The Walden Loop (courtesy of Greeley HD&Yamaha)

Overall Route Rating

4.76 out of 5 Rider Rating

49 Reviews

Motorcycle Route Author

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

Rider Reviews

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Guest

June 16, 2010

Also, I'd HIGHLY recommend that people check out…

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Guest

March 17, 2011

Started this ride in Golden, Co. Rode up the…

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Written Directions

Start your route in Ft. Collins and follow Rt 14 west thru Poudre River Canyon to the town of Walden, Co. In Walden turn south on Rt.125 toward Granby, CO. Numerous fuel and food stops in Granby so enjoy. Find Rt. 34 and take it north toward Grand Lake/Rocky Mtn. National Park. You will easily spend 4 to 5 hours in the park maybe more if you wish to see everything. Leave the park via Rt. 34 and go into the City of Estes Park. Rt. 34 back toward the City of Loveland will take you thru Big Thompson Canyon with its steep rock walls on both sides of road and occasional sightings of Big Horn sheep.

Scenery

Absolutely breathtaking is the only way to describe this trip. This route will take you across the Continental Divide twice at two different locations, past mountain lakes and through Poudre Canyon and along the Poudre River as well as across nearly deserted roads with little or no traffic. It is an all day trip (might be better as a two day)not only due to the distance traveled but also due to stopping for incredible views. An occasional moose, elk, deer or Bald Eagle will also cause slight delays. Take two days and enjoy the beauty. No need to rush on this trip!!!

Drive Enjoyment

The roads are great with few rough areas. May have some ice or frost on surface early in spring but after late May and early June will find them clear and dry. Snow will still be present on the ground at higher elevations so pack warm outer clothing. The section from Ft. Collins to Walden consists of approx. 70 miles of twisting winding road, in great shape, thru Poudre Canyon as well as more open sections surrounded by beautiful mountain views on both sides of road. The section from Walden to Granby is nearly deserted and open. It consists of approx. 58 miles of great road, all open and little traffic (we saw 6 cars in 58 miles on a Saturday). Section from Grandby to Estes Park is superb and takes you thru Rocky Mtn. Nat. Park. Very curvy and numerous switchbacks. Rt. 34 thru RMNP can be a little narrow in some spots but no real problem. The trip from Estes Park back to Greeley rides thru Big Thompson Canyon. Solid rock walls on both sides of road as it follows the Big Thompson River. Photo contributed by visitor in Jun 09 - "About 10 miles into Hwy 14 outside of Ft Collins. Just a beautiful canyon."

Tourism Opportunities

Many stops and pull offs are provided so you can stop to enjoy the views. Lodging is available in Ft. Collins, Estes Park and Granby. Attractions include Rocky Mountain National Park as well as the city of Estes Park. Best restaurants would include Coffee Pot Inn or Elkhorn Cafe in Walden and Hunters Chop House and Estes Park Brewery in Estes Park. In Estes Park there stands the Historic Stanley Hotel (where parts of "The Shining" were filmed) and the City of Estes Park has fantastic/interesting shops and stores to browse in and many restaurants. Photo contributed by visitor in Jun 09 - "The road up to Cameron pass (elev 10,400 ft). bring some warm gear for this mountain trip - but you will not be disappointed!"

Motorcycle Road Additional info

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

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Guest

June 16, 2010

0 McR Points

Motorcycle Type : Touring

Also, I'd HIGHLY recommend that people check out Larimer County Road # 27. This road runs between US 34 east of the Big Thompson Canyon and dumps off just west of Poudre Park in the Poudre Canyon. This road is MADE for bikes, I had a blas and though I was going to have to buy new floorboards for my Electra Glide by the end! The pavement on this route is in better shape than CO 14 or US 34, and the corners were almost entirely gravel free. One note of caution on this route, the corners aren't real well marked, and if you screw up you'll lauch yourself out into the cow pastures.

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10 riders found this road review useful

Guest

March 17, 2011

0 McR Points

Motorcycle Type : Cruiser

Started this ride in Golden, Co. Rode up the Golden Gate Canyon road to the Peak to Peak Highway. North on the Peak to Peak to Estes Park at the entrance to Rocky Mt. N.P. Stopped for a late lunch, and wait for the rain to stop in Estes Park. Then east to Loveland for the night. Made the "loop" the next morning, stopping to photo white water kayaker in part of the Poudre River, along with alot of scenec pullouts. Overall this is a great ride, good road, beautiful scenery. What more do you need. I have ridden all over the rockies, and the western states, and recommend this ride.

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8 riders found this road review useful

Guest

July 26, 2010

0 McR Points

Motorcycle Type : Other

My ride started in the Black Hawk/Central City area thus included the awesome Peak-to-Peak Hwy to Estes Park. From Estes Park, the ride took me down Hwy 34 to Loveland and then, the only low part of the ride, up US 287 to Ft. Collins - lots of traffic lights... and traffic! Once the ride headed back into the hills, up the Cache la Poudre canyon, traffic thinned out and the scenery became awesome. The farther up the canyon, the less traffic and the more grand the scenery became. The approach into Walden becomes a completely different climate zone from the Poudre canyon. The semi-arid plains of North Park - beautiful in it's own way - and dotted with antelope! Riding back down to Granby and up to Grand Lake took me back into what once was a heavily forested area, now nearly treeless thanks to our mountain pine beetles. The ride over Trail Ridge Rd. ended up being an early evening ride with the sun at my back. The scenery was absolutely spectacular! Lots of wildlife, including elk & moose, could be seen from the road. The best photo opp. was of Longs Peak. A layer of clouds above and again below the top of the mountain with the sun behind created a fabulous sight! Then on down the east side of Trail Ridge into Estes Park, south along the Peak to Peak and home. One of the best rides in Colorado!!

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PhilMills

August 6, 2017

0 McR Points

Motorcycle Type : Sport - Touring

I'm a local and this is one of my regular rides. I think the route writeup misses a couple of key things that a visitor to the area should be aware of:
1) Trail Ridge Road (US34 between Granby and Estes Park) deserves to be called out by name. It is the highest continuous paved road in the US, topping out above 11,000'.
2) It's also effectively a toll road - about $20 to buy a RMNP day pass.
3) If you start in Ft. Collins, you're gaining ~7,000' in a two hour time span - be prepared for altitude.
4) You should expect epic thunderstorms coming up anywhere from noon to 5p in that area. You ABSOLUTELY DO NOT want to be above treeline (~10,000') when that comes through. The chances that you are going to be a lightning bolt's best path to ground is VERY high.
5) Expect a snow storm on Trail Ridge anywhere in the first month after it opens for the season (around Memorial Day) and be advised that early/late in the season this road is frequently closed due to weather conditions.

That said, this is a beautiful ride. The US 34 stretch is best done early in the day to avoid the HUGE amount of summer tourist traffic that floods Rocky Mountain National Park.

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5 riders found this road review useful