E-Biking the Car-Free Rio Grande Trail: From Downtown Aspen Downhill to the Woody Creek Tavern

Ask any local or returning visitor for their favourite summer or autumn afternoon in Aspen after the Maroon Bells and they will give the same answer: renting a cruiser bicycle or pedal-assist e-bike in Downtown Aspen and coasting 13 kilometres (8 miles) downhill along the car-free Rio Grande Trail for nachos and margaritas on the patio of the Woody Creek Tavern.

1. Why the Rio Grande Trail to Woody Creek Is So Effortless

Built on the historic roadbed of the 1887 Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (now a 67-kilometre / 42-mile Rails-to-Trails path all the way to Glenwood Springs), the stretch from Herron Park and Puppy Smith Street in Downtown Aspen down to Woody Creek is 100% paved, 100% car-free, and drops a gentle 200 vertical metres (650 feet) downhill going out:

• What You Pass Along the 8-Mile Ride (40 to 50 Minutes Out): start right behind the John Denver Sanctuary in Downtown Aspen, cross wooden railway trestle bridges over the Roaring Fork River, glide through the narrow rock canyon of Stein Park & McLain Flats past fly-fishermen and whitewater rafters, and turn right onto the quiet 1-mile Woody Creek spur path straight to the tavern's bike racks.
• Why Renting a Pedal-Assist E-Bike Makes the Return Easy: while the 8 miles to Woody Creek is a downhill coast, the 8 miles back to Aspen is a steady 2% railway-grade climb. Rent a Class-1 Pedal-Assist E-Bike from a downtown shop (such as Aspen Bikes, Blazing Adventures or Four Mountain Sports; check current rental rates online) so the electric motor flattens the uphill return into a 35-minute spin, or book an afternoon van pick-up shuttle.

2. Inside the Woody Creek Tavern (2858 Upper River Rd, Open Daily)

Opened in 1980 in the riverside hamlet of Woody Creek, the tavern was the daily hangout of author Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (creator of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). Step inside to see the walls covered with hundreds of Polaroid snapshots and Hunter S. Thompson memorabilia, then grab a sunny patio table for their famous Woody Creek Nachos, Baja Fish Tacos, Burgers and Fresh-Squeezed Lime Margaritas.