Peak to Peak Highway

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > Colorado

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 11 visitors

State: Colorado
Date Submitted: August 1, 2007
Submitted by: Paul, John and Gail
Motorcycle Road Length: 60 Miles

Written Directions

There are several starting points all along the route. You can start at Highway 6 in Golden through Black Hawk, Golden Gate Canyon in Golden, Highway 72 east of Arvada in Clear Creek Canyon, Left Hand Canyon in Boulder, Boulder Canyon or even Highway 7 coming out of Lyons. Each one of these roads travels west and connects with the Peak to Peak. You can move through the casinos of Black Hawk, the town of Nederland or start in Boulder. Any way you choose will provide an amazing run. Going from South to North you will eventually come out in Estes Park Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountain National Park and Trail Ridge Road.

Scenery

Depending on which canyon you start with you will go through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery close to the Denver-Metro area. The National Scenic Byway Program describes the Peak to Peak Highway as "The showcase of the Front Range. Less than an hour from Denver, Boulder, or Fort Collins, this 55-mile-long route provides matchless views of the Continental Divide and its timbered approaches. The string of popular attractions along the way - Rocky Mountain National Park, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Eldora Ski Resort - combine recreation with nature preservation. The gravel roads criss-crossing the main highway lead to high-country lakes, trailheads, campgrounds, the Moffat Tunnel's east portal, and ghost towns at Hesse and Apex. Established in 1918 this is Colorado's oldest scenic byway."

Road Quality

The roads will have some sand in the early spring but overall quality is quite good.

Roadside Amenities

Several stops along the way to take pictures, take in the scenery or stop for a bite and drink. Take a run past several of Colorado famous 14'ers! One of our favorite stops is the wonderful town of Ward. John plans to retire and become Mayor there. Their 4th of July parade is not to be missed!

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

Nickname (optional) Paul, John and Gail

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Reviewed by hpitler on July 29, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Hpitler
motorcycle_year: 2009
motorcycle_make: Harley Road King
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: This is our favorite 2-3 hour ride. We usually come up through Rt. 6 and take the Central City Parkway to get on 119. There are some great restaurants in Estes Park for lunch before returning. Our favorite is Big Hirn on the western edge of town. Good food and plenty of it.
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Reviewed by Guest on October 29, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Bill Neumann
motorcycle_year: 2004
motorcycle_make: Triumph
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: The peak to peak was paved during the Summer of 2010. The down side is that patrols by Gilpin county sheriffs are way up. And now that it is paved it is hard to ride even close to the legal limits. BTW Gilpin patrols south of Nederland. Also, the weekends are no time to ride in the Rockies. Come with us in 2011 and ride all week long.
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Reviewed by Guest on August 27, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: John
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Yamaha
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: I did this ride on 08/16/10. I started of in Golden and road it all the way to Estes Park. IT WAS AMAZING. If you are thinking about doing this ride but think it is to long, it's not. Do it, as it will be a life time memory.
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Reviewed by Guest on June 23, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Travis
motorcycle_year: 2008
motorcycle_make: Ducati
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: I love this road!! They recently paved about 30% of peak to peak highway to help improve the road quality. I reccomend not going on Sunday's due to heavy traffic
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Reviewed by Guest on June 22, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Steve
motorcycle_year: 2008
motorcycle_make: Triumph
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: This ride was a 9+ at least! Words do not do this ride justice. You have to ride it to believe it. I met nice peolpe along the way and the sights were spectacular. All of the meadows were in bloom with wild flowers, blue skies and puffy clouds. Very nice variety of twisties mixed with long sweeping and tight quick corners.
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Reviewed by Guest on March 19, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Gordon
motorcycle_year: 2002
motorcycle_make: Kawasaki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Did this ride in September '09. The fall colors are SPECTACULAR. Bring warm gear as it can get pretty chilly during stretches. Only drawback was the traffic can get a bit dicey at times( it was a Saturday), so try to not get distracted by the scenery. You owe it to yourself to pull off the road and take in the views for awhile.
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Reviewed by Guest on July 26, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Tom Fox
Comment: loved the ride up thru the canyon next to the stream, took this ride as part of vacation and really enjoyed it, got to Estes Park and continued over the mountains to Granby, been a long time since I was on top of a mountain and riding over on bike was superb. Had to keep stopping to take pictures along the whole route. I rode this part and continued down the back side of the mountain, took the whole day to complete, but wasn't in any rush, just enjoying nature.
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Reviewed by Guest on July 18, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Bob Rosson
motorcycle_year: 1979
motorcycle_make: Suzuki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: This is a great ride - you can get there up Golden Gate canyon, up Coal Creek canyon, up Boulder Canyon (thru the city), or up the South St. Vrain canyon thru Lyons, and each has its own features. Try for non-weekends if possible and watch for the crotch-rockets from behind! No offense intended. It's also an easy stop at Central City or Estes Park. Bring your camera!
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Reviewed by Guest on January 19, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: John Conway
motorcycle_year: 2000
motorcycle_make: Yamaha
Comment: While on a 2-week tour I happened upon this beautiful streatch of blacktop at the end of a very long day of riding that I thought was topped off by the Trail Ridge Road in the RMNP. Estes Park all the way down to Blackhawk... WOW! Even though it was getting late in the afternoon I nearly turned around and ran it all over again.
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Reviewed by Guest on December 20, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Bob Mateski
Comment: Bring a camera and ride this route into Rocky Mountain National Park and you will see large herds of Elk come down into the park, this occurs in August and September so bring warm clothes as the temp can drop quickly. (Best motorcycle roads in N. America)
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Reviewed by Guest on July 2, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Ross
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Kawasaki
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: I agree totally with Paul and his friends......the view is "Amazing" and the road is like a "Mini-Gap" (Tail of the Dragon) in Tennessee! Plenty "S" curves with a few 180's thrown in for good measure. If you own a sportbike your in "Motorcycle Heaven"...do yourself a favor and get up there if you can!!!
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