Description

This mellow out-and-back ride on River Road may just be the easiest bike ride in Chaffee County.

But despite being ultra-easy and ultra-accessible, this ride is still stunningly beautiful! After pedaling out of town on pavement, the road crosses the river and turns to gravel.

Enjoy the massive rock formations as you pedal by. Soon, you’ll arrive at the signature feature of this road: the incredible series of old railroad tunnels! Pedaling through these blasted out tunnels through the rock never gets old no matter how many times you ride this road! After the railroad tunnels, the road splits away from the river for a few miles but provides beautiful views of the Sawatch range to the west.

But soon, the road re-joins the river, traversing along the formidable section of whitewater known as the Numbers.

Here, the Arkansas River rages through a narrow canyon with technical rapids and cascades along its entire length.

Be sure to take a break either along the way or at the turn around to savor the beauty of this mighty mountain river. Once you turn around, you’ll realize that despite the pedal out being ultra-mellow and very accessible for cyclists of all types, you were actually climbing a very gradual hill.

Get ready to rip back down the mellow but consistent grade all the way back to BV!