Colorado Motorcycle Roads: The Rampart Range Loop

This is one of my favorite rides. With stops it takes about 4 hours, and there are easy entry points from the SW corner of the Denver metro or west out of the Springs to Woodland Park, making it easy to meet up with other riders from different parts of the state.

It’s roughly, approximately, about 85% or so curvy motorcycle roads with a couple dozen miles on boring highways in between. The boring parts are 470 to Sedalia and I25 from Monument back to the Springs. The rest ranges from tight and twisty to wide and flowing. I mean there’s only so much to say about good motorcycle roads. These are that!

I start by heading west on Hwy 24 to Woodland Park, where I stop for gas and try my best to avoid getting run over by tourists who shouldn’t try to look at mountains and drive at the same time. Then I turn right on Hwy 67 and head to Deckers thru the Hayman and Turkey Track burn areas.

This area burned over 20 years ago, and it’s still barren. Some things cannot be fixed; they don’t grow back, at least not in our lifetimes. Fortunately we have motorcycles to help us forget about those things! I took this pic at the top of the hill on 67 before dropping down thru switchbacks into Deckers.

If you’re in the Springs, an out-and-back to Deckers makes for a fun ride that doesn’t take 4 hours, but, if you turn left towards Pine Junction, there’s more of that on tap for a sport bike rider. If you turn right and follow 67 to Sedalia, you better be on a dual sport or adv type bike because that road’s unpaved.

I learned that the hard way when I tried to do part of the loop in a counterclockwise direction, thinking Hwy 67 from Sedalia to Deckers was paved. It’s not!

If you go south on 67 from Sedalia headed for Deckers, the paved road forks into dirt roads at a restaurant. Both dirt roads take you to Deckers, but that wasn’t something I wanted to do on a 20yo superbike. The ride from Sedalia to the fork in the road at the restaurant is worth having to turn around for, and it’s very fun both ways.

Motorcycles are fun even when things don’t go perfectly, which is part of their charm.

An unpaved shoulder or parking lot is all the dirt I let this bike touch, not because it’s perfect but because I don’t want it becoming any more imperfect than it already is or has to be! It’s a rider, and I’m trying not to turn it into a beater! Skipping forward MANY MILES, this pic was taken at Palmer Lake at the tail end of Hwy 105 after leaving out of Sedalia.

According to maps the loop is 161 miles, but my odometer said 190 miles, which tracks because those radar signs say I’m going 55 when my speedometer reads 60. It’s a good ride for a half day!

Next time I’ll do the SW loop thru Buena Vista, Salida, and Canon City. At some point I need to explore the roads west and northwest of Boulder. Another day!

“The Pace by Nick Ienatsch” is widely recognized as one of the best articles ever written about riding motorcycles on the street. There’s nothing I can think to write about street riding that isn’t covered better by him in The Pace. If you’ve never read it, read it now. Even if you don’t ride, there’s some philosophy, an approach to doing anything really that’s worth checking out IMO.