This tour was conducted in 1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2008. Lots of stupendous mountain scenery, with some desert plains thrown in for leavening. We started out going Mexico to Canada, but lately have been doing Canada to Mexico.
18 riding days 1,943 miles 88,000 feet of climbing
Begin in Kalispell, Montana
Fly into Kalispell, Montana on Monday, July 11th, 2011
Fly home from Albuquerque, New Mexico Saturday, July 30, 2011
Tour fee based on double occupancy
Tour fee calculated for rider registration on May 15.
$3,295 for 30 riders or less
$3,195 for 31-33 riders
$3,095 for 34-36 riders
$2,995 for 37 or more riders
Add $950 for a single room
$1000 deposit due by March 15, 2011
Final payments due May 25.
Sign up before May 1, 2011 to guarantee your jersey.
Payment Incentive Schedule For U.S. Tours
To sign up send a $500 deposit to hold your position.
All riders paying $500 before December 15 receive a PAC Tour Columbia Travel Shirt.
Riders paying $1,000 by March 15 receive a PAC Tour REI Flash UL Packable Backpack. This versatile, lightweight day pack cleverly converts into a stuff sack.
|
The Ridge of the Rockies is the oldest PAC Tour ride that is still being offered. This tour was conducted in 1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2008. This tour has grown to average about 40 riders per tour. This event is also unique because we have traveled in each direction depending on the season, sometimes starting near Mexico and sometimes beginning near Canada. This year starting near Canada in July should provide good winds and temperatures on our route south. Our tour commences in Kalispell, Montana located fifty miles south of the Canadian border. Our route follows along the valley of Flathead Lake. This will be one of our longest mileage days but also one of the flattest. The dense forests are good places to spot deer or bear crossing the road. The next several days across Montana are some of the most scenic with many postcard-quality rivers and mountain views. Each day will have some notable climbing as our route crosses the mountains of the Continental Divide region. The cycling roads are good with rideable shoulders and moderate tourist traffic. By the the fourth day we stay in the town of West Yellowstone, Montana, home of Yellowstone Bear World. The following day you will have the option of three routes across Yellowstone Park with distances of 57, 70 or 105 miles. There will be plenty of time for sight seeing and to view the various animals and geysers that Yellowstone Park is famous for. We will spend the night in cabins near Yellowstone Lake on the east side of the Park. The next day we continue south to Jackson Hole, Wyoming through Grand Teton National Park. Our route will cross many famous pioneer trails from the mid 1800s. We traverse the Oregon Trail, Bozeman Trail and Lander cutoff during the first seven days of our tour. There will be plenty of roadside historic markers for history buffs. Each of our nightly stops will have points of interest and museums to learn more about the region. Day 9 is one of our toughest, but also most scenic days, going toward Vernal, Utah. We ride through the Flaming Gorge region which has dozens of steep climbs that reward riders with cliff side overlooks of the valley far below. You will be reminded of why this tour is called the Ridge of the Rockies and recommended only for riders who like to climb mountains. We might have split motel locations on this day and riders will have a choice of 120 or 149 mile routes. As we enter Colorado the mountains are taller and the passes are higher. We will average at least one major climb over 10,000 feet elevation for the each of the next six days. Some riders consider these days the best cycling of the tour. The climb over Grand Mesa heading toward Montrose is a classic ride with a good mix of mountains and farms. Equally spectacular are the passes near Ouray, Silverton and Durango. These are the heart of the Rocky Mountains with constant steep climbs and fast descents. On Day 14 we arrive in South Fork, Colorado after climbing over 10,800' Wolf Creek Pass. The next day is an optional day of either riding up and back 11,361' Slumgullion Pass or riding a loop route through the valley before returning to our base motel in South Fork. On Day 15 we retrace our route over Wolf Creek Pass and then head south to Chama, New Mexico. In 1598 Juan de Onate de Salazar traveled this region and founded Santa Fe. He came north along the Rio Grande (river) and opened the Camino Real trade route from Mexico. This was the first "Super Highway" in America traveling north from Mexico into the Indian regions of New Mexico. He would also discover the Turquoise Trail that would connect Santa Fe with Albuquerque. We will stay near the town square in Old Sante Fe and see the history of over 400 years of Spanish settlement. The terrain will change from the towering peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the tan and brown hills of the desert southwest. This route has its share of hills and each day still contains about 4,000 feet of climbing every 100 miles. Our final day is less than 100 miles into Albuquerque. We will be staying at a hotel to make departure plans easy the next day. Our departure day is Saturday, July 30 or you can stay an extra day and visit the sites around Albuquerque. |
