4 m away
River Road
A beautiful riverside pedal on an old railroad grade, complete with tunnels!
Easy Mountain Biking
- Distance
- 34 km
- Ascent
- 294 m
- Descent
- 294 m
Pedal through a massive aspen grove on the side of a beautiful ridge.
Mountain Biking Easy
Aspen Ridge reigns supreme as the most scenic gravel road ride in the entire Arkansas Valley! This appealing route departs the town of Buena Vista, climbs to the top of a gorgeous ridge with stunning views of the Sawatch Mountain Range, and then traverses the ridge for miles and before finally dropping steeply into the town of Salida.
For an added visual bonus, opt to pedal this route in late September or the beginning of October when the aspen leaves turn to brilliant gold! While this road is very popular as a leaf peeping drive, it’s still worth braving the leaf peeper traffic for the experience of pedaling through such an incredible aspen grove.
While most of this route is quite smooth and fast, portions of the climb up to the top of the ridge and the descent down the backside are very rocky and rough, with some roots and small drops in places. While this entire ride is navigable on a gravel bike, care must be taken to negotiate the chunky portions of the ride safely. While these technical sections are a small percentage of the overall ride, Aspen Ridge originally served as a popular mountain biking route before the advent of capable gravel bikes. Take that as a note of caution.
While the route mapped here is a popular point-to-point option connecting the two towns, you can turn it into a loop by using county roads in the valley, or you can create much more complex loop route options high in the Arkansas Hills. This is just one popular route to get you started, and from here, you can let your imagination run wild!
Easy
Mostly smooth and non-technical singletrack with unavoidable obstacles 2in/5cm tall or less. Avoidable obstacles may be present. Ideal for beginner riders.
4 m away
A beautiful riverside pedal on an old railroad grade, complete with tunnels!
Easy Mountain Biking
4 m away
This logical close-to-town loop is still a technical mountain biking challenge.
Severe Mountain Biking
4 m away
Freshly-built tech-gnar constructed in 2019 that's sure to punish you.
Extreme Mountain Biking
5 m away
A gravel ride through iconic “spaghetti western” terrain.
Easy Mountain Biking
17 m away
The best high-desert singletrack trails in Buena Vista (as of 2018) combined into one ride.
Difficult Mountain Biking
3.6 km away
An OG Buena Vista Ride looping the Midland Trail and dirt roads in Four Mile.
Moderate Mountain Biking
3.6 km away
One of the flowy few: an easy mountain bike ride in Buena Vista.
Moderate Mountain Biking
3.6 km away
An OG Buena Vista ride on the Midland Railroad Grade.
Moderate Mountain Biking
3.8 km away
One of the most brutally-technical and high-consequence mountain bike trails in Central Colorado.
Extreme Mountain Biking
8.9 km away
This faint singletrack trail runs through a remote zone right on the border of the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness.
Difficult Mountain Biking
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