Review: awesome trails, with a mix of all kinds of riding. some techy stuff, a lot of flowy stuff and plenty of miles of trail to loop together. sand dunes was probably my favorite trail in the system, upper backbone was a good out and back

Similar Trail: jumbo mountain paonia, sidewinder montrose

Review: This is an amazing trail system that you can access right from the town of Salida! Some trails are easier, some are more technical... some climb and/or descend a lot, some change elevation very little. But one thing is for sure: it's all good! Great trails include Frontside, North Backbone, and Unkle Nazty. Individual sections of trails that haven't been added yet because I didn't ride them: Burn Pile, Backbone, Tenderfoot, Sand Dunes, and Prospector

* Review edited 6/17/2012

Review: Great network in a very cool town. Trails are well built and have very good flow. Nothing overly challenging (although I didn't ride Unkle Nazty). Did Frontside-Lil Rattler-North Backbone-Sand Dunes-Backbone-secret trail. Very very hot (desert-hot) and sunny, so better to do in the morning or late afternoon. Keeps you on your toes, as you'll be cruising along nice smooth singletrack then hit a little techie area, then keep cruising, etc. Variable terrain. Check it out, very worth riding

Review: Good mix of flowy trails and some seriously challenging technical stuff. All of it is narrow singletrack and seems to hug cliff sides, so lots of exposure for the majority of the ride.

Review: Spent a day riding here, some really enjoyable singletrack. Mostly easy to moderately difficult singletrack. The notable exception is Uncle Nazty, which has some great tech sections that are worth scoping out the first time. Lots of fun descent options (Uncle Nazty to Prospector), but the flow is really disrupted by all of the off-camber-so-loose-the-trail-dissolves-beneath-your-tires-deathrap turns, so not much speed to be had.

Similar Trail: Rainbow Trail

Review: Incredible trail system with easy access from town. This is a stacked loop system meaning (essentially) the beginner trails are close in while the farther you go out, the tougher the trails get. Some machine cut stuff for families and rougher, technical trails for advanced riders. Bonus: the S Mountain side faces south so these trails are ready to ride almost year-round.

Similar Trail: Similar to some trails in the Fruita area. Also reminded me of Bootleg Canyon outside Las Vegas.

Review: This is a great trail network right next to town. Big kudos to all that made this happen. Check out the map as salidamountaintrails.org to get your bearings. The trails are well marked. The only discrepancy I found was that the "North Backbone" on the map just says "Backbone" on the marker post. Frontside and Li'l Rattler are nice and easy. Backbone is a little tougher and North Backbone has some very cool techy spots. Although it requires a pretty hateful climb to get there, the Pauli/Uncle Nazty/Prospector descent is exceptional and fully worthy of the effort required. Uncle Nazty in particular is one gnarly rock drop sequence after another--definitely expert stuff. Everything else is gravy. Overall, this network is a fantastic asset for Salida and well worth a trip for the rest of us, especially when looking for dry trails in the shoulder seasons. There are some great views across the Arkansas Valley to the 14ers beyond. This is also dry country, more like desert than mountains, so bring plenty of water.

Similar Trail: Rainbow, Monarch Crest, Little Rainbow

Review: This is a highly varied trail network close to town with many possible combinations for all levels of riders. There are easy, gradual, non-technical climbs and descents and full-on technical scare fests to be had. Mostly, you're cruising through dry pinion forest. The relatively low elevation and location on the east side of a major mountain range means there's more sun and less precip, giving these trails a nice long season.

Review: Good close trails near Salida. We only did the lower half of it but found the new North Backbone trail to be slower and technical in some parts but also has good flowy track as well. Cottonwood is almost all downhill from the end of Uncle Nazty and is fast and fun close to town. Make sure to take a dip in the chilly Arkansas afterwards too!

Similar Trail: Sidewinder Trail- Boise Foothills

Review: starts with a nice steady uphill section followed by rolling single track, mixed in with technical rocky areas. great variety all in the same trail. * Review edited 7/12/2011

* Review edited 7/12/2011