Salida

Beta: Classic route: shuttle to Monarch Pass, ride the Crest south to Marshall Pass junction, descend Silver Creek to Rainbow Trail, finish on Hwy 285 back to Poncha Springs or pedal into Salida. ~35 miles with ~3,000 ft of climbing despite being 'downhill.' Bring more food and water than you think — no resupply for 25+ miles. Weather changes fast above treeline.

Season: Snow above 11,000 ft typically melts out late June to early July. Even July 4th can have snow drifts on the Divide. Best window is mid-July through September. Afternoon thunderstorms are real above treeline — start early.

Shuttle: Shuttle from Salida (7,000 ft) to Monarch Pass summit (11,312 ft). Both Absolute Bikes and High Valley run the route. Without shuttle you'd climb 4,300 ft of highway — nobody does that.

E-bikes: Monarch Crest proper (pass to Marshall Pass) is motorized-legal, but Silver Creek descent is non-motorized. Full classic route is NOT legally rideable on an e-bike.

Beta: Park at the large unpaved pullout on the south side of CR 175. Trail starts as Beasway Trail with gradual climbing, then hits the 'Waterfall' — a technical canyon section with large rock features. Walk it first if you're not sure. The actual Cottonwood Gulch descent after the Waterfall is the payoff. Total ~10 miles point-to-point including connectors.

Season: Accessible May through October depending on snowpack. CR 175 may be muddy in early spring.

Shuttle: Absolute Bikes shuttles to the top Fri-Sun at 8am ($30/person). Without shuttle, it's an 8-mile dirt road climb up CR 175 — doable but grindy.

Self-shuttle: Drive CR 175 about 7 miles to unpaved parking area on right side with kiosk. Ride down, retrieve car. Or pedal up the road and ride down.

Beta: Park at the large lot at the east end of F Street downtown. Tenderfoot switchbacks up the west side of Tenderfoot Hill. Frontside is the fast way up but has exposure — beginners take Tenderfoot instead. Good combos: Tenderfoot to Backbone to Cottonwood connector for mellow, or Frontside to Hooligan to Dude Abides for tech. Chicken Dinner and Rusty Lung are the flow trails.

Season: Rides year-round. Snow-free most of winter at lower elevations. The closest trails to downtown Salida. Higher loops (Hooligan, Dude Abides) may hold snow longer.

E-bikes: E-bikes only on designated motorized trails — most S Mountain trails are BLM/USFS non-motorized. Check current regulations.

Beta: Access from downtown — park at AHRA headquarters or the public lot at 3rd and H Streets. Little Rainbow Trail (5 miles one-way) is the mellow starter. Spartan West and East add tech. Full Methodist Mountain Loop is 14.4 miles mixing paved, dirt road, and doubletrack. Half the trails are easy, half are more difficult — pick your loop.

Season: Rides nearly year-round — high-desert aspect keeps it dry. Rocky and sandy surface drains fast. Avoid riding wet clay sections (Mancos shale).

Beta: Park at Hwy 285/Mears Junction at the Rainbow Trailhead. Ride 9 miles up CR 47YY/Silver Creek Road — mellow grade, only steepens near the top. Hop on Rainbow Trail #1336 and ride 11.3 miles of singletrack back to your car. Counter-clockwise is the standard direction (road up, singletrack down). Total ~19 miles. Beaver ponds and willows on the road, dense forest and meadow blowouts on the trail.

Season: Prime in May and early June before Monarch Crest melts out, and again in October after it closes. Lower elevation than the Crest so it opens earlier and stays open later. The go-to ride when the Crest is still snowed in.

E-bikes: Rainbow Trail is open to motorized use (dirt bikes, ATVs) — e-bikes are legal here. Expect occasional moto traffic.

Beta: Same start as classic Monarch Crest but continues past the standard finish, linking additional trail sections into Salida proper. Bring extra food, extra water, extra layers. This is a dawn-to-dusk day for most riders. Only attempt if you've done the standard Crest and want more.

Season: Same window as standard Monarch Crest: mid-July through September. Even longer day means even more weather exposure — early start mandatory.

Shuttle: Same shuttle to Monarch Pass. The extra distance is all on the back end — you ride further into Salida instead of finishing at Poncha Springs.

E-bikes: Same restrictions as standard Monarch Crest — Silver Creek section is non-motorized.