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+ 42

Cottonwood Loop (Cottonwood Trail Arkansas Hills)

Mountain Biking Trail

Hard
20.44 mi
2,566 ft
Pedal from downtown Salida high into the Arkansas Hills to access a ripping descent with fast, flowy sections and uber-gnarly rock gardens.

Cottonwood is arguably one of the most epic and rewarding half-day rides that's easily rideable from downtown. The opportunity to shuttle to the top makes it even more accessible to riders with less fitness. Combine that with a lengthy season, and Cottonwood has turned into a classic that riders enjoy almost all year long. While Cottonwood is referred to as a descent, the recently-completed singletrack known as the Beasway Trail that forms the first portion of Cottonwood undulates across the hillside—a bench cut masterpiece that holds some rocks and flow in alternating doses. After a quick pedal to the top of Rumba Ridge the true descending begins, with high-speed bench cut singletrack transitioning into a flowy, swoopy drop down the valley. Then, the singletrack gets radically more technical, with the Waterfall section offering wall rides, steep rock rolls, chunder, ledge drops, and more—the advanced mountain biker's dream! Following the Waterfall, the singletrack drops into the Cottonwood drainage from whence the trail gets its name, speeding down to the tightly-wound Arkansas Hills trail network. While the singletrack here isn't as technical as the Waterfall, it feels like the rocks never end, and optional jumps and drop lines abound. Once into the Arkansas Hills, you can choose any number of descent options, but finishing on Sweet Dreams -> Chicken Dinner offers a swoopy, berm-filled reward after the rigors of endless rock gardens. Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Up to Cottonwood6.42 mi1,729 ft5.1%
CottonwoodUpnDown14.15 mi1,837 ft0.5%
CR 175 Cottonwood Climb5.96 mi1,706 ft5.4%
cottonwood climb6.03 mi1,660 ft5.2%
Up Ute trail to N. Backbone2.04 mi525 ft4.8%
Ute Trail (178 to N Backbone)1.64 mi259 ft3.0%
Piñon push1.86 mi548 ft5.6%
earn your turns3.92 mi1,152 ft5.6%
County Road 175 Climb - Long 3.90 mi1,109 ft5.4%
case of the steepies0.75 mi279 ft7.0%
County Road 175 Climb1.21 mi269 ft4.2%
Beasway Trail2.09 mi-210 ft-0.2%
Salsa Trail2.76 mi-292 ft-0.7%
Full Cottonwood7.20 mi-1,276 ft-3.1%
New ('14) C wood section 181 to 1732.28 mi-210 ft-0.3%
Full DH Trailhead to Backbone intersection.8.03 mi-1,339 ft-2.9%
Salsa DH to Rhumba0.79 mi-177 ft-4.3%
Rumba Trail2.27 mi-502 ft-2.8%
Big Snake segment 173->Waterfall2.07 mi-482 ft-3.1%
Cottonwood DH Top Third (Top to Ruins)1.57 mi-502 ft-6.0%
Rumba Ridge0.69 mi-217 ft-5.8%
Cottonwood Big DH - Rumba to Backbone4.26 mi-1,332 ft-5.9%
Cottonwood downhill fast section - long2.67 mi-814 ft-5.8%
Just the falls0.21 mi-89 ft-7.7%
Cottonwood DH Middle Third (Next Mile past Ruins)1.10 mi-305 ft-5.3%
Cottonwood Trail2.37 mi-761 ft-6.0%
Cottonwood Full DH2.23 mi-722 ft-6.1%
Cottonwood DH Bottom Third (To Nazty Jct)1.22 mi-377 ft-5.8%
Cwood - Nazty>Bone0.45 mi-154 ft-6.4%
Grunt to Dream On0.45 mi-89 ft-2.5%
Dream On descent re-route0.35 mi-98 ft-3.3%
Dream On Trail Mesa to Sweetwater1.78 mi125 ft0.2%
DO/Mesa int. to Rise & Shine 0.81 mi-85 ft-0.3%
Dream Chicken3.73 mi-407 ft-1.9%
R&S to Sweet Dreams 0.91 mi102 ft1.2%
Chicken Dinner North to South1.92 mi-361 ft-3.6%
Rail Yard Hobo Trail0.65 mi59 ft0.8%