Ideas for some Burley bikepacking trips in Colorado (with trailer and dog)

[DanHickstein]

Hi! I'm looking for some ideas for some "Burley" bikepacking trips. And, by Burley, I'm basically looking for the opposite or Burly . Instead, I'm referring to the fact that we are touring with our ~60 pound dog using a Burley-brand trailer.

Last weekend, my wife and I threw our camping gear (and pooch sometimes) in two-wheeled Burley D-lite kid-trailer that we found on Craigslist. We rode a variation of this loop near Salida: https://bikepacking.com/routes/family-bikepacking-salida/ It was awesome, with beautiful scenery and great camping. We went over Memorial Day, so there was some Truck/ATV/moto traffic, but it was tolerable. The pooch walked much of time time and hopped in the trailer for the fast downhills.

So, we're looking for some more options for future trips, hopefully located within a day's drive of Boulder, CO, where we live. Ideally, we would find a loop on dirt roads (or wide singletrack), with low vehicle traffic, and with some good camping options. Probably looking for sub-100 mile routes that we can do over a long weekend.

This "Medicine Bow Rail Trail" looks like an interesting option: https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7048653/medicine-bow-rail-trail-mbrt
It's probably good as an out-and-back, but I drew a quick loop on Forest-Service roads: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32829752
It probably needs a few more weeks to melt out.

Here is another nearby loop in the Snowy Range for mid-summer: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32829701

For trails that are ridable now, I was thinking that the Vedauwoo area east of Laramie might be a nice place, since it has lots of dirt roads and some singletrack options that can be ridden from camp. I sketched a potential route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32774068

The region SW of Walden seems to have some dirt roads worth exploring. Another potential loop: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32773895

Does anyone have more suggestions?

Thanks!

[Iowagriz]

I rode the "Steamboat Ramble" two years ago and the route was a lot of fun. That might give you several ideas. It goes from Steamboat to Fort Collins. I couldn't tell you the areas, but the last day definitely had option close to you.

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[DanHickstein]

Thanks for the suggestion! The area near Red Feather Lakes looks like it has good potential. I've never explored that zone, so it would be nice to ride up there.

I found a GPS track for the 2018 Steamboat Ramble: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27964647

They have another Ramble ride that makes a loop in the Red Feather Lakes area, which looks appealing: https://ramblerides.com/2020fcwr/

This year's Steamboat Ramble looks like it heads north from Steamboat through Clark and then keeps heading north into Wyoming. The zone north of Clark looks like it might have some nice camping options as well.
https://ramblerides.com/2020sbr/

[offroute]

It sounds like fun!

Numerous sections of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route would be nice traveling and user friendly. Of course a loop will take a little creativity, but rural roads are numerous. Adventure Cycling Association will be the source of current info, maps, GPX.

[jonathanbowden]

Hi There!
I live in the boulder area as well, and I'm looking to take my teenage child and myself bikepacking for the first time this weekend. We also will be pulling a bike trailer.

Any suggestions for a loop for the first timers, with a chariot trailer? I'm hoping to stay within 2-3 hrs max drive from Boulder.

Thanks!
Jonathan Bowden