This is the ride the region is named for: up the Big Thompson Canyon on US-34 from the canyon mouth near the Dam Store to Lake Estes, about nineteen miles and 2,200 feet of climbing. On a touring e-bike the grade turns from an ordeal into a long, scenic effort.
Be clear about what it is: a state highway shared with cars, not a bike path. The road was fully rebuilt after the 2013 flood with full-width lanes and shoulders, and bicycles are permitted along it, but canyon walls mean curves and traffic means attention. Check COtrip.org for incident closures before you commit to the day. We recommend riding it with a guide the first time; that is why our flagship tour is this exact route.
The route ends at Lake Estes, deliberately. Past Estes Park sits Rocky Mountain National Park, where e-bikes may only ride roads open to cars and every trail is closed to them; the details are cited below.
Can you ride an e-bike here?
This is highway riding under state law, and the park boundary past Estes has its own rules.
Colorado roads (state law)
US-34 through Big Thompson Canyon and public roads generally.
| Where | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roadways, including US-34 | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed |
“A person riding a bicycle, electrical assisted bicycle, or electric scooter has all of the rights and duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle under this article 4.”
No bicycle prohibition is designated or posted for US-34 between Loveland and Estes Park, and under C.R.S. 42-4-109(11) a ban would require an engineering investigation plus posted signs. Highway riding is legal; whether it is comfortable is a different question, which is why our canyon ride is a guided tour.
Source: C.R.S. 42-4-1412(1) · checked 2026-08-31
Rocky Mountain National Park
Everything past the park boundary beyond Estes Park.
| Where | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park roads open to cars (paved and dirt) | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed |
| All park trails | Prohibited | Prohibited | Prohibited |
“Except for the East Shore Trail, electric bicycles are allowed in Rocky Mountain National Park where traditional bicycles are allowed. Electric bicycles are prohibited where traditional bicycles are prohibited.”
The park draws no class distinction. The one trail where regular bicycles may ride, a two-mile piece of the East Shore Trail near Grand Lake, is explicitly closed to e-bikes.
Source: RMNP Superintendent's Compendium, approved 06-08-2026 · checked 2026-08-31
Elevation
The route
Trail data: CDOT Routes (Colorado Department of Transportation) (retrieved 2026-08-31). Elevation samples: USGS 3DEP (Elevation Point Query Service). Numbers are computed from that data, not measured by us.