|
|
Glacier National Park Option |
|
|
Arrival Plans |
|
|
Room Policy |
|
|
| # | Day | Date | Start | Finish | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option: Arrive in Kalispell on your own and ride in Glacier Park Saturday, Sunday and Monday | |||||
| 1 | Tue. | July 12 | Kalispell | Missoula, MT | 144 |
| 2 | Wed. | 13 | Missoula | Butte, MT | 134 |
| 3 | Thur. | 14 | Butte | Ennis, MT | 90 |
| 4 | Fri. | 15 | Ennis | West Yellowstone, MT | 80 |
| 5 | Sat. | 16 | West Yellowstone | Lake Yellowstone (in the Park) | 125 |
| 6 | Sun. | 17 | Lake Yellowstone | Jackson, WY | 130 |
| 7 | Mon. | 18 | Jackson | Montpelier | 117 |
| 8 | Tue. | 19 | Montpelier | Lyman, WY | 132 |
| 9 | Wed. | 20 | Fort Bridger | Vernal, WY | 123 |
| 10 | Thur. | 21 | Vernal | Rangely, CO | 54 |
| 11 | Fri. | 22 | Rangley | Grand Junction, CO | 94 |
| 12 | Sat. | 23 | Grand Juction | Montrose, CO | 119 |
| 13 | Sun. | 24 | Montrose | Durango, CO | 112 |
| 14 | Mon. | 25 | Durango | South Fork | 100 |
| 15 | Tue. | 26 | South Fork | Sumgillion Pass (out-back) | 130 |
| 16 | Wed. | 27 | South Fork | Chama | 80 |
| 17 | Thur. | 28 | Chama | Sante Fe, NM | 120 |
| 18 | Fri. | 29 | Sante Fe | Albuquerque, NM | 100 |
| Fly home from Abuquerque Saturday, July 30 | |||||
Chip's Blog
Notorangelo's photos
Jim and Will Slauson Blog
David Roark Blog
Joel Goodman Blog
| Day | Date | Start | End | Miles | Climbing |
| Mon July 28 | Fly in day | Lodging & Evening Banquet Included | |||
| 1 | Tue July 29 | Kalispell MT | Missoula MT | 148 | 2600' |
| 2 | Wed July 30 | Missoula MT | Butte MT | 134 | 4100' |
| 3 | Thur July 31 | Butte MT | Bozeman MT | 101 | 4200' |
| 4 | Fri Aug 1 | Bozeman MT | West Yellowstone MT | 90 | 4000' |
| 5 | Sat Aug 2 | West Yellowstone MT | Jackson WY | 135 | 6000' |
| 6 | Sun Aug 3 | Jackson WY | Montpelier ID | 117 | 3650' |
| 7 | Mon Aug 4 | Montpelier ID | Evanston WY | 93 | 3200' |
| 8 | Tue Aug 5 | Evanston WY | Vernal UT | 147 | 8700' |
| 9 | Wed Aug 6 | Vernal UT | Rangely CO | 52 | 2000' |
| 10 | Thur Aug 7 | Rangely CO | Grand Junction CO | 94 | 3100' |
| 11 | Fri Aug 8 | Grand Junction CO | Montrose CO | 119 | 6000' |
| 12 | Sat Aug 9 | Montrose CO | Durango CO | 112 | 9200' |
| 13 | Sun Aug 10 | Durango CO | Chama NM | 120 | 8600' |
| 14 | Mon Aug 11 | Chama NM | Espanola NM | 82 | 3500' |
| 15 | Tue Aug 12 | Espanola NM | Moriarty NM | 75 | 5300' |
| 16 | Wed Aug 13 | Moriarty NM | Socorro NM | 105 | 5000' |
| 17 | Thur Aug 14 | Socorro NM | Truth or Consequences NM | 75 | 4600' |
| 18 | Fri Aug 15 | Truth or Consequences NM | Las Cruces NM | 80 | 2000' |
| 19 | Sat Aug 16 | Las Cruces NM | El Paso TX | 64 | 1600' |
| Sun Aug 17 | Depart for home | ||||
1943 miles, 102 miles per day, 88,000 feet of climbing
A journal from Dave Smith
http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/rockies/main.html

2001 "Ridge of the Rockies" Canada to Mexico
Kalispell, Montana to El Paso, Texas
September 13 - 29 riding days (Sept. 12-30 fly in)
1,900 miles 17 days 112 miles per day
Optional earlier arrival tour of Glacier Park Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Depart from Kalispell, MT
| Day | September | End for day | Miles | Climbing | |
| 1 | 13 | Thur | Missoula MT | 144 | 2600' |
| 2 | 14 | Fri | Butte MT | 131 | 2100' |
| 3 | 15 | Sat | Bozeman MT | 100 | 3200' |
| 4 | 16 | Sun | West Yellowstone MT | 85 | 4000' |
| 5 | 17 | Mon | Jackson WY | 135 | 6000' |
| 6 | 18 | Tue | Montpelier ID | 116 | 3650' |
| 7 | 19 | Wed | Evanston WY | 95 | 3200' |
| 8 | 20 | Thur | Vernal UT | 138 | 8700' |
| 9 | 21 | Fri | Grand Junction CO | 132 | 5100' |
| 10 | 22 | Sat | Montrose CO | 119 | 6000' |
| 11 | 23 | Sun | Durango CO | 115 | 9200' |
| 12 | 24 | Mon | Farmington CO | 59 | 3600' |
| 13 | 25 | Tue | Gallup NM | 134 | 5500' |
| 14 | 26 | Wed | Springerville AZ | 120 | 5300' |
| 15 | 27 | Thur | Silver City NM | 148 | 7000' |
| 16 | 28 | Fri | Las Cruces NM | 136 | 6650' |
| 17 | 29 | Sat | El Paso TX | 55 | 1600' |
1962 miles, 115 miles per day, 83400' climbing, 4906' climb per day
Read Don Friedlander's daily journal of the 2001 trip.

