SALIDA, CO
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to get to from Colorado Springs | High elevation riding |
| Great for multi-sport adventures | Limited trails for beginners |
| Dispensaries and breweries |
You may have never heard of Salida, Colorado, a quaint town in the Colorado Rockies surrounded by peaks over 14,000 feet. With so many other famous Colorado destinations, Salida often gets overlooked. But that only adds to it’s intrigue. Salida is only a 3-hour drive from Denver, and this outdoor mecca plays host to mountain bikers, mountain climbers, rafters, rock climbers…and the list goes on.
MUST RIDE MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS NEAR SALIDA, CO
- Monarch Crest IMBA Epic trail: (Intermediate to Advanced riders only)
- You’ll need a shuttle for this one and start early. It’s a 36.2-mile point to point ride that will descend 5,890 feet, starting at the elevation of 11,962’!
- Shuttles available from High Valley Bike Shuttle
- Cottonwood Tour (Intermediate)
- 1-mile ride that can be broken into smaller sections with options for all riders
- Ride out of town, shuttle recommended if you’re not into climbing. The beginning of the ride is a 8-mile road climb to the trailhead.
- Methodist Mountain (Great for beginners and intermediate riders)
- A short but great trail system that has trails that are perfect for beginners and families that don’t want to take on the challenging rides and still have a blast!
WHERE TO RENT BIKES IN SALIDA, CO
- Our favorite Salida bike shop is Absolute Bikes – their convenient downtown location offers the most variety of bikes from Yeti, Ibis, Kona, Pivot, Trek and more
WHERE TO CAMP FOR FREE
- Shavano Wildlife Management area
SALIDA IS BEST KNOWN FOR
- The mind-blowing trails surrounding Salida really put this mountain bike town on the map. Monarch crest trail IMBA epic is one of Colorado’s classic mountain bike rides (which makes it one of the U.S.’s classic mountain bike rides)
- Arkansas River rafting
- Basecamp for climbing 14ers
OTHER OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AROUND SALIDA, CO
- Rafting the Arkansas river
- Climb 14ers – Mt. Shavano, Mt. Yale are the closest. This area offers one of the highest density of peaks over 14000 ft.
- Visit Princeton Hot Springs for a soak after all of your outdoor adventures.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
- June – October. Err on the later side if you want to ride the Monarch Crest trail to make sure it is clear of snow. In some years, it is not clear of snow until mid-July
