Having ridden many great trails, I cannot say enough about how great this trail is - it may be the most beautiful trail in Colorado. My husband and I rode it last Sunday and I could not have been more impressed. The ride along the Roaring Fork river is wonderful, and having a "Bicycling Friendly Community" (Carbondale) along the route made it all the better.

We made it to El Jebel, where mudslides have unfortunately taken out about a mile of the trail, but we look forward to getting all the way to Aspen sometime soon.

It's worth mentioning that in Glenwood Springs, near its northern end the Rio Grande trail connects to the older Glenwood Canyon trail running east about sixteen miles, It parallels I-70 and Amtrak through one of the most spectacular whitewater canyons in the county. The canyon is so narrow that in places the bike trail literally hangs off the freeway and above the water in a uniquely weird and beautiful blend of nature and technology. If you want to ride this trail one way, a Glenwood bike shop offers shuttle service back through the canyon.

One way from Aspen, the total ride is about sixty miles with the first 44 mostly a gentle down hill (vertical drop is around 2500 feet) and the last 16 a gentle uphill (vertical rise around 400 feet). Fortunately, the wind is often at one's back on that last 16 miles. Take the shuttle back to Glenwood and the RFTA bus back to Aspen and it's a great day trip for moderately experienced riders. If you want to stay overnight and ride back as well, the nearest shopping and lodgings are in Gypsum, another ten miles past the end of the Glenwood Canyon trail head. Better to park at the eastern trail head, ride to Aspen, where food and lodging are abundant (and expensive) and return to the trail head the following day.

This trail has grown! The trail is now 40 miles or so, stetching from Glenwood Springs, through Carbondale, then onto Basalt and Aspen. Paving with asphalt for the northern 30 miles or so has just been completed, with a Grand Opening ceremony later this month. The first couple of miles north of Carbondale and the 10 miles south from Carbondale are pristine, following the Roaring Fork river for much of the time, with very few road crossings. There is a gorgeous bridge crossing the Roaring Fork just north of Carbondale. I've ridden numerous rail-trails over the years, and this trail ranks right up there with the best of the best at this point!

At Aspen the best parking for the Rio Grande Trail is at Henry Stein Park on Cemetery Lane at N39.21108 W106.83988 elev 7746’. The trail is asphalt for 2.4 miles into Herron Park, and Chet 5.7 miles to Woody Creek. By Noel Keller 22 Jun 2007.

"July 11, 2005: We agree with all the other reviews – wonderful trail. Paved from Aspen Visitor’s Center for about 2 miles, then well maintained, packed gravel that we were comfortable riding on with our street bikes. About 5 ½ miles out we turned around because we ran out of shade, scenery and curves. Visitor’s Center in Aspen was very helpful and have an excellent trail map for the area."

"This predominantly downhill trail from Aspen to Basalt was the perfect entry for my wife and I into biking. We rented bikes at a bike shop that was basically at the trailhead in Aspen. This shop provided an excellent trail guide that explained all the twists and turns of the trail.

There we about 4 uphill segments that proved to be tough for us as beginners. We stopped at Woody Creek Tavern for some help with my wife's skinned elbow from a mishap earlier on the trail. They were very glad to help us, and we felt bad that time would not allow us to stop. Their menu looked interesting and moderatley priced for the Aspen area. We later stopped by the trail for a picinc lunch.

Take your camera for sure, but be careful; the scenery is so beautiful that you will be tempted to take your eye off the trail. When we arrived in Basalt, we waited 30 minutes for the RFTA public bus. Each bus has a rack for 4 bikes. After a 30 minute bus ride we arrived back in Aspen with just enough time for the short cross town ride to the rental shop and to meet our 4 hour rental period. It's definitley a winner of an experience."

"Woody Creek Tavern is more or less at the half way point of the Rio Grande Trail. The trail is paved from Basalt to Woody Creek, and mostly unpaved but easy to bicycle from Woody Creek to Aspen. It is largely flat, though slightly uphill from Basalt to W.C. Tavern. This is a fantastic and beautiful bicycle ride - hard to overstate how wonderful it is!!"