Denver sits at the nexus of the mountains and plains, making a day trip to the heights and back was too good a ride to pass up. The canyons and passes traversed en route to the top only add to the enjoyment. 

The author Ken Bingenheimer with his 1999 Concours™ motorcycle stop to enjoy the view.

Selecting a route is the first consideration. Mount Evans sits at 14,240 feet, and boasts the highest paved road in North America. It is the ultimate ride up. There are a variety of canyons to choose from and every one is a winner. For this trip, I decided on Clear Creek Canyon.

An overview of the route to Clear Creek Canyon. (Photo: Google Maps)

While most of the roads west of Denver have been supplanted by Interstate 70, there is still a stretch of U.S. 6 that leads up Clear Creek Canyon. Of course, the tight curves alongside the creek make the canyon a magnet for motorcyclists, including me on my 1999 Concours™ motorcycle.

Fourteen miles up the canyon U.S. 6 and Interstate 70 meet, just outside the old mining town of Idaho Springs. A quick hop on the Interstate brings me to SR 103 running up Chicago Creek Road and over Squaw Pass. Mount Evans Road on SR 5 is on the west side of the pass.

Starting to climb on the west side of Squaw Pass, coming out of Chicago Creek. (Photo: Ken Bingenheimer)

The run up Chicago Creek is nice enough, and then after six miles the canyon goes on but the road takes a hairpin curve to the left. Another hairpin goes to the right, and then we really start to climb.

On a weekend this road can be busy with people heading to Echo Lake to hike and camp. On this Tuesday morning, the Connie and I have it almost entirely to ourselves. We’re in no hurry, so I stop frequently to enjoy the views. Another 14 miles and we reach Echo Lake; just beyond that is Mount Evans Road. It is a state road, and only open a few months out of the year. While it’s free to ride on, there is a $3 entry fee for motorcycles who intend to take advantage of the facilities.

Looking down at the road, there are two switchbacks below. (Photo: Ken Bingenheimer)

I continue on and after a quick couple of switchbacks I’m gazing down at Echo Lake and SR 103. The road passes timberline and hugs the shoulder of the mountain, sometimes an easy slope, sometimes a steep plunge, and almost never a guardrail. It is common for vehicles to straddle the center line here out of fear of the nothingness on the other side.

Climbing Mount Evans road above timberline toward the sky. (Photo: Ken Bingenheimer)

A traveler carves a message in the snowbank alongside the road. (Photo: Ken Bingenheimer)

In some spots snow banks remain all year with evidence of the snowplows that cut through to open the road in the spring. Tourists routinely carve their short-lived graffiti into the mountain’s icy face. Nearing Summit Lake we reach a heaved bit of roadway they warn about at the entrance gate. Despite frequent repair, the extremes in weather routinely turn the road into a credible set of whoops that any dirtbike rider would enjoy and can be fun even on a Concours.

Snow-capped mountains surround the switchbacks en route to Mount Evans. (Photo: Ken Bingenheimer)

At the very top the whole sweep of Colorado is laid out at my feet. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains stretch as far to the south and west as I can see, and to the east beyond the mountains, the prairie is visible. In every direction there is nowhere to go but down, and it seems as if I am truly touching the sky. Yet, I left home barely two hours ago.

Looking down on the Sangre de Cristos Mountains to the southwest from atop Mount Evans. (Photo: Ken Bingenheimer)

Retracing the route down, I continue east on SR 103 toward Squaw Pass. The hillside drops off to the right, revealing a stunning panorama down a valley to the south. On the north side of the ridge the hillside falls off on the left. It winds and climbs nine miles from Echo Lake to the pass and then heads down the other side. Following the mountain’s contours, the road is full of tight turns with numerous signs indicating 20 mph.

Finally SR 103 ends at Evergreen Parkway. Once a simple two-lane stretch of road, this freeway now carries us to the town of Evergreen, then reverts back to its two-lane former self sweeping past Evergreen Lake. From here it’s a short run down Bear Creek Canyon on SR 74 where Bear Creek spills out onto the plains at Morrison. It won’t be long now and I’ll be home.

I’ve now been to the sky, and back.

By Ken Bingenheimer

Ken Bingenheimer provides the top resources for riders visiting Colorado through his website: Passes & Canyons, Motorcycle Touring in Colorado. As a lifelong lover of motorcycles and someone for whom writing comes second only to breathing, he now combines the two and believes he has the best job in the world. He writes for a growing number of print and online publications.

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