| Colorado Apex Valley Trek, July 5, 2005 |
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| This is my quick "Gotta get away" tour, it only takes 2 hours (depending on how long you stop) and is fairly well traveled, so if your by yourself
someone will pass you if you stop for awhile.
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#1. Enter Golden Gate Canyon from Golden Colorado, this photo is not the entrance but is 11 miles up the canyon. Golden Gate is a favorite for
motorcycle riders because of it's curves and altitude change. It's fun but the real vistas are further ahead.
Golden Gate Park has a visitor center that is worth seeing with a trout pond out front and lots of books and maps. |
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#2. West until you reach highway 119, take care before crossing as you can't see very far over the hill to the left and cars are doing 50 mph. |
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#3. South on 119 to Apex Valley Road which is a dirt turn off at the bottom of a hill. |
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#4. West on Apex Valley Road to Elk Park Road (this image is looking from the other direction, I missed it the first time (didn't have a gps or good may) and had to reverse. |
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If you miss the turn off like I did and continue, you can explore around at the top of the mountain, just be careful, the roads down are hard dirt covered in loose rock and with my dual sport tires I could not get back up.
My suggestion is to look around if you have time, then return back to the turn off at Elk Park Road.
The second photo shows the slippery road and Monarch Ski Area in the distance (and my little yellow haired kid). |
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This is the aproach to the top of the pass, there are a lot of side roads but your almost above tree line so you can putter around up here, just have
a good map or stay within site of the main road. There are several 4wd roads that lead here so there are people on the weekends with trucks & trailers that have
hauled their dirt bikes up here and LOTS of quads.
The second photo is just another incredible Colorado High Country vista, bring your camera, this is less than 1 hour from Golden.
You will come to some brown signs, you want to turn right on Mammoth Gulch Road. |
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This sign you will see near the bottom of the west side of the pass, you want to continue to Rollinsville & East Portal.
It's terrible the yahoos that are shooting up or destroying the signs and trail markers in the back country, please leave the area better than you found it. |
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Here is the bottom of Mammoth Gulch Road which takes you down from Apex Pass, here you have a choice:
Take a right turn to continue on the loop or, take a quick trip to the East portal of the Moffet Tunnel.
Second photo, The Moffet Tunnel was built in the 1920's and is a 6.2 mile bore through the continental divide completed in 1928 it was a marvel for it's time and is worth seeing, maybe you will be there when it opens up and swallows a train. Before the tunnel was built the narrow gauge trains would have to chug up Rollins Pass at a maximum altitude of 11,660 feet, slow going in those days.
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Here we are in Rollinsville Colorado, just make a right turn east on the 119 and follow it back to Golden Gate Canyon. Hope this is helpful
in showing the incredible back country of Colorado easily accessible from the front range.
We are hoping to have day tours from Golden Colorado in 2006, please e-mail info@motorcycletreks.com if you would be interested in a tour and if you have your own bike or would like to rent a dual sport motorcycle. |
