifter cable met its end a few miles from camp. Thankfully it was all downhill.

After an uneventful supper, we realized that we had a stowaway in the car—a field mouse—and we spent much of the rest of the evening (unsuccessfully) trying to chase it out of the car. (Some mouse traps brought two mice to an inglorious end later in the trip.)

Happy for a Half Day

Day 24: Steamboat Springs to Blacktail Creek Campground (47.8 miles, 3,546ft)

We had planned to spend a rest day in Steamboat Springs but weren’t particularly interested in spending a second night in a motel; so we decided to spend the morning in town and ride a short day day to Blacktail Creek Campground.

Leaving town around noon after perusing outdoor shops downtown and enjoying a pizza buffet (where we definitely ate our money’s worth), we followed minor paved roads south of town through lovely ranch countryside. Passing Lake Catamount, we continued on to Stagecoach Reservoir, where we followed a wonderful little dirt multi-use trail along the east side of the reservoir.

From there we followed a wide dirt road, upstream along Morrison Creek, before climbing over Lynx Pass—despite the name, we saw no lynx.

On the other side of the pass, we rode through lovely highland countryside and, despite having to ford Rock Creek, we thoroughly enjoyed the last few miles to the Blacktail Creek Campground.

Similar to much of the riding we’d experienced since entering Colorado, the roads and trails were wonderfully maintained, while the climbing grades were quite comfortable. The mountains might have been bigger, but the riding was feeling easier than in previous states.

Big Mountains and a Broken Rim

Day 23: USFS Work Camp to Steamboat Springs (79.3 miles, 4,764ft)

We packed up, thanked the work camp hosts, and got off to a relatively early start (for us) riding on Wyoming Highway 70. With the exception of a short climb from the work camp, the road to Slater was almost entirely downhill for the next 17 miles.

At Slater, which supposedly has a post office but didn’t seem to be much more than a point on the map, we turned south and entered Colorado on County Road 1, following Slater Creek upstream. We’d follow that stream for the nest 30 miles to our day’s only pass.

Slowly but surely we gained elevation, and we made fairly good time thanks to the smooth dirt road. Soon after leaving Moffat County and entering Routt County, we arrived at the Brush Mountain Lodge—a lovely place tucked on the hillside, where you can grab a meal or a drink while chatting with the owner, Kirsten—and ate our lunches. From the lodge, we continued to climb the well-graded dirt road, which, with a tail wind, felt like a walk in the park.

Eventually, after passing through an open valley with majestic mountains on either side and into a grove of aspen trees, we turned left onto Forest Road 42—a narrow multi-use trail that began to climb more steeply.

The first couple of miles were relatively easy, since the the trail was smooth and well-maintained. Soon, however, the trail was littered large stones and rose more steeply. We rode what we could but had to hike several sections.

Finally, we made it to the top of the pass, where we met Daniel and Simona—an Italian couple two years into an around the world bike tour (becycling.net).

Descending on the other side was a mess—large rocks were scattered all along the road, and despite our best efforts we and our bikes took a beating on the way down. (Both Dave and I agreed that this was the first time that we’d suggest just taking a route alternative—a dirt road through Columbine.)

I made it to the bottom … with a cracked rim.

Once on a smoother section of road, I heard an odd creaking when I pedaled. I stopped and noticed that my back wheel was seriously out of true. Checking for broken spokes—which I unfortunately didn’t find—I realized I’d cracked my rim.

Frankly, I was incredibly lucky—I couldn’t have cracked my rim at a better point in the trip: Steamboat Springs had three bike shops in town, and the next 30 miles into town ran gradually downhill along smooth dirt and paved roads. I rode as easily as I could and limped my way into Steamboat Springs. Once there, a local bike shop managed to replace the rim that same evening.

On the way into town, we witnessed a huge forest fire growing to our west—apparently the result of a lightning strike. Smoke billowed in the sky and blocked out the sun. Under the shadow of the smoke, we rode on while the occasional flake of ash floated down onto us.

