geonjorjany

Anyone do any similar routes? I need to decide between that, or heading out from Cedar City, UT and following the ACA routes (Western Express, then Great Parks) to Boulder. I'll be leaving September 1st. Taking US40 seems fairly direct, and somewhat flat, as far as riding through CO is concerned, but any input would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

mev

I've done most of that route, going from Salt Lake City to Fort Collins: https://www.mvermeulen.com/saltlake/index.htm
It is a reasonable ride.

truman

I rode US40 from Steamboat to Heber City last month. I didn't care much for the traffic and road conditions on the section between Heber and Roosevelt, but it was rideable. It's a hella long climb from Heber up to Strawberry Res, glad I came the other direction. There's almost nothing between Vernal and Maybell, CO, but Maybell is a cool little burg.

Some pics and details are on my blog tourdedavid.blogspot.com

Enthusiast

Just last week as part of my current tour I rode from Vernal on Hwy 40 to Granby, then Hwy 34 through Rocky Mountain National Park to Estes Park, then Hwy 36 down to Boulder. Great ride.

jamawani 

Hwy 35 from the Heber Valley to Duchesne has much, much less traffic - but you have to climb 1000+ more feet. Also there is nice camping in the high country. East of Duchesne you can follow River Road and miss part of US 40 - then from Roosevelt cut up to Hwy 121 and into Vernal - missing more of US 40. Lastly, there is a back road from Vernal to Dinosaur.

East of Jensen to Craig US 40 has moderate to light traffic - but traffic picks up again east of Craig.
Like everybody says - Maybell is really nice - have camped in the city park a couple of times.
Tiny town - park, cafe, post office, and little store. What more could you ask?

Shifty

At Grand Lake, Colorado take Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain NP to Estes Park, then down to Boulder. It's a good climb over the pass, but you should be mighty strong at that point, it's beautiful!

geonjorjany

You folk are fantastic, thanks for all the advice everyone! The only part of my trip that I've been somewhat concerned over is passing through Colorado, but at least now I can approach it feeling confident about the route. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

cyccommute 

While Trail Ridge is indeed the prefer way to go, have an alternative route in mind. September is usually mild in Colorado and you shouldn't have problems but be prepared. Trail Ridge can close if a storm comes in. Alternative routes are CO125 to Walden (although you can cut off and go over to Gould via some dirt roads) then over Cameron Pass to Fort Collins or Berthod Pass to the I-70 corridor. You'd have to take the detour through Central City and Black Hawk (BOO! HISS!) to Peak to Peak Highway (CO119) to get to Boulder.

I don't think you'll need these alternatives but at least keep them in mind. This year has been a weird weather year.