Lookout Mountain, Part of the Lariat Loop Scenic Byway

Got only a few hours for a motorcycle ride? Then may I suggest a ride to Lookout mountain.

Located next to nearby Golden, it's the final resting place of Buffalo Bill and the site of a museum dedicated to his memory.  The road that leads up to the top starts off on 19th street in Golden, hairpins and twists its way up the mountain and down the other side as part of the Lariat Loop Scenic Byway.
 

Click on the map above to get more info from byways.org on this great ride

The Lookout Mountain Road is quite twisty in parts with several hairpin turns and breath taking views of the city of Golden and in the distance you can see Denver and its surroundings  There's a couple of stone towers at the beginning of the Lookout Mountain Road which make a good spot for pictures if you are so inclined:

 Stone Gateways to Lariat Loop
Circa 1930s?
Courtesy Golden Pioneer Museum

 
The Gateway Towers as they look today

 
Here's a shot of the top of Lookout Mountain with its antennae farms back in 2007, lots more there now
 
Here's a panoramic shot of the first hairpin turn one encounters on this road

Down below the mountain, you can see a glimpse of the Coors Brewery

Some nice twists and turns await the rider on this mountain road
 

So, there you go, if you've only a few hours for riding and live in the Denver Metro Area, just going to Golden and riding up Lookout Mountain and visiting the museum should be a very nice way to spend those hours!  However, if you've the time, work in the rest of the Lariat Loop, you won't be dissapointed.

My most recent ride up Lookout Mountain:  May 2009

Ride Safe, Ride Aware