Hi {{contact.first_name}}, August is the high-country payoff. The alpine passes are all open, the afternoon light is long, and the aspens are just starting to think about turning by month's end. The only rule up here in August is simple: ride the mountains in the morning, because the monsoon builds by afternoon. Here is where to point it this month around the Front Range and the high peaks.
Ride of the Month: Mount Blue Sky
The one that closes when the snow comes back
The road up Mount Blue Sky (the peak formerly called Mount Evans) is the highest paved road on the continent, and it is only open a few short months a year. August is the window. From Idaho Springs, take Highway 103 up through Echo Lake, then the toll road climbs above treeline through the switchbacks to just below the summit. You will gain a mile of elevation and ride through three climate zones on the way up.
Go early. The gate opens in the morning, the mountain goats are out, and you want to be back down before the afternoon storms stack up over the divide. Bring a layer, it is 30 degrees cooler at the top than in Denver.
Run the Peak to Peak Highway (Highways 119, 72, and 7) from Blackhawk up to Estes Park for the classic Front Range cruise, all pines and granite and long views. Want more altitude? Guanella Pass out of Georgetown is a gorgeous paved climb with far less traffic, and Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park is the crown jewel while it is open.
High-Country Safety: Colorado Edition
The mountains make their own weather and their own hazards. Respect both.
- Afternoon monsoon storms. August is monsoon season. Clear mornings turn to lightning, rain, and even hail above treeline by early afternoon. Start early and be off the high passes before the clouds build.
- Big temperature swings. It can be 90 in Denver and 45 with wind at the summit. Cold hands and cold roads both bite. Pack a layer every time you go up.
- Sand and gravel on the switchbacks. Runoff drags grit across the apex on the high roads. Trust nothing on a blind mountain hairpin.
- Wildlife at the edges of the day. Elk and deer own the dawn and dusk on the canyon and foothill roads. Cover your brakes through the timber.
Know Your Colorado Law
- No universal helmet law. Colorado does not require helmets for adult riders. Only operators and passengers under 18 must wear a DOT-approved helmet under CRS 42-4-1502. That said, every rider, any age, must wear eye protection. A helmet is still your best friend on these roads even when the law does not force it.
- Minimum insurance is 25/50/15. That is 25,000 per person and 50,000 per crash for injuries, and 15,000 for property damage. After a real motorcycle wreck that is often nowhere near enough, so carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage if you can.
- Colorado uses modified comparative negligence. You can still recover if you share some blame, but only if you are less than 50 percent at fault. Your payout gets reduced by your share. Hit 50 percent or more and you recover nothing, which is exactly why the other side will try to pin fault on you.
- You have three years. Colorado gives you three years from the date of a motor vehicle crash to file an injury claim under CRS 13-80-101, longer than the two-year window for most other injuries. Evidence still disappears fast, so move early.
Ride Nation Colorado
The local chapter is where Front Range riders post weekend miles, call out fresh gravel and pass conditions, flag which high roads have actually opened, and share the photos worth putting your helmet on for. Post where you rode this month and tag us. It is your scene, run by riders who actually ride these passes.
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.
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A car turning left across your lane. Gravel on a high mountain switchback. A distracted driver who never saw you. If you ever go down, you want a lawyer who actually rides these roads.