The Swan Mountain Road bike path is part of an excellent loop for road biking in Summit County, Colorado.

Route: Swan Mountain Road loop, clockwise around Lake Dillon
Start/End: Dillon, Colorado
Season: Spring-Fall

Since I started mountain biking in Colorado (last season), I’ve definitely been splitting the time I formerly spent solely on my road bike. I like it all, and I love commuting and touring. But with a recent back injury, I found myself rediscovering some of my favorite road bike rides in Colorado, including the Swan Mountain Road loop. Recent completion of the bike path up the east side of Swan Mountain Road has also made it much more pleasant.

Swan Mountain Road

A two-lane road, Swan Mountain Road runs between U.S. Highway 6 (near Keystone and Dillon) and Colorado State Highway 9 (near Breckenridge and Frisco). Swan Mountain Road is a much shorter route than I-70 for those traveling between Breckenridge and Keystone or Summit Cove. It can also be a preferred route to/from Dillon. [Read more →]

When you ride slow, you're never too tired to goof around. Even if you're summiting Loveland Pass during Colorado's Triple Bypass.

For the second year in a row I went online at exactly noon on exactly the right date to secure entry for myself, my husband and my dad in the Triple Bypass. Put on by Team Evergreen, this 120-mile supported, organized road bike ride summits three well-known mountain passes in one day.

This year, it was rumored that the 3500 entries sold out in 35 minutes. So if you call riding 12,000+ vertical feet over 120 miles on your bike fun, then I guess you could call us lucky for getting in on the party.

As always, the volunteers and staff were amazing. This year, we got a full-zip jersey, which sounds minor but is a huge deal for any woman committed to wearing bib shorts. I am one of those women. The post-ride grub (and grub-slinging staff) was excellent, and I’ve probably never been so excited to eat chicken in my life. [Read more →]

Climbing (and rappelling) near Colorado's Swan Mountain Road

Routes: beginner and intermediate short, top-rope routes
Start/End: parking area near the Lowry Campground on the north side of Swan Mountain Road
Route Access: Via a short hike from the parking area

Lily naps in the shade at the climbing routes off Swan Mountain Road in Summit County, Colorado.

It’s open season for rock climbing on Swan Mountain Road between Breckenridge and Keystone, Colorado.  Eric is the professional rock climbing (and biking, hiking, etc.) guide who leads me, friends and guests on trips, so what I think I know about climbing is really just the stuff I’ve gathered from following directions.

After parking near the Lowry Campground on the north side of Swan Mountain Road, we take a short hike (making sure to stick left, or north) to the roughly 25-foot rock walls that overlook Lake Dillon. [Read more →]

Climbing in Dillon, Colorado: Swan Mountain Road

Stuck between a rock and a hard place? Not even close.

Climbing guide Eric Zerowin sets anchors high above the shores of Lake Dillon, in Dillon, Colorado, as his two guests absorb the views. The late-morning sun shines brightly in the blue sky, and it’s too early in the day for afternoon showers to begin rolling in. A cool breeze, common for 9,200 feet, sweeps across Lake Dillon.

“Even though that tree is dead, can it support our weight?” asks one of the guests. [Read more →]