With no affordable camping in town, we decided to stay in a motel for the night—a bit out of character for the trip but a nice chance to clean up.

Back to Mountains and Aspen Forests

Day 22: Teton Reservoir to USFS Sandstone Work Center (42.4 miles, 3,622ft)

Today, we had a shorter day than we’d had in a while, but we returned to the mountains and had a good deal more climbing than the previous few days, even over a much shorter distance.

Hoping to be in Steamboat Springs in two days, we planned a relatively short day to a primitive campsite near Aspen Alley (a narrow dirt road bounded on either side by aspen groves) followed by a long day into Steamboat Springs.

We started out from Teton Reservoir, still riding in open, arid countryside on a wide, relatively smooth dirt road (County Road 401).

Around 15 miles into the ride, we reached the top of Middlewood Hill—our 15th divide crossing—and an aspen grove. These were the first trees we’d seen in a while.

Meeting some Continental Divide Trail thru-hikers on the way up Middlewood Hill

Those trees aside, the terrain remained barren for the next 15 miles along a winding and rolling road until we entered the Medicine Bow National Forest on Forest Road 801. Here the road quality became much more gravelly, but the scenery improved greatly. We rode through beautiful aspen forests, descending to and ascending from several clear streams—good for water filtration (the largest of which was Big Sandstone Creek).

Our map noted a primitive camp area where we hoped to camp, just before Aspen Alley. Unfortunately, when we arrived the Little Sandstone Creek was mostly dry, and the pipe and pit toilets that we’d heard of had been removed in recent years.

On the advice of some locals camping in the area on account of Labor Day weekend, we continued via Aspen Alley to Wyoming Route 70 and rode a couple of miles to the US Forest Service Sandstone Work Center—our map noted water and restrooms here.

When we arrived at the center—a few cabins and the work center hosts’ RV—we asked about camping options in the area, and the gracious hosts said we’d be welcome to set up a tent by the cabin picnic tables for the night. Complete with restrooms and water, we couldn’t have found a better spot (for camping with kids).

Out of the Basin

Day 21: A&M Reservoir to Teton Reservoir (72.1 miles, 1,947ft)

We got off to an early start from the A&M Reservoir. After making it past the washboard road that led to the reservoir, we turned southwest on route 3215 and made good time on the next 13-14 miles of hard, smooth dirt surface to County Road 63. At 63, we turned east and followed the paved road 25 miles to 287. Once on 287, we angled southeast and climbed, gradually, out of the basin to our 14th Continental Divide crossing of the trip at a modest 7,147 feet.

The rest of the way to Rawlins was an easy downhill ride to town, where we met Anna, Silas, and Eleanor for a late lunch in a park downtown. Rawlins had a nice downtown and was worth the visit, but many of the shops were closed when we came through.

After lunch, we left town, following 6th Street south over the railroad tracks, before climbing a small hill and turning right onto Wyoming Route 71. We followed pavement for the next 10 miles until Route 71 and the pavement ended; and we continued onto dirt County Road 401.

Desert buttes on the way to Teton Reservoir

Another 3.5 miles brought us to the turnoff for the Teton Reservoir Recreation Area—a nice, basic camping area (with pit toilets but no water pump or shade) alongside the reservoir.

Preparing dinner at the Teton Reservoir campsite.

Taking it all in after another riding day.

(For those riding self-supported, it’s worth noting that the Teton Reservoir and various other streams in the 20-25 miles south of Rawlins have alkaline water—best to fill up in Rawlins and refill further south at streams in the national forest. Big Sandstone Creek had nice water.)

A Dry, Dusty Day through the Great Basin

Day 20: Atlantic City to A&M Reservoir (83.6 miles, 2,952ft)

Today, we rode into the Great Basin—a wide arid depression in central Wyoming. (The Continental Divide splits and wraps around the Great Basin; water on the out edges of the Divide runs to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, while water that runs into the Great Basin stays there.)

