Buena Vista to Salida (Aspen Ridge Overnighter)

• This route is generally rideable from spring through fall, but it’s always important to keep an eye on the weather. Spring can still bring cool, sunny conditions, summer temperatures can get very hot, and fall foliage varies from year to year, so it’s worth checking current foliage forecasts before heading out.
• Getting there is easy: take the bus from Denver to Buena Vista and go ride. Bustang is a fantastic service and makes this route especially accessible.
• Once in Buena Vista or Salida, using the bus to shuttle between the two towns is the easiest option, though parking a car is also fairly straightforward given how close they are. If you plan to leave a vehicle overnight, be sure to double-check that overnight parking is allowed in the area.
• Use extra caution when crossing Highway 285 at Trout Creek Pass. It’s a busy stretch of highway, traffic moves quickly, and sightlines can be limited.
• Bike shops are plentiful in Salida, and in Buena Vista, Black Burro Bikes is the go-to stop.
• As for bikes, it’s safe to say it’s a run-what-you-brung kind of route, with minimal chunky sections but a few places that will keep you honest. Use what you feel most comfortable on.

• Camping along the route is entirely primitive and generally easy to find. That said, it’s worth keeping busier weekends and peak travel weeks in mind, when you can expect more people recreating on nearby public lands.
• Within the Browns Canyon National Monument, there are a few sections where camping is limited to designated sites, so be sure to plan accordingly.
• One option I’ve used a few times is turning west up Little Cottonwood Creek Road at mile 29 and pedaling about an extra mile to a fantastic campsite. The only downside is that it’s the only spot in that immediate area, so if it’s already taken, you’ll need to backtrack and continue climbing toward Aspen Ridge.
• Beyond mile 29, you’ll find a variety of solid camping options scattered along the route.
• For those looking for something a bit more comfortable, pre- and post-ride lodging is readily available in both Buena Vista and Salida, and there are also plenty of established campgrounds in the surrounding areas outside of both towns.

• Food resupply is easy in both Salida and Buena Vista, with options ranging from larger grocery stores to natural and whole-food markets. Salida has a slightly broader selection, but Buena Vista still offers plenty of solid choices.
• Water is more limited. Trout Creek is the only consistently reliable year-round water source along the route. In spring, there may be additional snowmelt runoff, but this depends on the year. Overall, this is a very dry region of Colorado, so plan accordingly.
• Bassam Spring, located at mile 29.4 on the map, has historically had water and appears to be solar-powered for cattle grazing in the area. If needed, it can be used as a water source, but be sure to filter or treat it. Access requires stepping over a fence, and the spring is located on San Isabel National Forest land.

From Buena Vista, the route starts downtown and meanders over to the Midland Tunnels before turning off and entering the Fourmile Travel Management Area, where most of the route stays until you get closer to Salida. The section out of BV packs a bit more punch than the rest of the route, which shows on the elevation profile, with plenty of short climbs and descents and some steep, loose, kitty-litter gravel. This zone can be a little tricky to navigate, with many intersecting roads and trails, so having a GPS or watch with the route loaded is extremely helpful.

As you make your way up through juniper and eventually ponderosa pines, the landscape opens up quickly. The views extend to massive 14,000-foot peaks that feel close enough to touch yet are still miles away across the Arkansas River Valley. After a few more ups and downs, you reach the top of Seven Mile Creek Road, sitting at around 9,800 feet. You’ll feel the elevation, but you’ll also notice the transition into a different zone, with more evergreens and aspens.

From here, a fast and winding descent drops you into a wide-open area known as Chubb Park, which is often filled with livestock. You’ll pedal alongside an aqueduct for a few miles, and it is an easy, scenic stretch with unique views. As you begin climbing again toward Trout Creek Pass, you’ll slowly start to hear traffic from Highway 285, a major corridor between Denver and this region. After crossing the highway, you’ll roll into what feels like a strange neighborhood, because it is exactly that.

Eventually, the road funnels you out of the neighborhood and into an open field before dropping into Mushroom Gulch. This three-mile descent is fast and fun, leading you down to Trout Creek, a reliable water source with shade and a great place for a break. This is where we stopped to filter water.

After the break, the route continues descending briefly before turning south onto County Road 187. The climb here is gentle at first, bringing you into Castle Park, where the views are expansive, then narrows as aspens and a shallow canyon close in. At the Harring Park and Aspen Ridge intersection, you’ll turn right and continue south, descending into Bassam Park, where you get your first real look at Aspen Ridge. Although there are a few camping options before this point, I’d start actively looking for a spot here.

I really like a campsite about a mile off the route, west on County Road 185D. It offers a great overlook of Mount Princeton. If you’d rather stay on route and continue up County Road 187, there are plenty of camping options shown on the route map. You may need to climb a bit to reach them, but the views make it worthwhile.

As you roll through Bassam Park, you might notice a small spring on the right. This is likely your last water source. I checked it out, but didn’t collect water, so use it at your own discretion. Eventually, you’ll begin a long, sustained climb out of the park and up to Aspen Ridge. It’s scenic and colorful in the fall, with a few steeper, rockier sections that are the roughest of the entire route, though they’re relatively short.

You’ll eventually reach the high point of the route at just over 10,300 feet, tucked into the trees with great views to the south and southeast. Not all routes finish with a bang, and that’s fine, but this one emphatically does. The final 14 miles are incredibly fun, fast descending, with enough speed that you’ll want to brake-check corners and blind spots. There’s a small amount of climbing mixed in, roughly 400 feet, but overall, you’ll lose about 3,600 feet of elevation from the top of Aspen Ridge down to pavement near Salida. It’s a blast.

Once you hit pavement, take a sharp left onto Spiral Drive and head toward Tenderfoot Mountain, a popular day-ride zone outside of Salida. And that’s it. A solid two-day ride from Buena Vista to Salida, packed with big views, varied vegetation, wildlife, and some really enjoyable dirt roads.