Great Sand Dunes Loop - Colorado July

[FMB]

Great Sand Dunes Adventure Ride

JULY 22-24 2022 Friday to Sunday

From Colorado Springs, CO

The Great Sand Dunes Loop is a 3 day ride from the Colorado Springs Airport. Where secure parking is included.


From Colorado Springs airport, ride your Adventure motorcycle around Pikes Peak on spectacular old railroad lines to Silvercliffe and over Medano Pass to the Great Sand Dunes Hot Springs.
Day 2 Ride over 4 passes in the dirt to the old Railroad town of Salida.
Day 3 Ride to the South Platte River and back through the Garden of the Gods.

As Little Pavement as possible on this creative Loop,

• This is an Epic route you would not do on your own.

3 Day Adventure Ride to the Great Sand Dunes. Overnight at the Sand Dunes Hot Springs and in Salida.

WHAT IS INCLUDED ON THIS RIDE TO THE GREAT SAND DUNES ?

• GPS Tracks
• Ride with GPS Club membership
• Exit Tours MC Club Membership
• Camping & soaking at the Sand Dines Hot Springs Pool Friday night
• Campfires
• Camaraderie of Like-minded individuals
• Luggage portage so you may ride unencumbered
• Chase truck
• Local support
• Dinner Saturday night in Salida
• T-shirt
• Stickers

• The Great Sand Dunes Loop is a spectacular 3 Day 400+ mile Adventure loop, that doesn’t just take you down the Highway to get there.
• Day 1 the loop visits old mining towns, railroad stops and takes little used dirt roads on a adventurous route from Colorado Springs.
• The route goes around PIkes Peak towards Canon City, then into Silvercliffe and the Wet Mountain Valley and the back way into the Great Sand Dunes National Monument over Medano Pass.
• If you don’t like Sand, there is an alternate route.

Entering the Great Sand Dunes National Park from the east side

After riding over Medano Pass, spend the night camping at the Sand Dunes Hot Springs.
Eat, relax and soak in the Hot Springs Pool at the end of Day 1.

• Camping and soaking at the Hot Springs is included.
• The Club will portage your gear so that you may ride unencumbered.

Day 2 ride to Salida on a creative route over 4 mountain passes, all in the dirt.

• Ride old toll-roads and old rail lines.
• Dinner is included on Saturday Night and we’ll spend the night in Salida.
• Lodging is on you.

Day 3 ride in the dirt from Salida the back way into 11 Mile Canyon on the South Platte River.

• Then ride down Rampart Range road from Woodland Park to Garden of the Gods.
• Ride up Pikes Peak if your game, or return to where our trucks have been securely parked at the Colorado Springs Airport.

Sand Dunes Hot Springs Pool

READ MORE: great-sand-dunes-loop

INFO ON THE GSD and the ALTERNATE ROUTE: great-sand-dunes-info/alternate

SIGN-UP LINK: exittoursmc/Great_Sand_Dunes_Loop


INFORMATION ON OLD RAILROADS:

rail-history-chaffee-county/


rail-history-links/



The California Zephyr makes a brief stop in Salida, in the 1960’s

 

[FMB]

GSD Loop FLYER. Please see attached PDF for Live Links

 

[FMB]

The GSD Hot Springs Adventure in '22 was a hoot attended by 12 like-minded enthusiasts.

We camped for 2 nights. rode for 3 days and the club supplied Breakfast and portaged everyone's camping gear.

Everyone thoroughly Enjoyed Gold Camp Road and Phantom Cyn down to Canon City from Colorado Springs.

Only a few guys rode over 10k foot Medano Pass into the back of the Great Sand Dunes and it's 9 creek crossings.

The majority riding over Pass Creek Pass and around Mt. Blanca to the Sand Dunes Hot Springs.

After setting up tents in the Campground or taking over the Glamping cabins, a few Adult Beverages were enjoyed.

Dinner at the Sand Dunes Pool was followed by soaking in the Hot Spring Fed pool. (Almost everybody listened to the Mothers Voice and waited a half hour after eating before jumping in after dinner)


Day 2 began with a slog across the Valley towards Pentante Cyn and La Garita, then over the Northern San Juans to the old Sanderson Stagecoach line into the backside of Saguache.

After fuel in Saguache, half the crew took the Challenging ride over another Ute Pass into Bonanza and the Otto Mears Tollroad to the Drift -In on the Arkansas, outside Salida at the Big Bend of the Arkansas river.

The easier of the 2 loops went from Saguache to over Poncha Pass to Mears Junction on Hwy 285, then up and over the 1st railroad line over the Divide, Marshall Pass.

From Marshall Pass the guys & a Gal on a Royal Enfield visited the Tomichi Creek Trading Post in Sargents, then rode up and Over Old Monarch Pass to the summit at Monarch Pass.

Then down Hwy 50 from it's highest point to an off-road section below Mt. Shavano to where that loop comes out directly across the Hwy from the Drift-In.

The Club ride included dinner at the Drift-In Bar & Grill & tent camping at the campground directly on the river at a rafting take out. Hence the 'Drift-in Moniker'.


Day 3 it was mainly off-road around the back & North side of Pikes Peak from Salida.

After dropping down into 11 mile Canyon along the Platte River, there was more off-road on Locals Only roads to the town of Divide.

Arriving in Woodland Park during a summer Monsoon, no one took the option to ride up Pikes Peak.

Instead everybody rode down dirt Rampart Range road to the Garden of The Gods.

Then came across Gold Camp road from Old Colorado City, to Cheyenne Canyon.

And headed across town to where the trucks were securely parked in long term parking at the Colorado Springs Airport.

The Ride with GPS phone compatible GPS tracks worked flawlessly, and everyone made it home or back to the ride hotel safe, but soaked by the Summer Monsoon.


See this Facebook page for current updates:

https://www.facebook.com/gsdhotspringsadventure/


LINK to Google Share file Photos


Link to Ride page on the Club website: advtours.com/great-sand-dunes-loop/

'23 FLYER for the GSD Hot Springs Loop July 21-23 '23