Triads

"Triads" is the local shorthand for the Triad Ridge singletrack, a motorcycle trail system in the Fourmile Travel Management Area east of Buena Vista in Chaffee County. It is really a pair of connected trails rather than a sprawling riding area, so expect a short, focused ride instead of a day of new terrain. Local reporting puts the two Triad Ridge trails at about 7 miles combined and slightly more difficult than their neighbor Dudbobs. A 2008 Friends of Fourmile report describes the loop as intermediate to advanced motorcycle riding, and Triad Ridge is listed as trail 1425. It was hand built by Forest Service staff, an OHV trail crew, and volunteers from the Hi Rocky Riders club, and it was the area's only singletrack open to motorcycles until Dudbobs was added in 2020.

The site owner has ridden the Triads; no further first-hand details have been added yet.

The Triad Ridge trails connect with Dudbobs near Chinaman Gulch. A ride suggested locally in 2020 starts at the Chinaman Gulch trailhead, follows Dudbobs one way, rides Triad Ridge north and south, and returns on Dudbobs for about 19 miles in all. onX Offroad also maps the trails as Triad Ridge East (about 1.6 miles, rated easy) and Triad Ridge West (about 4.5 miles, rated moderate, best in summer and fall), both aimed at vehicles 50 inches wide or less. It describes the west section as a mix of rock gardens, whoops, sandy washes, and ruts from runoff, dropping about 850 feet from a ridge start near Forest Road 300.

Getting there

Buena Vista is the nearest town. The Forest Service lists several ways into Fourmile: County Roads 371 and 375 from Buena Vista, the River Park Bridge on Main Street, or County Roads 304, 305, 307, 308, 311, and 315 off Highways 285 and 24. The southern part of the area is reached from County Roads 301, 300, and 185. The map coordinates on this page are the Yansing (Chinaman) Gulch trailhead on CR 300, the parking spot named for the combined Dudbobs and Triad Ridge ride, not a surveyed Triad Ridge trailhead.

Fees, permits, and rules

Colorado requires an OHV registration for Colorado residents or a non-resident OHV permit for out-of-state riders on motorcycles used on designated OHV trails; both cost $25.25 and run through March 31. No trailhead fee was found for the area. Follow the dispersed camping rules if you stay overnight. For current trail status, contact the Salida Ranger District at 719-539-3591 or the BLM Royal Gorge Field Office at 719-269-8500, since Fourmile mixes Forest Service and BLM land.

When to ride

The Forest Service says the seasonal gates in Fourmile close on December 1 and reopen on April 30. onX lists summer and fall as the best time for the Triad Ridge sections, and the high ridge holds snow and mud into early summer.