USA · Alpine
High-altitude road and mountain-bike planning with long climbing days.
Planning brief
Base yourself around Breckenridge or Salida. The guide currently covers 70 route ideas across 4 riding styles, with the strongest fit in Gravel.
Distances, climbing, costs and seasonality can change. Confirm the exact route, legal access, weather, transport and accommodation with current local sources.
Derived from each route's recorded surface, not from a bike review.
Every planner route here is graded Confident or Expert. Newer riders should treat this destination as a stretch, or pick a gentler base.
The archived BRouter files contain elevation values from a layer that is not cleared for commercial publication. The repair is to preserve the OSM-routed geometry, replace every elevation sample with NASADEM data, recalculate ascent and timing, and publish only after automated provenance and regression checks pass.
| Route | Style | Distance | Climb | Rider level | Bike | Third-party check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Mixed Surface Loop 7The remote gravel track through Colorado that opens onto a view no tarmac road could ever reach | Gravel | 143.9 km | 2,498 m17 m/km | ConfidentHard grade | Gravel, Mountain bikegravel · also e-bike / touring | Check on Strava ↗ |
| SBT GRVL BlackThe moment on SBT GRVL Black when the gravel road opens out and the landscape makes the suffering worthwhile | Gravel | 231.0 km | 2,900 m13 m/km | ExpertExtreme grade | Gravel, Mountain bikegravel · also e-bike / touring | Check on Strava ↗ |
| Colorado Short Gravity Loop 9Above 3600m where the trail is high tundra and every pedal stroke costs twice as much oxygen | Mountain Bike | 15.2 km | 488 m32 m/km | ExpertExtreme grade | Mountain biketrail · also gravel, e-bike / touring | Check on Strava ↗ |
| Pikes PeakHighest paved road in USA. 4302m summit. Altitude affects even fit riders. Take food. | Road | 30.0 km | 1,440 m48 m/km | ExpertExtreme grade | Road, E-bike / touringtarmac · also gravel, mountain bike | Check on Strava ↗ |
The highlighted routes come from the previous planner catalogue. Links open third-party searches; they are not endorsements or authoritative route files.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Wet days | Planner window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -0.3°C | -15.3°C | 27 mm | 6 | Outside |
| Feb | 0.4°C | -15.3°C | 37 mm | 7 | Outside |
| Mar | 4.2°C | -11.9°C | 35 mm | 7 | Outside |
| Apr | 7°C | -7.3°C | 39 mm | 7 | Outside |
| May | 13°C | -2.4°C | 35 mm | 7 | Usual |
| Jun | 20.1°C | 1.7°C | 25 mm | 5 | Usual |
| Jul | 22.7°C | 4.7°C | 45 mm | 8 | Usual |
| Aug | 20.8°C | 3.9°C | 50 mm | 10 | Usual |
| Sep | 17.1°C | 0.2°C | 38 mm | 7 | Usual |
| Oct | 10.6°C | -4.3°C | 27 mm | 5 | Usual |
| Nov | 4°C | -9.6°C | 25 mm | 5 | Outside |
| Dec | -0.4°C | -14.1°C | 25 mm | 5 | Outside |
1991-2020 normals from SUGARLOAF RSVR, 38.6 km from Breckenridge and 3 m from its altitude, with 23 years of record. Warmest monthly high averages 22.7°C. The table shows measured monthly facts and the planner's stated riding window; it does not collapse them into a hidden score. These are long-run averages, not a forecast for your dates. NOAA GHCN is US federal public domain; place identity is GeoNames CC BY 4.0.
© OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the ODbL 1.0. Harvested 2026-08-18 as mapped viewpoint nodes; presence on the map is not a promise of access, parking or a maintained path.
Hotels, hostels, guest houses, rentals and campsites.
Refuel160 pubs, cafés and foodResearch ride starts, stops and post-ride options.
Repair24 bike servicesShops to check for spares, servicing, hire or local advice.
Documented discovery records from Overture Maps and, where available, official NaPTAN transport data. Verify services, opening, timetables, bike carriage, availability and prices directly.