Aspen Ridge

500

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 09/30/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

The trail is open and ran north to south. Fall colors are only going to be around for about another week or so when we drove through. Did not pass any other vehicles the entire route.

Jim French

7100

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 06/01/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Easier

Pretty easy and popular trail. Lots of dirt bikes and razors that seemed to not be very experienced. I imagine this a great place to see the leaves change in the fall. Be prepared for a lot of people.

Ashleigh Dark

100

Seasonal Closure

Visited: 04/17/2022

Gate closed coming from Salida.

Bob Vaughn

150

Seasonal Closure

Visited: 02/10/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

We went as far as the closed gate at way point 8. There were a few spots where the snow was deep enough to require effort to get through it, but as a whole passable to the gate

Rich Brunnworth

4200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/26/2021

Ran from north to south. First part is nice and smooth, then comes the part through the trees and it gets a bit bumpy, some places you may need to choose your line wisely, Finally comes the gravel section leading down to Salida. This will make a great fall trip when the aspens have turned, and we intend to return for that.

Carlo Donzelli

2200

Open

Visited: 06/06/2021

Beautiful and scenic trail! Definitely coming back here in the fall. The section that goes through the forest is a bit bumpy but nothing difficult, the rest is quite smooth.

Nik Verbeck

Official Crew

1850

Open

Visited: 06/03/2021

Trail is all dry and in good shape. Property owners and Forest Service have been out building fences and closing off some heavy used camping areas that where well off the trail and most likely on private land. Probably also worth advising that you don't make the turn at waypoint 5 down 185b to Elk Mountain Ranch. The Ranch doesn't not appear friendly as they have Arm'd people placed at the entrance. If you mistakenly turn down this road. There is a little bit of a turn around before you get to the gate.

Tanner Mitchell

2600

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 05/10/2021

Ran from north to south, camping near the admin trail on the ridge section. Cold and windy but great views across the valley. Trail is thawed with only a small bit of snow and mud up high. Stay the trail - lots of trail widening spots.

Tracy Barker

Official Crew

28850

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 10/18/2020

Drove Aspen Ridge from south to north in order to access the Castles area south of Hwy 24/285. The road is in good condition, relatively. Nice to see "Stay the Trail" stickers on the route markers. The golden aspen leaves have all dropped to the ground, but it is still beautiful to see.

Paul

6250

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/13/2020

No real challenges to speak of. Bumpy in spots, road is dusty, but not bad. Beautiful views of the 14ers to the west. Ran from the North to South. Good views, seemingly good dispersed camping.

Robert Webb

1900

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/26/2020

Fun and easy trail. Great for short drive through the Aspen groves or if you are looking for some scenic and easily accessible camping spots.

KELLIE DILLON

100

Open

Visited: 10/13/2019

Drove it in my 3/4 ton suburban with no problems. Wonder view.

Tracy Barker

Official Crew

28850

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/29/2019

Peak color happening this week! Drove Aspen Ridge today (Sunday, 9-29) with a group from 14erFest. The area is dry and dusty but the road is in good condition. The foliage colors are vivid! Get out there and enjoy soon!

Scott Hinkle

300

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/29/2019

I drove this trail to see the fall display of aspen gold. Perfect timing on the color change. Stunning views, best I have ever seen in 24 years. Trail was very dry and dusty due to high winds. Still had a great time and highly recommend this trail for aspen viewing. As a bonus we saw a herd of mountain goats crossing right in front of us.

David Bobrowski

200

Open

Visited: 07/04/2019

Open, dry, and all around a great trail. I ran this first with my ZR2 and then on my dual sport. Camping at waypoint 10 is highly recommended. Amazing views.

Neal A. Tew

4900

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 06/03/2019

Started from Salida and traveled up to Little Cottonwood Creek. Road was dry and in good condition.

Neal A. Tew

4900

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 09/30/2018

Fun, easy trip that would be great during fall colors. Most could do this in 2wd, but I did use some low range in my stock truck just for the lower gearing and the need for less braking. It was a great day as part of the Buena Vista 14erfest.

Tracy Barker

Official Crew

28850

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/30/2018

I drove Aspen Ridge with a group from 14erFest (a big street party that brings trail user groups together and promotes cooperation among them--see 14erFest.org for details). We stopped at Waypoint 10 for lunch and pictures. Trail conditions are clear and dry. The Autumn colors were probably beyond peak--I estimate that peak week occurred this year in early September. It was fun, nonetheless.

Kim Auslander

100

Open

Visited: 09/27/2018

Jeep Grand Cherokee from BV to Salida. Hit it just in time to see the Aspens turning. Absolutely gorgeous... a true spiritual experience especially at the top. Could view a couple Collegiate Peaks but I mostly sat in the open and just absorbed the beauty of the Aspens (and some pines) all around me for awhile. Most serene I'd been in years! It's probably similarly peaceful anytime but try to hit it when the yellows and oranges are glistening if you can!

David Justis

100

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 07/19/2018

I might be the odd duck on this site but I attempted this trail in a '17 Subaru Crosstrek @ stock ride height. Had one decent undercarriage scrape, otherwise was doable with the right line choices. Dry and in good shape, will definitely test your nerves in a crossover/suv.

Tracy Barker

Official Crew

28850

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 06/26/2018

Drove Aspen Ridge from Salida, South to north. Road is dry and in good shape. This is a good road for beginners to get some experience with no risk of damage. Aspen Ridge has great views of the Collegiate Peaks, and is a connector to several fun 4x4 roads in the area.

Tracy Barker

Official Crew

28850

Open

Visited: 10/01/2017

I drove Aspen Ridge on Sunday, October 1st with a group from 14erFest in Buena Vista. Some areas were brilliant foliage, and other were past prime. Our group had a great time from start to finish.

Todd

Official Crew

106250

Open

Visited: 09/17/2017

I had a guest in from Maine who knows his leaves during the fall season, so I figured a trail named "Aspen Ridge" would be a good spot to go view the Colorado foliage. I was probably a week earlier for peak but the trail did not disappoint.

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