Bike packing for a honeymoon
5 miles from the end of our 150 mile bike packing honeymoon
Most people go to Mallorca, Positano, Hawaii etc. for their honeymoon but not us! Did we low key regret not being on the Spanish sun soaked coast eating Tapas and drinking Sangria.. of course we did! Looking back I wouldn’t change our trip for the world. We combined physically challenging adventure with luxury.
When we originally had the idea of bike packing for our honeymoon it was to do the whole Colorado trail. The Bike route version of the Colorado trail is 539 miles long from Littleton to Durango. We knew that based off of our limited PTO, we would need to get a head start and cross off some segments before our wedding. We had June and July of summer 2024 to ideally get through 8 segments. Segments are sections of the trail that are easy to pick up and end on, meaning you can drive to the trailhead or get a ride back to your car. A lot of Coloradans slowly do segments every summer and eventually get to the point of completing the entire Colorado Trail without having to take 1-2 months off work.
We live in the Washington Park neighborhood of Denver which is about 25 miles from the North to South CT starting point. We decided we’d bike from our apartment to the beginning of segment 1, we called it segment 0. We did this portion with our commuter bikes, a month before we even bought our Mountain Bikes.
We ended up biking 60 miles round trip that day and honestly felt great.It was the furthest by about 40 miles we had ever biked in our lives. We were on a high and felt like the Colorado trail would be a breeze with our summer training plan.
We were quickly humbled when we got dropped off at Kenosha pass (Segment 5) during 4th of July weekend. We had 2 nights and 3 days to get through130 miles and 8,000 feet of elevation gain until our front door step. We were essentially going backwards and doing segments 5 to 0 (our apt). We started off probably biking 200 feet before already having to get off and push the bike over large rocks… this would quickly become a theme or main character might I say for the next 3 days. Bike packing the Colorado trail is really like having a pack mule, your bike, to accompany you on your trek. I found myself going at a slower pace per mile with the bike than if I was just wearing a backpack like a normal thru hiker.
We biked about 60 miles the first day and barely made it to our campsite by dusk. I have never felt more exhausted and ill prepared for anything than I did that first day. At the same time there was such a thrill knowing we were biking all the way home to our front door from Kenosha Pass. This adrenaline and desire to be home was the only thing getting us through these 3 days. We literally had no other option but to get ourselves home due to the lack of cell service. We couldn’t get picked up even if we wanted to.
Day 2 was mentally a challenge- I wanted to give up and even tried to order an Uber at one point. We kept moving forward until we finally made it to base camp on the platte river between segments 1 and 2. This camp was like a little village of thru hikers just beginning their journey. We were going in opposite directions towards our segment 0 and they had 32 segments ahead of them. We slept peacefully by the river that night knowing we only had segment 1 and 0 to our home. At the end of day 1 I could tell that weekend would be one of the more challenging in my life and day 2 only confirmed it.
The next morning we woke up with the sun and completed segments 1 and 0. When we saw the road that confirmed we were close to home we both had tears in our eyes…I know it sounds dramatic but it was challenging and beautiful at the same time. I was so proud of both of us for pushing through a crazy trail with no mountain biking experience.
After showering and ordering pizza at home we both acknowledged that we didn’t want to complete the Colorado trail by bike for our honeymoon. We started thinking what else we should do… we had already spent about $3,500 for 2 mountain bikes and bike packing bags. We pivoted hard and turned our future honeymoon into a balance of adventure biking and luxury hotels.
Taking advantage of the paved bike trails in summit county, we drove to Breckenridge and parked in the airport lot (a failed attempt to build an airport in Breckenridge has made for amazing ski and mountain biking parking). We paid $65 for 6 days of parking and pedaled west.
Day 1 consisted of biking from Breckenridge to Vail. 30 miles later we were eating at Alpenrose and the 4 seasons.
There is something special about seeing a front desk receptionist watch two bikers unbuckle their bags from their bikes and check into a fancy hotel. We have dirt and dust all over us but we promise we do have a reservation. 45 minutes later we’d walk into the lobby like two different people heading out for a spritz.
Day 2: Big Brunch in Vail knowing we had 70 miles of biking ahead of us. This day was hard, the only thing pushing me further was knowing a Hot Springs resort was waiting for us.
We arrived in Glenwood Springs at 5:30 pm and soaked our worn out bodies for an hour as the rain started. There is something about being in a hot tub or hot springs while cool rain patters your forehead. We showered again and went to the Ranch House in downtown. We had a bottle of wine, salmon and mashed potatoes. I slept like a baby that night. We had one more day of biking until we reached out final destination of Aspen.
Day 3: 40 miles from Glenwood Springs to Aspen. We saw a baby bear in a tree which made us stop then quickly pedal fast knowing mamma bear must be nearby. 40 miles of biking separated us from 4 days of luxury at the W Aspen.
We arrived into downtown with some stares from the local rich and famous then quickly headed for the rooftop pool and bar. We did it. We biked from Breckenridge to Aspen and now we get to relax and be on a “real honeymoon” or whatever that means.
After our 4 nights and 5 days in Aspen we opted for the Bus all the way back to Frisco. The Bus system in the mountain towns is surprisingly amazing. We had to take 2 buses (they have bike racks) and then bike 10 miles to our car. It saved us 3 days of biking back which resulted in us extending our time in Aspen and another night in Vail on the way back.
Although this isn’t most people’s cup of tea for a honeymoon, it was very “us.” I think that’s all that matters in the end.
The reward of trying something new for both of us, seeing parts of Colorado you can only see on bike and the feeling of tired legs at the end of the day made for an incredible experience. There is truly nothing better than that first meal or drink after a physical challenge in the outdoors. The most simple things become pure luxury.
