Telluride to Taos – Spectacular!
Telluride to Taos Bike Tour: Highlights
Telluride to Taos in autumn
Autumn in Colorado!
Miles and miles of smiles
The colors of autumn
Having a great time on the T2T trip. The route is great and Leslie and Deanne are doing a fantastic job. They are very tuned in to the group and have been aces. I personally appreciate the early and efficient starts to all of the mornings so far. And a special thanks to Leslie and whoever else was involved with making arrangements for my wife to join me in Taos Thursday. The Lizard Head spirit of flexibility and accommodation is very much appreciated. Cheers. – Jon
Telluride to Taos Bike Tour: Dates
Potential tour dates are listed below and not all tour dates will run. Lock in your preferred tour date early as unopened tour dates will be closed. Please see the Spring/Autumn Tour Calendar and the Summer Tour Calendar for confirmed departures. Any unopened date can be a Custom Week (9 riders required). Please contact us via email or call 970.728.5891
2018 Summer Tour Dates:
2018 Autumn Tour Dates:
- September 16 to 21, 2018 (Book Now!)
2019 Summer Tour Dates:
- June 2 to 7, 2019 (Book Now!)
- June 9 to 14, 2019 (Book Now!)
- June 16 to 21, 2019 (Book Now!)
- June 23 to 28, 2019 (Book Now!)
Telluride to Taos Bike Tour: Overview
Tour Length: 6-Days Cycling/6-Nights Lodging
Starting Town: Telluride, Colorado (Fly into Montrose (MTJ) Colorado). The tour meets on the morning of Day 1 in Telluride, Colorado.
SPECIAL NOTE: The June 24th T2T meets on the morning of Day 1 in Montrose, Colorado at the Hampton Inn.
Ending Town: Taos, New Mexico (Fly out of Albuqurque, New Mexico). Guests are on-their-own to arrange the Saturday morning shuttle from Taos to Albuquerque.
Click here for some suggestions on how to get to Telluride, Colorado from the Telluride Tourism Board.
If You Are Flying
If you flying to the start of the T2T, arrange for one of the regularly scheduled shuttles to Telluride.
If Flying into Montrose, Colorado
- Telluride Express
- Mountain Limo
- Take the Bus! Road Runner Stage Lines to Telluride (cost $20)
- Departs Montrose once a day for Telluride at 3:11pm.
- NOTE: It is about ½ a mile (can be walked or Try Uber) from the airport to the Montrose bus station.
If Flying into Grand Junction, Colorado
- Take the Road Runner Stage Lines to Telluride Cost $25
- Bus departs Grand Junction at 1:45pm
- NOTE: It is about 5 miles from Grand Junction airport to the bus station.
- Take a taxi or Uber
If You Are Driving
If you will be driving to the start of the T2T, it is best to leave your car in Durango, Colorado and catch a shuttle or bus to Telluride.
- The Road Runner Stage Lines is available between Durango and Telluride
- Bus departs Durango at 7am and arrives Telluride at 9:30am
- Cost $25
- Post Tour Driving Logistics:
- Departing very early (4:30am) from Taos on Saturday morning the Lizard Head Cycling van will drive back to Durango and your vehicle.
Pre-Tour Lodging: Telluride
Guests are responsible for their own pre-tour lodging in Telluride. We recommend making your pre-tour lodging reservations in Telluride at either the Camel’s Garden Hotel, Victorian Inn (least expensive), New Sheridan Hotel or Mt Lodge (a lessor expensive option in Mt. Village).
Bike Shipping
Bikes can be shipped to Lizard Head Cycling’s office in Telluride/Ophir for pre-tour assembly. We will bring them to the start.
Post-Tour Logistics from Taos
Guests fly out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. After the tour final night’s lodging (Friday), on Saturday morning guests should make a return arrangement from Taos to Albuquerque.
- We suggest the Ski Taos shuttle service. The shuttle takes about 2.5 hours from Taos to Albuquerque and departs the Town of Taos at 8:00a & 12:00p. For more information or to book, follow this link.
- A second option is too rent a vehicle and drive to Albuquerque stopping in Santa Fe.
Total Miles: 350-470 (Can I keep up on this tour?)
Mileage Range: 41-111
Ability Level: 3/4 (Intermediate to Advanced/Challenging). The Telluride-2-Taos bike tour includes easily assessable mileage options for the EFI’er to the Intermediate level cyclist. We have previously run the T-2-T with mixed rider abilities and had good success.
