??? on Colorado roads

[MTXX]

I'm planning a trip around Colorado summer 2013.  From Carbondale to Hywy 24, which is the better ride?  Hywy 82 to Twin Lakes or Frying Pan road to Leadville?  I won't be able to do both this trip.  By better ride I mean surface, twisties, traffic, scenery, popo.  Will be riding west to east on  a more sportbike than tourer.  Any feedback would be much appreciated.    

[Justin]

Highway 82 over Independence pass. A must ride road.

[JimWilliamson]

Independence Pass, Rt 82 is paved and I agree - a must ride road. It's also asphalt the complete route.

Frying Pan Road turns to 1-lane gravel (Forest Road 105) in the higher elevations. My map says you could have 28 miles of gravel for the route. Google maps shows 22 miles of mostly 1-lane gravel.

If you're curious for FPR/FR105/Hagerman Pass you might wish to satellite view it (maps.google.com) to see what it could be like.

It also looks like Frying Pan Road / Hagerman Pass is an old railroad bed turned into roadway. The eastern side of the mountain has a section where the roadway is not using the old RR bed and the old RR goes through a decently long tunnel (which is probably closed to all access).

[MTXX]

82 it is.  Thanx guys

[JimWilliamson]

A nice road to enjoy. IIRC it doesn't have much of any pref as for one direction being more enjoyable over the other. One item that I vaguely recall - the western slope of the road has some short sections that are 1.5 lanes wide where cars/trucks have to take turns, a fun curiosity. You might wish to plan 20-40 minutes at the Independence Pass lookout.

Google Map - Independence Pass / lookout to the expansive valley to the east
http://goo.gl/maps/c65wz

Panorama photo from the lookout
http://www.jimwilliamson.net/motorcycle/2003-08-co-trip/d4-tue/img-pan1-lg.jpg

From Carbondale through Aspen - something you need to slog through. Might well be police around.

If you have the time, the Maroon Bells (in the top three "Colorado images" often published) are along the way. Double check this, if you wish to visit the bells lookout - I don't think you can drive up there as I think they have moved to using a bus system as it is too popular for the parking space available (but I could be mistaken).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maroon_Bells

http://allisonandjoshua.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/bells.jpg

[blakebird]

Hagerman is a great dual sport pass, it can be slow to open when there's heavy snowfall up there.