Bicycling the trailridge in the Rocky Mountain National Park...



F

Fer

Guest
We have plans to ride from Granby Lake on Highway 34, 36 and 72 to
Nederland and Denver. We start in Astoria Or and then ride the
Transamerica Trail so in Granby we have allready some experience...
We wonder if anybody have experience with the ride on bicycle in the
Rocky Mountain National Park. The rising at a top of more than 12000
feet is that to do? How many miles we have to ride with a rising percent
of more then 10?
 
"Fer" wrote:
> We have plans to ride from Granby Lake on Highway 34, 36 and 72 to
> Nederland and Denver. We start in Astoria Or and then ride the
> Transamerica Trail so in Granby we have allready some experience...
> We wonder if anybody have experience with the ride on bicycle in the
> Rocky Mountain National Park. The rising at a top of more than 12000
> feet is that to do? How many miles we have to ride with a rising percent
> of more then 10?


I did this ride more than 25 years ago. I don't recall many (if any)
parts greater than 10% grade. Pretty much a long steady climb. Be
prepared for cold temperatures and strong winds near the top. The
scenery is great!

Art Harris
 
On Jan 23, 2:35 pm, Art Harris <[email protected]> wrote:
> Pretty much a long steady climb. Be
> prepared for cold temperatures and strong winds near the top. The
> scenery is great!


I second that -- long and steady, be prepared for dramatic temperature/
wind changes. The scenery is awesome, especially if you start at
dawn.

The first time I tried it I had to bail out 2/3 of the way up because
the water bottles I had so carefully frozen the night before never
thawed. That was in August. The second time I made it, but wound up
wearing all my layers when I got to the top. The trip back down was a
blast -- from where I started it took me 2+ hours up and <30 minutes
down.

Beware -- they were doing road construction on the road last year near
the visitor's center. I'm not positive they finished before they
closed the road for the winter.


- JR
 
Spectacular is too dull and cliche to describe the ride over Trail
Ridge. The grade does start to pick up a little toward the top but
just keep pedalling. There are lots of rides that are steeper. Start
early. You'll spend a noticeable part of the climb above tree line.
During the summer lightning storms are a regular feature of afternoons
in the Rockies so it behooves riders to be over the top by 11 a.m. or
so. When I rode over in August 2005 I climbed in shorts and a very
light jacket and descended in tights and a heavy jacket. If I go over
again this year I'll probably take arm and leg warmers instead of
complete additional layers. My understanding from reading the Estes
Park Trail-Gazette and e-mailing the park is that the road work is
complete.

cycledork.blogspot.com
 
Fer wrote:
> We have plans to ride from Granby Lake on Highway 34, 36 and 72 to
> Nederland and Denver. We start in Astoria Or and then ride the
> Transamerica Trail so in Granby we have allready some experience...
> We wonder if anybody have experience with the ride on bicycle in the
> Rocky Mountain National Park. The rising at a top of more than 12000
> feet is that to do? How many miles we have to ride with a rising percent
> of more then 10?
>
>
>

Having cycled and driven this road, I don't recall any sections that
were 10%. A grade that steep would be signposted around here, and I saw
no such signs on my various trips across that road.

Like everyone said, it's a very beautiful ride, but be careful of the
weather. Snowstorms are a possibility any month of the year, and
afternoon thundershowers can be vicious. Check the weather forecast, if
afternoon thundershowers are predicted then try to be well past the high
point and on your way down hill before 1 PM. Otherwise be ready to take
shelter, there are a couple of stores, public toilets and at least one
visitor's center along the road.

HTH,

mark
 
On Jan 24, 3:01 pm, mark <[email protected]> wrote:
> Fer wrote:
> > We have plans to ride from Granby Lake on Highway 34, 36 and 72 to
> > Nederland and Denver. We start in Astoria Or and then ride the
> > Transamerica Trail so in Granby we have allready some experience...
> > We wonder if anybody have experience with the ride on bicycle in the
> > Rocky Mountain National Park. The rising at a top of more than 12000
> > feet is that to do? How many miles we have to ride with a rising percent
> > of more then 10?

>
> Having cycled and driven this road, I don't recall any sections that
> were 10%. A grade that steep would be signposted around here, and I saw
> no such signs on my various trips across that road.
>
> Like everyone said, it's a very beautiful ride, but be careful of the
> weather. Snowstorms are a possibility any month of the year, and
> afternoon thundershowers can be vicious. Check the weather forecast, if
> afternoon thundershowers are predicted then try to be well past the high
> point and on your way down hill before 1 PM. Otherwise be ready to take
> shelter, there are a couple of stores, public toilets and at least one
> visitor's center along the road.
>
> HTH,
>
> mark


Send e-mail to:

[email protected]

that is the Rocky Mtn Natl Park e-mail and goes to a ranger who should
be able to tell you the maximum grade of the roadway. I am sure it is
less than 10%, probably more like 6 or 7 percent.
 

> Fer wrote:
> > We have plans to ride from Granby Lake on Highway 34, 36 and 72 to
> > Nederland and Denver. We start in Astoria Or and then ride the
> > Transamerica Trail so in Granby we have allready some experience...
> > We wonder if anybody have experience with the ride on bicycle in the
> > Rocky Mountain National Park. The rising at a top of more than 12000
> > feet is that to do? How many miles we have to ride with a rising
> > percent
> > of more then 10?

>
> Having cycled and driven this road, I don't recall any sections that
> were 10%. A grade that steep would be signposted around here, and I
> saw
> no such signs on my various trips across that road.
>
> Like everyone said, it's a very beautiful ride, but be careful of the
> weather. Snowstorms are a possibility any month of the year, and
> afternoon thundershowers can be vicious. Check the weather forecast,
> if
> afternoon thundershowers are predicted then try to be well past the
> high
> point and on your way down hill before 1 PM. Otherwise be ready to
> take
> shelter, there are a couple of stores, public toilets and at least one
> visitor's center along the road.
>
> HTH,
>
> mark


Send e-mail to:

[email protected]

that is the Rocky Mtn Natl Park e-mail and goes to a ranger who should
be able to tell you the maximum grade of the roadway. I am sure it is
less than 10%, probably more like 6 or 7 percent.

Thanks...
I did and will report the result...
Fer
 
According to a National Park Service web site, the maximum grade does
not exceed 7%.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/romo/visit/weather/history.html

Thirty-one years ago I did the Transam and also detoured over Trail
Ridge Road. An early start is helpful, as it is a long ride. Google
maps says it is 99.2 miles, but this depends on your exact starting
and ending points.

The day that I did the ride, it started to rain just as I arrived at
the Alpine Visitor Center. The descent down through rain and clouds
was quite a memorable adventure.