Tour Includes: 6-nights of lodging, 5-days of meals, guide service, entrance fees, daily lunch en route, energy food, liquid refreshments, mechanical support and special gift. Alcoholic beverages, massage & bike rental are additional.
Tour Cost: $2,690 per person. Group discount of $200 per person for groups of 4 or more.
Please see our Tour Discounts Policy.
Single Room Supplement: Add $590 to the Tour Cost for a private room each night of the tour (6 nights).
Road Bike Rental: Lizard Head Cycling Guides is proud to rent Scott CR-1 Pro and Scott Solace carbon road bikes with full Shimano Ultegra components for only $250/week, or $150 for 3 or 4 day tours. Both the CR-1 and Solace models are sub- 17 lb comfortable, high performance bicycles geared for climbing hills. In addition we also have electric bikes available for rental at $375/week. And finally we have a selection of straight bar road bikes and kids bikes in our rental fleet. Just let us know what you need and we can probably find it.
Please also see this blog post for more information on bike rentals.
Electric Bike Rental: We now have a limited selection of SCOTT electric bikes that can be reserved for our tours. These are road bikes with straight bars that make the slowest rider the fastest rider in the group. Rental Price is $375/week.
Couples Bike Rental Discount: Sign up as a couple and receive one free bike high performance rental per couple ($250 value).
Tandems and Recumbents: Lizard Head Cycling Guides happily accommodates both tandem and recumbent bikes on its tours.
Read more on our Road Bike Rental FAQs page.
Lodging Includes: (subject to change)
- Night 1: Strater Hotel, Durango, CO
- Night 2: The Springs Resort, Pagosa Springs, CO
- Night 3: Branding Iron Motel, Chama, NM
- Night 4: Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa, Ojo Caliente, NM
- Nights 5 & 6: El Monte Sagrado or Taos Inn, Taos, NM
Meals On Tour
Lunches: Lizard Head Cycling Guides prepares healthy lunches to keep
you
going. We will serve you fresh organic fruits and veggies, salads, hummus, sandwich fixings, nuts, gourmet cheeses
and
of course plenty of salty/sweet snacks such as chips and cookies. We pride ourselves on being able to cater to
specific
dietary requests, so rest assured that you will be able to get the nutrition that works for you during the week. Gluten
Free, Dairy Free or a someone who loves it all – we will keep you well fed during the tour!
Dinners: Lizard Head Cycling sources our favorite restaurants in each town that we visit. Our
guides focus on establishments that offer fresh and local ingredients. Guests choose whatever they desire to eat off
the
menu: including appetizer, salad, entree and of course dessert... yum!
Also, while on tour if a guest wants to dine early before the group and go
to bed, this is fine. We understand that on some days sleep is the most important post-ride element.
Overall Route Map
Telluride to Taos Bike Tour: Itinerary*
*Tour itineraries are subject to change and modification based on the group, available accommodations and other unforeseen circumstances including weather, wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, landslides and/or other acts of nature. Please view this itinerary as an outline as to what to expect on this tour.
Day 0: Arrival in Durango, Colorado
Cyclists fly into Montrose, Colorado and take a shuttle up to Telluride to check into their first night’s lodging. Bikes can be shipped to Lizard Head Cycling’s office near Telluride for pre-tour assembly.
Day 1: Telluride, Colorado to Durango, Colorado
65-mile warm up up to Dolores, Colorado 🙂
E.F.I. Optional: Ride all the way to Durango (111-Miles with 5,970 feet of climbing)
Day 1 offers a spectacular ride from Telluride over Lizard Head Cycling;s namesake pass and then mostly downhill for 50-miles to Dolores, Colorado. The E.F.I. option is a full century ride of 111-miles with a point-to-point ride from Telluride to Durango. Both routes follow the Rio Dolores from Lizard Head Pass to the town of Dolores. From Lizard Head Pass it is a near 50-mile net descent to Dolores making for a cruisy ride through the San Juan National Forest.
Downtown Telluride, Colorado
Welcome to Lizard Head Peak!