During the previous day, vegetation had grown increasingly sparse as we approached South Pass City and Atlantic City; today, we left all remaining trees behind. Once into the basin, all we could see for miles was yellow grass, dirt, rock, and the occasional bush. After yesterday’s cloudy, windy weather, the sun had come out in force; but, thankfully, the temperature stayed relatively cool.

We didn’t bring more water than normal (3 liters each), counting on a well 25 miles into the ride to refill before the remaining 55 miles to the A&M Reservoir. Unfortunately, we over-shot the well, so we had to backtrack 1.5 miles to the water stop—a good decision since there was absolutely no water on route between the well (which was actually a pipe with flowing, non-potable water) and the A&M Reservoir.

After a refill and snack, we continued through the rolling arid terrain, spotting pronghorns and the occasional wild horse. We saw few signs of people, aside from the occasional oil well and sporadic cattle fencing. Navigation was relatively straightforward, since major junctions were well-signposted.

Dave and I both enjoyed the riding—the terrain reminded us both of places we had hiked and biked in previous work in the Middle East, and we enjoyed the expansive perspective that the terrain offered—a novel break from the higher mountains. Of course, a mild tailwind from the west also made the day easier than it might have otherwise been.

The road surface was pretty fast hard-packed dirt road for much of the day, but there were significant sections of washboard surface; and the last 20 miles were relatively sandy, sapping our energy.

When we finally arrived at the reservoir; hot, tired, and thirsty; we met Anna and the kids and took a quick dip in the lake. The only water source over 110 miles meant that there were also 4 other cyclists camping at the reservoir—a regular party.

As evening came, we saw a number of pronghorns come down to the reservoir to drink—Dave and I had seen at least 30 throughout the day, easily more than the number of people and cars we had seen—and as the sun descended we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

We Go Sailing

Day 19: Boulder to Atlantic City (76.9 miles, 4,248ft)

Staying in a reasonably priced RV park (Highline Trail RV Park) with wifi, we got off to a late start as we caught up on emails and other work. Knowing we had around 75 miles to ride and unsure of the road quality ahead of us, we figured a 10:00 start might make for a late arrival at the end of the day—how wrong we were.

Sometimes on a bike tour you just get lucky; and, today, we got lucky. We started the day on 18 miles of pavement with a marginal tailwind. As the rain clouds built behind us the wind steadily picked up until it was practically gusting. After we had climbed to the first of the day’s (very mild) three divide crossings—passing a stunning mountain range to our left—we angled southeast and the wind was now directly at our back.

Getting ready to take off with the wind at our backs

The intense tailwind, combined with some of the smoothest dirt road we’d had of the trip, made for easy riding, in some stretches cruising between 30-40 miles an hour on heavy bikes with little effort. We barreled along in eerie calm, riding at the speed of the wind, only noticing it when we’d glance at the bent over prairie grass on the shoulders of the road or when we were nearly knocked over on rare turns. (One of the only downsides of a frame bag is that a strong crosswind can catch you awkwardly.) Four hours into our ride, we’d covered 60 miles, despite climbing 3000+ feet.

At South Pass—our day’s final divide crossing—we reached Wyoming Highway 28 and turned northeast into a fierce crosswind, before stopping at a rest stop a half mile down the road for a water refill.

After around 5 miles on the highway, we turned right onto a dirt road that took us to the historic town of South Pass City—on old mining town and pit stop along the Oregon trail—a site well worth a visit.

Visiting the Carissa Mine at South Pass City

Another four miles of dirt road riding found us in Atlantic City, where riders can camp at Wild Bill’s Guns and Custom Knives and dine in the local pub. We continued another two miles out of town to a wonderful BLM campground (Atlantic City Campground) tucked in a rare-for-the-area wooded grove.