Mountain roads are fun to ride and many provide breath-taking vistas. Colorado is full of roads with amazing views, exhilarating curves and high altitude passes making it one of my favorite states to ride in and US 6 south from I-75 to CO 9 south to Alma, Co is one such 44 mile ride.
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| US 6 north of Loveland Pass |
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Starting at the intersection of I75 and US 6, near the Loveland Ski Area, US 6 has an elevation of 10,600, but rises as the road twists and turns up the mountain for 4 miles to Loveland Pass at 11,990.
Video heading up to Loveland Pass from I-70
(turn your speakers down, wind noise is bad)
A convenient pullout at the pass allows individuals to take in the scenic vistas. On both sides of the road a short walking ascent puts you above 12,000 feet and provides awesome panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains.
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| West view from Loveland Pass |
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| US 6 south of Loveland Pass |
Continuing south from the pass the elevation drops quickly via switchbacks. In 3.5 miles the elevations drops almost 1,000 feet where a long sweeper takes you past Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. At an elevation of 11,000 at the base and a summit of 13,000+ the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area is the highest skiable terrain in North America (
Arapahoebasin.com).
The next 6 miles descends with gentle curves into the town of Keystone. At the western end of Keystone US 6 intersects with CO 1 south towards Breckenridge. The road runs besides Dillon Reservoir and intersects CO 9 about 6 miles north of Breckenridge. US 9 is pretty straight going into Breckenridge, but the surroundings mountains are beautiful.
Riding pass Dillon Reservoir
Heading south out of Breckenridge (9,600 ft) US 9 rises for the next 9.5 miles to Hoosier Pass (11,542 ft) with some nice switchbacks prior to the pass. At the summit of the pass is a nice turnout area to park and enjoy the scenery.
Coming off Hoosier Pass on US 9 south
Leaving the summit there is a 5.7 miles leisurely descent into Alma, the highest incorporated municipality in the US with permanent residents (10,578 ft). From Alma the road descends for 6 miles to Fairplay (9,953 ft) and intersect with US 285.
This stretch of road is well worth riding. The views are indescribable and the road is a blast! Any rider would enjoy the road, the views and the towns along the way.
For some great photos and another riders take on Loveland Pass check out Redleg's blog post -
LINK.
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