Elevation Profile: +5970 ft / -8190 ft
Day 2: Durango, Colorado to Pagosa Springs, Colorado
67 Miles with up to 4,500 feet of climbing
Starting from downtown Durango, cyclists start the day pedaling up into the Florida River Valley and then down through the Los Pinos River Valley to Bayfield. From here the route heads due east over Yellowjacket Pass through parts of the San Juan National Forest, past Haystack Mountain and ends at the body and soul refreshing hot springs of Pagosa Springs.
Beautiful day for a ride!
Downtown Durango
Pagosa Hot Springs on the San Juan River
Elevation Profile: +4500 ft / -4000 ft
Day 3: Pagosa Springs, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico
48 Miles with up to 3,300 feet of climbing
With a shorter ride day on tap, we start mid-morning from Pagosa Springs heading south and as we near the New Mexico border, you can almost get a whiff of the state’s famous and fragrant green chile. We soon cross both the New Mexican border and the continental divide while pedaling a remote and hilly route to Chama, New Mexico.
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad near Chama, New Mexico
Along the way in New Mexico
Elevation Profile: +3300 ft / -2600 ft
Day 4: Chama, New Mexico to Ojo Caliente, New Mexico
95 Miles with up to 4,900 feet of climbing
Today’s ride climbs the formidable Brazos Pass to 10,000-feet and descends into the Rio Grande Valley to the exclusive Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa. Steeped in myth and legend, these ancient springs have been a gathering place and source of healing for thousands of years. The use of the waters can be traced back to the earliest human migrations in the region. Ancient peoples, the ancestors of today’s Native American Tewa tribes, built large pueblos and terraced gardens overlooking the springs. Surrounding the springs are the ruins of the cities populated before the birth of history.
Fall foliage
Day 4 near Chama on way to Ojo Caliente
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs
Elevation Profile: +4900 ft / -6500 ft
Day 5: Ojo Caliente, New Mexico to Taos, New Mexico
41 Miles with up to 2,000 feet of climbing
After a relaxed morning at Ojo we’ll ride from the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs to Taos, New Mexico and stay at the El Monte Sagrado. Taos is an artist’s destination of international acclaim and home to the Taos Pueblo Indians. Along the way we’ll cross the spectacular Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.
Fall colors along the way
Taos Pueblo, New Mexico
Elevation Profile: +2000 ft / -1300 ft
Day 6: “The Enchanted Circle Ride” – Taos, New Mexico Loop
85 Miles to 100 Miles with up to 5,800 feet of climbing
Ride the Sangre De Christo (Blood of Christ) mountains between Taos and Red River, New Mexico. The Enchated Circle Loop is New Mexico’s premier mountain ride offering exceptional beauty. Cyclists arrive back in their Taos lodging for a final night’s farewell dinner!
Quiet roads high in the mountains
Taos Mountain at sunset
Elevation Profile: +5800 ft / -5800 ft
Day 7: Post Tour (Saturday)
On Saturday morning cyclists wake and shuttle from Taos to Albuquerque (2.5 hours) and fly out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Southwest and Delta airlines (among others) service Albuquerque.
NOTE: Guests are on-their-own to arrange the Saturday morning shuttle from Taos to Albuquerque.
Telluride to Taos Bike Tour: Logistics & FAQs
Bike Shipping
Lizard Head Cycling recommends shipping with BikeFlights.com. Bikes can be shipped either to our partner bike shop in each meeting town for professional assembly or directly to the meeting hotel for self-assembly. Bike boxes can generally be left at the meeting hotel during the tour. Bikes shipped across the continental US should be shipped 8 days prior to your tour.
General Tour & Cancellation Policies
Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with all of our tour and cancellation policies, which can be found by clicking here.
Travel Insurance
Lizard Head Cycling Guides highly recommends clients purchase Travel Insurance through MH Ross Travel Insurance. A policy can be purchased individually through the sales link below or Lizard Head Cycling Guides can also set-up a policy for its clients.
The estimated cost for a 50-year old buying insurance for a $2,500 tour ranges from $100 (standard plan) to about $200 (cancel for any reason plan).
Lizard Head Cycling Guides Custom Sales Portal Link is:
https://www.mhross.com/index.php/consumer/portal/LIZA0855CO
- The best options for our clients are either the Asset or Bridge plans.
- The Asset-Plus & Complete plans both include a Cancel-For-Any-Reason option.
- As a result these plans cost more.
- The Cancel-for-Any-Reason option is only available when insurance is purchased within two weeks of initial deposit.