Advice from Colorado/Utah riders?

[Posser]

Happy weekend! I have a conference to attend in Las Vegas the last week of July. I'm trying to determine if riding out and back to Ontario, Canada is realistic in the time frame I have available. I'm hoping some riders local to Colorado/Utah can give me an accurate estimate of how many miles can be covered in a day through the mountains? The plan is to loosely follow the old Route 66 on the way there and then high tail it home the following week, through Utah/Colorado/Nebrask/Iowa. Is it possible to cover 500+ miles through the mountains in a day, and do you think 4 days travel time is enough? In terms of just mileage (2150) that's a pace I'm used to, but I don't know what I can expect to accomplish through that area. Any help is greatly appreciated! .

 

[dadofthree]

I-70 E 2271.99 miles
36 hrs 25 mins / 38 hrs 11 mins based on current traffic

 

[StrtRac3r]

For me riding through Colorado from canon city into green river Utah was a full day, all back highways, I was a bit wore out after that. In Utah I did 3/4 pretty easy highway riding. Took my time and did about 410 miles out of California into Nevada, about 400 out of Nevada to green river Utah, then 380 to southern Colorado. And personally for enjoyment I would have liked an extra day. But I don't do alot of long hauls on the bike. So to others it may have been an easy leisurely 2 day trip.

 

[Trout]

I'm hoping some riders local to Colorado/Utah can give me an accurate estimate of how many miles can be covered in a day through the mountains? The plan is to loosely follow the old Route 66 on the way there and then high tail it home the following week, through Utah/Colorado/Nebrask/Iowa. Is it possible to cover 500+ miles through the mountains in a day, and do you think 4 days travel time is enough? In terms of just mileage (2150) that's a pace I'm used to, but I don't know what I can expect to accomplish through that area. Any help is greatly appreciated! .

I've done a few non-freeway 650 mile days in Utah, Colorado, Nevada, and Idaho.

When you say "through the mountains", are you talking about mountain roads, or are you talking about freeway? 2150 in 4 days on the freeway is easy. If you are talking about I-15 from Vegas to I-70, then I-70 to Denver... you can count on 80 mph the whole way, no problem. There are sections of I-15 in Utah where the limit is actually 80.

 

[Posser]

Thanks guys, that's the info I was looking for. Back roads or freeway will depend on time I think. Any mountain roads are at least 8 hours from where I live so it, so it would be great to enjoy them while the opportunity is there. Might need those happy memories to get me through the 1k on I-80 that follows lol

 

[StrtRac3r]

Thanks guys, that's the info I was looking for. Back roads or freeway will depend on time I think. Any mountain roads are at least 8 hours from where I live so it, so it would be great to enjoy them while the opportunity is there. Might need those happy memories to get me through the 1k on I-80 that follows lol

Yeah mine out of Colorado was hw-50 to hw-9 to I-70 to hw-131 to county road 27 to hw40 lol. Maybe thats why it felt so long... I also got stuck in breckenridge behind a bicycle race... That's why I didn't just go 9 to 40, that was their route.