Day 14: Hot Sulfur Springs to Dillon. Ute pass.

July 16, 2018

Today is a big mountain climb but I'm well rested and my stomach is feeling much better.

Up at 6:30, rode to breakfast at the Fisherman restaurant. On the road at 8. Jacinto also left at 8 and arrived at Dillon at noon, 4 hours ahead of me.

Downhill through the small town of Hot Sulfur Springs, then around a bend into narrow Byers canyon. The canyon is very close to town.

The tiny Colorado river in Byers canyon.

In Byers canyon the Colorado is confined to a very narrow channel. Narrower than anything I saw upstream. The ledges for the road and railroad are also quite narrow.

US 40, Colorado river, and an old railroad track in narrow Byers canyon.

The canyon only lasts for about a mile. Then the valley opens up very wide. A mile past the canyon I turned left onto Grand County road 3. US 40 had moderate traffic with a shoulder. County Road 3 has much less traffic and no shoulder.

Williams Fork reservoir. I will pedal upstream from the reservoir.

County Road 3 descends to cross the Colorado river, then climbs steeply for 100 feet to get into the Williams Fork valley. Once in the valley the grade was gentle uphill.

County Road 3 climbing up the Williams Fork valley.

The first several miles were through ranch land irrigated with canals that divert water from Williams Fork river.

Irrigation canal fed by Williams Fork river.

Eventually the wide open valley fades away and the road starts climbing into forest. The grade was 4% or less. Easy. I detoured to a campground to get a view of the river. County Road 3 has no river views.

The climb to Ute pass includes 14 miles of remarkably smooth gravel. Passing trucks kicked up a few rocks but it was easy.

14 uphill miles of well packed gravel on County Road 3.

Pavement resumes 3 miles before the summit. The grade steepens to 6% near the top. I got very sweaty even though the temperature was only 75F.

Buggy whips had me confused. Much later I realized a buggy whip must be the flagpole on the vehicles.

Today the forest looks fairly green. Far fewer dead trees than I saw earlier.

There were no panoramic mountain views during the climb. But a view to the west opens suddenly near Ute pass. The mountains to the west look impressive.

Mountain view looking west from Ute pass.

I arrived at Ute pass at 1:01 PM, feeling strong, doing well with time. I was disappointed that there is no summit sign at the 9424 foot pass. It's a Forest Service road, not a state highway.

This is the higher but less famous of two Ute passes in Colorado. The more famous Ute pass is on US 24 west of Colorado Springs, elevation 9165 feet.

Looking southwest at 9424 foot Ute pass. There is no sign at the summit.

The descent from Ute pass was fun. Many good views of the mountains to the west. But no view of the even bigger mountains to the east.

Descending Ute pass. Another view looking west.

The weather was much sunnier and warmer by the time I got to CO 9. Now I turn left, south for 10 miles to Silverthorne. The highway has a good paved shoulder but the traffic is nonstop. Not serene like County Road 3. I'm glad I pedaled over Ute pass instead of the flatter, longer, and much busier TransAmerica bike route through Kremmling on US 40 and CO 9.

End of the descent, where County Road 3 connects to busy CO 9.

CO 9 follows the Blue river upstream to Silverthorne. In Silverthorne I turned onto the riverside bike trail which goes behind a giant outlet mall, crosses under I-70, then climbs gentle switchbacks up Dillon Dam.

At the top of the dam I continued on the lakefront trail for a mile to Best Western Ptarmigan Lodge. I arrived at 4:06 PM, not bad for a day with a big mountain climb.

The sprawling lodge has many buildings. My building is quite far from the waterfront. The $112 room has no A/C but has a fridge and comes with a hot breakfast. I don't remember ever staying at a hotel that has ski lockers.

Sculpture along the Lake Dillon bike path.

Dillon reservoir is 9017 feet (2732 m) elevation. View looking southwest towards Breckenridge and Hoosier pass.

Kelly is re-joining us for the final 4 days of the tour using a modified bike setup. Her daughter drove her up to Dillon.

A thunderstorm started just as Kelly, Jacinto, and I were about to walk half a mile to dinner. We stood and watched pouring rain for 20 minutes, then it quickly ended and we walked.

Dillon is 9100 feet elevation, exceptionally high. It seems like a city with big shopping centers and multi-story condos. It's bigger than any place I've seen in the last 10 days, but all of Summit county has only 25,000 people. Silverthorne and Dillon are wealthier and have more of a resort atmosphere than any other place I've seen during this tour. It's only 70 miles from Denver and close to several major ski resorts.

I felt strong today but the climbing took its toll. I felt a bit sore in the evening. I also developed a bad cough but didn't feel sick. I think the cause was a combination of cumulative fatigue and extreme elevation.

Distance: 49.4 mi. (79 km)
Ascent/Descent: +3659/-2305 ft. (+1109/-698 m)
Average Speed: 8.3 mph (13.3 km/h)

Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 572 miles (921 km)

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Mark RuddockWayne I did the climb over Ute pass today (in the same direction as you did it) on my section tour of the ACA Great Divide route. I’m going from Jackson Hole to Del Norte. Saw 2 other touring cyclists coming up the pass from HWY 9 and it looked steeper coming from Silverthorne.
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3 months ago

Wayne EstesI hope your tour is going well with minimal smoke. I didn't know that Ute Pass is on the Great Divide route. I only saw other cyclists when I was on the TransAmerica route for a couple days.
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3 months ago