Qs about Fruita

[SKULLY]

I will be going to Moab in a few weeks and would really
love to get to Fruita but need some details. This will be a quick trip (only there for 3 days) and the friend I am going with has never been to Moab. So we will have to hit all the standards there but I am pushing to get a day in out in Fruita as I have never been. How far a drive is it from Moab and would it be advisable as
a day trip returning to Moab in the eve or wiser to stay
in Fruita. Another concern would be the weather. Fruita looks like a blast from the video I have seen at:
Westernslopestyle.blogspot.com. If you have not seen some of Noah's work you should check it...the videos are of him at his favorite spots in CO and he does all the filming himself. His riding is very much how I like to ride and the flow he captures is amazing. Check out Feb, March, April, May on the right side of the site for more rides.

[allison]

Fruita is bitchin. It's not as technical or rough on the body as Moab, IMO, but it's just beautiful singletrack.

You should try to hit up 18 Road and the Kokopelli Trails if you can, though then you are missing out on a bunch of trails in Grand Junction (we haven't ridden those, yet).

I'd say Fruita is maybe 1.5-2 hours away, mostly due to the drive out of Moab (have to go north, then east). Other than that, it's right over the border of CO!

I can give you some trail info for Fruita if you are interested.

If you're looking to hit up GJ trails, though, can't really help out there.

Hubby much preferred Fruita to Moab, but we hit Moab during one of their rainiest times on record. Just a few days before the 24 hour race last year.







18 Road

[PacMan]

I've been to Fruita 4 times and Grand Junction once.

In Fruita, check out the 18 Road stuff as well as the Kokopelli areas as Allison recommended. My best advice for directions to these spots is to stop at "Over The Edge Sports" in downtown Fruita and ask the guys in there. They are super cool and super helpful and will give you directions no problem.

If you are only going to be there for 3 days, I would skip Grand Junction. Fruita will take you all day and you will need every bit of the other 2 days to experience Moab.

In Moab, I recommend Amasa Back, Porcupine Rim and Sovereign. There are other trails of course, but these are the best 3 in my opinion.

Have fun and take lot's of pics. We all expect a full RR.

[SKULLY]

A - would love the info. 18 rd, kokopelli, and horsetheif are on my radar.
I don't think we would get to GJ. So I think you are saying that it is worth
the extra 4 hours of driving, right?

[stjunkie]

I would have to second a single day at the Kokopeli trails area. Plenty of stuff to do there for one day. Lots of great trails and views.

[allison]

Originally Posted by SKULLY

A - would love the info. 18 rd, kokopelli, and horsetheif are on my radar.
I don't think we would get to GJ. So I think you are saying that it is worth
the extra 4 hours of driving, right?

IMO it is!!

Send me a PM and I'll try to find a few good routes for you... our Kokopelli loop took most of a day, so you may have to shorten your loop up to get in 18 Road.

Horsethief Bench is part of the Kokopelli trail system.

18 Road you basically ride up Prime Cut to access the DH trails. You *definitely* want to hit up Kessel Run. Zippity Do Dah and another one are great also.

At Kokopelli we rode Mary's to Horsethief, up Mary's to Steve's, took Lion's Loop over to Mack Ridge. We skipped out on Moore Fun cause I was tired. It was 22 miles and 2400ft of climbing.

At 18 road we did the following runs: Prime Cut - Frontside - Joe's Ridge - up Kessel - Zippety - down Kessel. Then we did up Prime Cut and down Kessel.

We'd ridden for 5 straight days, 4 in Moab, and it was really hard on my body. So, needless to say I was really tired.

FWIW, we rode Poison Spider, Slickrock Trail, and Porc Rim, and we want to return to Fruita

Porc Rim was fun, and I think every mountain biker should ride the Slick Rock Trail at least ONCE, but Fruita was just more fun. Not as cool of a town, though. Moab is pretty centralized.