Co134 near Toponas s(u) by Bicycle - Velo

Sometimes passes and water divides don't like to follow the numerical rules, that mathematically impaired people like myself like to make up, regarding what makes a summit. One of these rules that I set up for these pages is, that each approach has to be at least 500ft high.

Take Lynx Pass for example, a popular MTB bicycle touring route. There are more bike tracks here than on any other dirt road in the Gore Range, higher or lower; the reason - it's on the Great Divide bike route. Make a route to ride and people will ride it and even race it. I saw dozens of them.

On the south side of Lynx Pass, the dirt road it meets paved Co134 about 320 ft below the Lynx Pass summit. Co134 heads for points higher than Lynx Pass in both directions, even if in one case it is only 20ft higher. Also none of the dirt roads on either side of Co134 head any lower. So this page is about the higher point on Co134. But going down Lynx Pass on one side is a necessary condition to make the Co134 point a summit.

1.(mile00.0,8250ft)START-END SOUTH: Co134 in Toponas: road crosses railroad tracks
2.(mile06.3,9020ft)TOP
3.(mile08.3,8700ft)profile turns left onto unpaved CR16
4.(mile11.3,9020ft)Lynx Pass
5.(mile30.1,7160ft)START-END NORTH: jct CR14-CR16, west side of Stagecoach Reservoir

Approaches

From South. Co134 leaves Tonopas (no services but a nice view of the Flattops and climbs from the sagebrush into pine forest. At this point you are still about 500ft below the top of Gore Pass and in between is a long high and cool meadow, also called a "park". The top has no views, but on the way up on the right is an interesting looking volcanic plug.

From North. (described downwards) After descending a little over 300ft the road reaches a low point approaching Decker Creek. A dirt road crosses here. All roads lead to higher elevations except one, and that is the dirt road on the left over Lynx Pass. The profile turns left and follows the road past a fishing pond and a forest service facility to a well defined top. There is a trailhead here for the Morrison Divide Trail to the west of the pass.

Past this shoulder point, rolling down, the dirt road crossed from national forest onto private land relatively quickly. Here begins an entire apparently unnamed town of widely spaced settlements, connected by roads with names such as Filly Lane and Colt Lane. I want to call it a suburb of Steamboat Springs, but that is many miles to the north. It is also where these people have to drive to buy their milk. So you better bring back a tanker of milk to make it worthwhile.

This collection of settlements lasts all the way to a lake in the sagbrush landscape, Stagecoach Reservoir, again surrounded by a real estate agent's dream come true.

Dayride with this point as highest summit:

PARTIALLY PAVED / UNPAVED

( < FR250 Rock Creek Rd s(u) | Old Rabbit Ears Pass > )
Co134 Tonopas s(u) : FR250 Rock Creek area > FR250 south > Co134 west > Lynx Pass(shp) > Stagecoach Reservoir > CR14 east > Co131 south Phippsburg > CR15 south > CR17 south > Yampa > Co131 south > CR6 south > Co134 east > Co134 Tonopas s(u) > Co134 south > FR250 north back to starting point: 63,2miles with 3530ft of climbing in 5:13hrs (Garmin etrex30 15.6.29).

same summit point: jct Co134 - FR270 to Lynx Pass > Lynx Pass > CR14 north > Yellowjacket Pass(shp) > Co134 south > Yampa > Tonapas > Co134 east > Co134 Tonopas s(u) > back to starting point: jct Co134 - FR270 to Lynx Pass (mechanical odometer: 88.9.25)
Notes: Yellowjacket Pass is not a shoulder summit on this loop, when approached in a loop from jct CR14 - Co131