Hi {{contact.first_name}},
October is the closeout of the Colorado riding year, and timed right it is the sweetest stretch of all. The aspens have burned down out of the high country and into the foothills, the leaf-peeping crowds are gone, and a clear cold morning gives you crisp air, long light, and empty roads. It is also when the mountains stop bargaining. The first real snow can shut a pass overnight, the elk are still on the move, and the sun drops early. Steal these last good weekends before winter closes the door.
Ride of the Month: The South Platte and Deckers Loop
A low-country river run built for October, when the high passes start to close
Head southwest out of Denver on US-285 to Pine Junction, then drop onto Pine Valley Road and CR-126 through Pine and Buffalo Creek, winding down into the South Platte canyon. Pick up CO-67 and follow the river through Deckers, a ribbon of two-lane that hugs the water past the trout runs and the ponderosa. It sits low enough to stay warm and open when the high passes are already taking snow, and in October the cottonwoods and scrub oak along the river turn gold and rust while the pines stay dark green.
Fuel up in Conifer before you drop in, services are thin down in the canyon. Watch for gravel and pine needles washed into the shaded corners, take the tight stuff easy where the sun never reaches, and give the deer along the river plenty of room at dusk. Loop back out to Sedalia on CO-67 and up US-85, or climb back over Pine Junction before the light goes.
If the day warms up, Golden Gate Canyon Road out of Golden climbs into the state park where the last aspen color hangs on in the draws, and Deer Creek Canyon into High Grade Road is a tight, technical favorite with the whole Front Range laid out below you. Chasing the final gold? Coal Creek Canyon and the lower Peak to Peak still hold color early in the month. Once the fronts move in, stay low and sunny and let the high passes go until spring.
Fall Riding Safety: Colorado Edition
October is the last real riding of the year on the Front Range, and it hands you a stack of hazards as winter leans in.
- The rut is on. Elk and deer are moving hard through the foothills and along the canyon roads at dawn and dusk, big, unpredictable, and quick to bolt across your line. Scan the shoulders and tree lines, cover your brakes, and never swerve blind into the other lane.
- The first snow is here up high. A mild Denver morning can be ice or snow the moment you gain elevation, and a fast-moving cold front can drop twenty degrees in an hour. Check the mountain forecast, carry layers and rain gear, and turn back if the pavement goes white or wet up top.
- Wet leaves are as slick as ice. Fallen leaves pile into the shaded canyon corners and go greasy with morning dew and frost. Give the leaf-covered curves easy throttle and long following distance, and stay off the painted lines when it is damp.
- The days are short and the sun sits low. Sunset creeps earlier all month, and the low fall sun burns right into drivers' eyes on the east-west stretches. Assume they cannot see you, keep a lane position where you always have an out, and get your light and reflective gear on early.
Know Your Colorado Law
- Fault gets split, and there is a cutoff. Colorado uses modified comparative negligence. Your recovery drops by your share of the blame, and if you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you collect nothing. How the crash gets documented decides the number.
- The minimums are low, so lean on UM/UIM. Colorado requires only 25/50/15 in liability, which does not go far after a serious motorcycle wreck. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is your real backstop when the driver who hit you carries the bare minimum or nothing.
- Helmets are optional for adults. Colorado requires a helmet only for riders and passengers under 18. Riders 18 and older can ride without one, though eye protection is required. A helmet is still the best call every single time.
- You have three years. Colorado gives you three years from the date of a motor-vehicle crash to file an injury claim, longer than most states. Evidence still fades fast, so do not wait to get advice.
Ride Nation Denver
The local chapter is where Front Range riders post their last miles of the season, call out the passes that are closing, and warn each other about early snow and leaf-slick corners on the canyon roads. Post where you rode this month and tag us. It is your scene, run by riders who actually ride these roads.
Last Weeks for the $20,000 BikeWin Giveaway
You are on this list because you entered, which means you are already in the running for 20,000 dollars toward any motorcycle you want, drawn December 10. Got a buddy who would want a shot? The entry page is open and free.
Enter the giveaway
A driver turning left across your lane on I-25. Gravel on a Lookout Mountain switchback. A distracted commuter who never saw you on C-470. If you ever go down, you want a lawyer who rides these roads and knows how Colorado's fault rules get used against riders.