From US 285/24 turn northwest on County Road 315; the trailhead is about another half mile down the road. In Buena Vista, take the Arkansas River footbridge at the end of E. Main Street and follow the Barbara Whipple Trail to County Road 304.
Beautiful trail follows Midland RR grade. Easy grade except where it dips into gulches where RR bridges originally spanned.
We parked at the rest area on US24/285 just east of Johnson Village and biked down into Buena Vista following the Arkansas River to the municipal park on the river. After crossing the foot bridge and pushing our bikes (we are older flatlanders) up Midland Hill to the old Midland Railroad Grade we biked south and east to a county road where there is more parking then biked down the county road back to the rest area. It was a great ride with excellent mountain views.
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