Overall Route Rating
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4.76 out of 5 Rider Rating 4.76
24 Reviews

Motorcycle Route Author

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By Guest (0 McR Points) on Apr 30, 2006

Rider Reviews

Bill Belei
100 McR Points
October 7, 2017
This route is simply world class! The scenery is…
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GJRonK
2629 McR Points
September 22, 2014
It's the variety here that makes this route so…
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Written Directions

Start your route in the town of Sapinero, CO (which is about about 30 miles west of Gunnison, CO). From Sapinero just head west on Highway 92 as it travels into the Curecanti National Recreaction Area and take it all the way up towards Crawford, CO..

Scenery

The scenery ranges from scrub desert to alpine aspen groves, with spectacular views of the incredible Black Canyon down below. It begins at the Blue Mesa Reservoir and rides along a shelf of mesas and mountains sides diving in and out of canyons for miles and miles. Make sure you bring your camera for this one!

Drive Enjoyment

This road is fantastically twisty, 32 miles of turns up and down mountainsides it is quite simply the best road in Colorado for riding a motorcycle.

Tourism Opportunities

Gas/Food/Lodging can be found in Gunnison or Crawford, at both ends of the Canyon there are scenic overlooks and pull offs, traffic is generally light, most traffic is there to see the deep section of the Black Canyon and its sheer 1000 foot rock cliffs. You really should venture off the main road near Crawford for ten minutes on dirt roads, or pay to see the South rim off hwy 50. Either way, Hwy 92 is mighty spectacular all on its own.

Motorcycle Road Additional info

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

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Bill Belei
October 7, 2017
100 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Other
This route is simply world class! The scenery is incredible on both sides of the road .. on one side you have the mountains, cliffs, trees, & streams. On the other side you have the incredible black canyon diving down down down to the Gunnison River below. There are tons of turn outs for photos and taking your time taking in the scenery. My father and I took this as part of a father/son motorcycle trip in Oct of 2017 and the amazing scenery was even more amazing with all the fall colors ... the Aspens, Birch, and scrub Oak tries offered an incredible tapestry of fall yellows, golds, oranges, and maroons. If you ever wanted a classic shot of you on your bike riding through quintessential scenery this is the route ... just bring a friend and you'll have a thousand places to take some amazing pictures. And, I highly recommend you take your time on this one and stop at the pull outs and read the placards about the history of this canyon, the project to install the dam (that produces the incredible "Blue Mesa" to the east of the Canyon), and the geology that makes this area so captivating. Overall, we were so taken with the scenery and the great road conditions, curves and climbs, that even though we planned on doing this route just once and moving on to others in the area, we ended up doing it 4 times and had to skip many other roads we were going to try that day but when you find something this perfect, you just can't ride it once!!
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GJRonK
September 22, 2014
2629 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Cruiser
It's the variety here that makes this route so great. I suggest starting in Hotchkiss so you're on the canyon side and easier to view down. One rides from fertile farmland/pasture to close-up forests of conifers, mountain mahogany, and aspen to sheer cliff views down into the dark igneous rock of the Black Canyon. The ten miles along the canyon are not for beginners due to the intimidation factor.
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Guest
December 13, 2008
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
great ride. I took a LT through the gravel for miles to ride the north edge of the canyon. The views are spectacular.
I did get caught out at sunset, which was beautiful, but there were LOTS of Mule Deer!! keep an eye out for them!!
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4 riders found this road review useful