Methodist Mountain is one of the newest trail systems in the Salida area, and is one of two trail systems starting right from the town of Salida. Located on the southern side of town, Methodist Mountain is very dry, with a high-desert environment. Consequently, the trails are rocky, sandy, but stay dry and rideable for almost all of the year.
While the Arkansas Hills trail system were all built by hand, the Methodist Mountain trails are machine-built. The machine work is all very well done, and the trail is still very narrow, but the main trail, Little Rainbow, has a nice, wide corridor, is very flowy, and quite smooth. As a result, this is the most beginner friendly trail in town... but it's still a ton of fun for advanced riders!
While the main trail might be easier, there are several intermediate and advanced trails in the system, too. Check out the Little Rainbow Extension for a great intermediate trail with some serious exposure, and the steep, frequently washed-out Lost Cause trail for a screaming fast, rocky, advanced descent back down to town. If you want a milder yet way-fun descent, be sure to rip down the Race Track trail!
 | Dead Bird |   | 2 mi |
| Double Rainbow | | 3 mi |
| Little Rainbow | | 6 mi |
 | Lost Cause | | 1 mi |
| Race Track | | 1 mi |
 | Road #110 / #5668 | | 3 mi |
| Road #5669 | | 5 mi |
| Skull | | 1 mi |
 | Solstice | | 1.1 mi |
| Spartan East | | 2 mi |
| Spartan West | | 4 mi |
| Upper Sol Train Trail | | 1.5 mi |
4
Loose, sketchy, fast and fun!
| ThankWife and I rode this after little rainbow, both of us really enjoyed this trail for it's speed and views. No real technical challenges here except a steeper descent towards the end.
| ThankWife and I took this trail for a spin and really enjoyed it. Perfect for her, not too much climbing from the trail head and smooth flowy singletrack. I shuttled her to the trail head to save her from the climb up.
| ThankWicked fun and great way to end little rainbow
| ThankRode up Racetrack from Burmac Rd. then all the way across on Little Rainbow. At the end we turned around and retraced our route back to the parking lot. Had a lot of fun swooping through the drainages. Not technical but a blast to ride.
| ThankWhat a great trail, fun up and down. Rocky sections but not too bad. Great trail to test tires and build cornering skills. Some tight turns but mostly wide sweeping turns so speed is kept up.
| ThankThis is a fast, fun, and non-technical trail. The swoops and dives of the trail flow well together. It's a perfect ride from town when you may be crunched for time and still want to fit in a good ride.
| ThankThis is a great stretch of trail. I wouldn't say that it's technical, but I'd agree that some of the exposure and side slopes it follows will cause you to pause the first time you ride it. It has a nice flow both out and back and a great addition to a longer Rainbow ride.
| ThankI'll agree that this trail is more fun than riding the road to connect to Rainbow, but it's consistently covered in rocks marble sized and above. It's basically a trail condition somewhere between one with baby heads and smooth path - you can't glide on it, but you aren't forced to pick a line or worry about getting hung up at all. Worth taking as part of a longer ride linking to the Rainbow sections it meets.
| ThankNot a technical trail, but a fun way to end a medium to short ride like we did. It's not as straight and ripping fast as the name implies, but that does make it a bit more interesting.
| ThankOk views off of this gravel road climb, but really the only reason to ride this is to access the singletrack trails.
| ThankExpansive trail system with a different, flowier feel than Arkansas HIlls. Great connectivity to other trails higher up the mountain but also accessible in town.
| ThankA fun addition to Little Rainbow. It starts out pretty mellow but as you progress the trail on the side cuts is definitely narrower than on Little Rainbow. The exposure, for my first ride, was a little more than my pacemaker was calibrated for. Looking forward to getting more comfortable on this one. Combined with Little Rainbow and Racetrack for an out and back this makes for a good length of non-tech singletrack.
| ThankA great stretch of flowing single track. If you are going to do this as an out and back I recommend starting at Burmac Rd. TH and riding up Racetrack to access Little Rainbow. This gives you the climbing first as L. Rainbow flows uphill from East to West, making the return a super fun flowy ride. Stay alert for riders and hikers going both directions.
| ThankA good start to riding Little Rainbow. A few steep pitches to test your traction but mostly a steady climb. A very fun non-tech descent. One star deducted for the super loose sand at the bottom.
| ThankProbably my favorite trail system in Chaffee County. These trails see much less traffic than the Arkansas Hills system. These trails have a much longer stretch of flowing non-tech trails so you can get a longer ride without stressing your pacemaker. Favorite route: out and back starting at Burmac Rd., up Racetrack, Little Rainbow, Double Rainbow and back... get the climbing out of the way first then swoop back to your car.
| ThankReally there's no reason to ride this dirt road unless you're looking for a change... or to do some exploring and connect to other dirt roads in the area.
| ThankThis was a nice easy fun ride for the whole family. The trail has nothing technical and fun up and downs. The trail is loose rocks and easy to slip out on some turns. Still a good beginner trail.
| ThankI rode it as a loop from CR 109 up to the TH, then back down to Salida.
Desert single track that reminds me of ABQ foothills, Bootleg and The Gallup High Desert System.
| ThankThis is a fast, flowy trail but it gets a little repetitive and there isn't a whole lot to look at out here. Still, it's nice to have a trail like this in town for beginning riders and those who want to stick close to town.
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