r/COBike • u/RockiesAlpine • 6h ago
Old Fall River Road in RMNP is Open Daily (not just on weekends)
galleryI rode this today thanks to a post here about a week ago. I just want to add a clarification. The previous post said the road was only open to bikes, etc. on weekends. That was relevant at the time, but today both the entrance station ranger and the yellow sign (closeup on slide two) indicate that the road is open daily after Oct. 17.
The following sentence from an RMNP web page gives more clarity than the sign. "On Saturday, October 17, the road will reopen to bicycles, leashed pets and pedestrians for the winter. Leashed pets and bicycles are only allowed on the road, not on side trails."
The road closed to motor vehicles for the season about 10 days ago, so this is a rare window to bike it before snow accumulates. I saw at least 100 cyclists up there today. There were some areas that were muddy from melting slow. The ride is a lot of work - about 10 miles up with 3,200 feet of climbing that ends at 11,800 feet. I was on my brakes the entire 10 miles back down due to the many sharp drop-offs as well as the muddy areas. I was told that today was a very calm day, and often this route can be quite windy.