Hi {{contact.first_name}}, September is the best month to ride in Colorado, full stop. The summer heat breaks, the crowds thin, and the aspens start turning gold across the high country. It is also when the weather gets moody up top, the elk start moving, and a warm morning in Denver can be snow by the time you top a pass. Time it right and you get the ride of the year. Get careless and the mountains will remind you who is in charge.
Ride of the Month: The Peak to Peak Highway
Colorado's oldest scenic byway at the peak of aspen season
Climb out of the foothills to Black Hawk and pick up the Peak to Peak Highway north, stitching together CO-119, CO-72, and CO-7 through Nederland, Ward, and Allenspark up to Estes Park. In late September this is the aspen show, whole mountainsides going gold with the snow-dusted peaks of the Indian Peaks and Longs Peak standing over it. It is one of the finest fall rides in the country and it is right in Denver's backyard.
Start early, dress in layers because it will be cold at 9,000 feet, and give yourself time for the leaf-peeping traffic that stacks up on the weekends. Fuel up before you climb, watch for gravel in the shaded corners, and take it home down Boulder Canyon or Coal Creek before the afternoon weather builds.
For a shorter loop, run the Lariat Loop up Lookout Mountain out of Golden, some of the tightest, prettiest switchbacks near the city with the whole Front Range laid out below. Want to earn a summit? Guanella Pass out of Georgetown climbs to nearly 12,000 feet through prime aspen country. Both are cold and weather-exposed up top, so watch the sky and carry a layer.
Early-Fall Safety: Colorado Edition
September in the high country is beautiful and unforgiving. The mountains bring a whole different set of hazards.
- The weather turns on you at altitude. A warm Denver morning can be sleet or snow by the time you crest a pass, and afternoon thunderstorms build fast over the peaks. Check the mountain forecast, carry layers and rain gear, and turn around if the sky goes dark up top.
- The elk are in the rut. September is peak elk season in the high country, and they are big, unpredictable, and out at dawn and dusk along the canyon and pass roads. Scan the shoulders, cover your brakes, and never swerve blind into the other lane.
- Gravel and rockfall love the shaded corners. Runoff and freeze-thaw drop sand, gravel, and rock onto the canyon roads, especially in the shaded inside of the curves. Give the blind corners easy throttle and pick a clean line.
- Cold hands and low sun. Cold morning air stiffens your hands and your tires before they warm up, and the low fall sun sits right in your eyes on the east-west stretches. Take the first miles easy and keep a clear shield handy.
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 weekend miles, call out the passes that are turning, and warn each other about early snow and gravel 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.
Still Time 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.
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