Read Mike Ingram's Journals and Roger Pierce's writeup on the 1998 tour at another site (includes many pictures). 19 Days, 2250 Miles, 92,000' of climbing.
![]() | Silverton, Colorado lunch break |
|
Robert Ames Kirsten Ames Linda Baker Lori Barr Susan Barr (R) Eric Bianchini Ed Boecker Phil Bohaty (C) Barb Bohaty (C) Greg Brown (C) Rachel Brown Shannon Brown Brandon Chambers (R) Carol Clark Carl Clogston Richard Davis Bonnie Esposito (R) Martin Fahje Reed Finfrock Janet Finfrock (non-rider) Roberta Fischer Nancy Frechette Matthias Gehmlich Hans Graf Peter Graf (R) Mark Greenwald (C) Rebecca Haldeman (C) Lon Haldeman (C) Manfred Hertig Guy Hopwood (R) Mike Ingram |
Robert Kash Jerry Khorll Peter Knox (R) Rieks Koning John Lake Ray Latimer Cassandra Lowe Mac McDonald (R) Iain McFadzen (R) Bernd Messemer Beatrice Meyer Susan Notorangelo (C) Wim Pauw Roger Pierce (R) Bill Roberts Jurg Schmid Kurt Schroeder Doug Slack (C) Joe Smith Jim Smith (C) Ruedi Spalinger John Stoneman (C) Elizabeth Sumption (R) Holger Tillmanns Harold Trease Jeff Weible John Wharem Michael Wiegand (R) Edy Wiersema Jack Wolff Richard Zipf |
(R) = Rookie; (C) = Crew
![]() | Ridge rider Harold Trease upon completing RAAM six weeks after tour. |
(2001 route will be in reverse)
Begin El Paso, Texas
| Day | June | End for day | Miles | Climbing | |
| 1 | 9 | Tue | Las Cruces, NM | 55 | 1,600' |
| 2 | 10 | Wed | Silver City, NM | 136 | 6,650' |
| 3 | 11 | Thur | Springerville, AZ | 148 | 7,000' |
| 4 | 12 | Fri | Gallup, NM | 120 | 5,000' |
| 5 | 13 | Sat | Farmington, NM | 134 | 5,500' |
| 6 | 14 | Sun | Durango, CO | 59 | 3,600' |
| 7 | 15 | Mon | Montrose, CO | 115 | 9,200' |
| 8 | 16 | Tue | Grand Jct. CO | 117 | 6,000' |
| 9 | 17 | Wed | Vernal, UT | 147 | 5,000' |
| 10 | 18 | Thur | Rock Springs, WY | 109 | 8,700' |
| 11 | 19 | Fri | Montpelier, ID | 158 | 3,200' |
| 12 | 20 | Sat | Jackson, WY | 116 | 3,650' |
| 13 | 21 | Sun | W. Yellowstone, MT | 135 | 6,000' |
| 14 | 22 | Mon | Bozeman, MT | 90 | 4,000' |
| 15 | 23 | Tue | Butte, MT | 100 | 3,200' |
| 16 | 24 | Wed | Missoula, MT | 133 | 2,100' |
| 17 | 25 | Thur | Kalispell, MT | 144 | 2,600' |
| 18 | 26 | Fri | Cardston, Canada | 116 | 4,700' |
| 19 | 27 | Sat | Calgary, Canada | 116 | 1,240' |
![]() | Richard Zipf on Day 3 (6/11/98) on the Continental Divide just west of Silver City on Hwy 180 |