Spring Bike Rides in Summit County, Colorado: Montezuma Hammer Time

Montezuma Hammer Time

Route: Highway 6 east toward Keystone and up Montezuma Road
Start/End: Out and back from Dillon, Colorado
Season: spring, summer and fall; Montezuma is a great spring ride when trails are still snowy and the major roads are majorly dusty

Vandalism probably shouldn’t make me smile, but I’ve always appreciated the clever folks in Denver who stencil “Hammer Time” on stop signs. So it makes my day every time I turn my pedals over, make it to the Montezuma stop sign and hear M.C. Hammer in my head. And besides, what’s not to love about a town that endorses winter car bowling and has good rock climbing in summer?

But we’re not talking music or bowling or climbing. We’re here because it’s spring, I’m ready to ride my bike and I’m not yet interested in driving beyond Summit County. So that leaves us on U.S. Highway 6 headed east toward Keystone.

The ride to Montezuma is an excellent spring option for anxious riders in Summit County, Colorado.

Spring Bike Ride to Montezuma, Colorado

From our condo in Dillon, Colorado I head to US Highway 6 and point it east.

The rolling hills on the road to Keystone don’t offer much in the way of shoulder once I pass Swan Mountain Road. But there are two lanes in each direction and I haven’t had any problems with cars.

Once free of snow, the bike path offers a pretty but speed-limited route that parallels the Snake River through Keystone.

On the road, I continue past the main Keystone entrance and instead of heading uphill toward Arapahoe Basin, I veer right onto Montezuma Road. It’s a pretty straightforward and mellow climb with a slight increase in steepness near town.

The out and back ride from Dillon to Montezuma is about 20 miles round trip and makes for a perfect post-work ride in spring.

Hammer away.