Me on my Valkyrie, and my 2 gsons on their VTX 1800s, my son on his ST1300, my other son on his Harley, and my motorcycle buddy on his Harley are doing a Colorado tour leaving Houston on May 26. We are going to trailer to Raton NM then spend 5 days on the bikes. I would like to know from you Colorado riders if hiway 103 out of Idaho Springs headed South then East is a pretty good paved road? On the map it looks to be scenic. Would you recommend it?
103 is paved and very scenic. I haven't ridden it in several years but it had lighter traffic than most roads close to Denver. Road 5 to Mt. Evans (the dems gave it another name for political reasons) runs off of 103 and is the highest paved road in the US. It's closed seasonally but should be open next month as snowpack is at record lows. Harsh conditions at 14,000 feet make the pavement poor at best.
Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain NP is all paved and the scenery is incredible. It's also closed seasonally. The west side is the best because it is less crowded than the east near Estes Park. You might want to check if reservations are required during that time of year. Grand Lake, the town on the west entrance, is a neat little place worth staying at or at least visiting.
Keep in mind that roads close to Denver/Fort Collins/Colorado Springs can be very crowded. And the state's DOT prioritizes buses, trains, and bicycles over cars so the pavement is literally crumbling in places.
