Segment #5 takes you from the East Longs Peak TH back to the beginning in Golden, CO via Lyons + Boulder, CO. And with this last segment, the first pass at the entire Front Range 14ers bikepacking route is done!
Segment #4 takes from around Georgetown to the base of Longs Peak! The MTB narrative rushes you down Argentine Pass to a resupply in Idaho Springs, then up Oh My God Road, to a mixed surface route to the trailhead.
Switchbacks with steep dropoffs! Ghost towns! 4WD mania! Alpine singletrack!
Creek Crossing on FS 505
The Road narrative takes the same dizzying switchbacks of Oh My God Road to Richmond Street in Black Hawk, where you’ll wander up a steep, rough road up to the Peak to Peak highway. Peak to Peak is a ultra-classic road route in of itself, featuring wide-shouldered riding, perfect for all the rubber necking you’ll be doing because of the mountain views.
I’ve taken a ton of time to scout out free, dispersed, legal campsites near the East Longs Peak Trailhead – such opportunities get tight, as private property encroaches close to the route. But I think we’ve got some good ones.
Chasm Lake at sunrise, Longs Peak
Finish the Segment off with a summit of Longs Peak! The absolute Monarch of the Front Range and of Rocky Mountain National Park! All that’s left down is rocket you back to Golden – and that’ll be Segment #5.
I had the immense privilege of personally wishing the best of luck to @maximiliantm and @userbeau in the predawn morning at the Boulder City Limits as they start off on their own Tour of the Colorado 14ers. They’re optimizing the trip for adventure and fun.
Segment #3 takes you from Guanella Pass, up and over Argentine Pass, and deposits you in Horseshoe Basin, to tackle Grays and Torreys from Grays’ South Ridge Route. Georgetown is used as a resupply point. Enjoy!
I’ve released the first draft chapter of what is hopefully going to be a full-fledged guidebook on bikepacking to the Colorado 14ers. It’s about my favorite mountain to ride bikes to: Longs Peak.
Check it out, and share your feedback. I’ll be moving forward with other mountains in the Front Range, as well as chapters on topics brought up from the survey.
I’ve decided to write this book in small pieces and share drafts of the chapters publicly. I’m doing so for a lot of reasons which I’ll expound upon in a separate post.
First off, thanks for filling out and submitting the survey. I got almost 40 valid responses, which I thought was a good turnout! Without further adieu, here are some of the results: