| 1 | Idaho Springs-Summit Lake, CO by Sanjay, Jul 27, 2008, 45 miles, 6641 ft ascent, 6626 ft descent, near Idaho Springs, Colorado, US |
Idaho Springs-Summit Lake, CO
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By Sanjay Near Idaho Springs, Colorado, US on Jul 27, 2008 |
Total distance: 45 miles
Total time: 4 hours 13 minutes
Total ascent: 6641 ft, Total descent: 6626 ft
Rider notes: Well, the "plan" was to ride from Idaho Springs to Mt. Evans. But I had not recovered from yesterday's ride. So, At Summit Lake, the little wise ET in me advised to call it off.
This is a beautiful, beautiful ride!
Notes:
1. The ride up from Idaho Springs on CO-103 starts of at a moderate grade (2-3%) for the first 5 miles or so. Then the next 7 miles averages over 6%.
2. The restaurant + gift shop at Echo Lake is open until October 1. That is the only option for refuelling.
3. During summer, the national forest service has patrol cars shuttling between Mt. Evans summit and the highway entrance. An NFS guide told me that if I run out of water, flag one of these patrol cars down, for they carry water for hikers and bicyclists (in emergency only!).
4. There is a $3 entrance fee per bicycle for the highway.
5. There are toilet facilities available at both Echo Lake and Summit Lake.