Gnarly Routes Fruita Tour
Gnarly Routes: Fruita Tour
Location: Fruita & Grand Junction, CO
Date: June 3-7, 2021
What a hit!! This was our first time piecing this amazing tour together! We had ridden with others in Grand Junction before, but never Fruita and we knew we had some trails that see very few sets of tire tracks!!
Fruita is a special place for two-wheeled enthusiasts! People have been venturing out there for decades riding mountain bikes and riding some of Colorado’s best singletrack. It is different from the alpine trails and has its own unique features that keeps us wanting to come back for more!
Another sold out trip with 6 riders was made up of a group of 4 friends from Dallas, TX a rider from NC and one of our returning veterans from WA! Immediately we knew we were in for a fun time with the shenanigans at night 1 dinner. Tequila shots may have circled around the table and spirits were high headed into the first ride day!
Temperatures were abnormally high for the week so the game plan was to strike early and get a move on while it was still comfortable in the morning and to miss the superheat of mid day! After coffee was ingested and bacon digested we made tracks to the Fruita high desert. We climbed a dry waterfall and made it up to high ground that overlooked the morning flats. It was already warming up, but we were about to hit the GOOD STUFF! Some new high country flow track recently built by the BLM is a hidden gem up top. Last year's fire cleared any underbrush and you can see everything on the ground in front of you. The trail follows some cliff sides and winds its way around the mountain with incredible flow! Some silty mountain sand took its toll on some people, but was worth the work!
The small town of Fruita is a really charismatic spot to stay. With some really good local vibes it is hard to have a bad time there! A couple bike shop visits and some delicious pizza and beer at Hot Tomato was just what everyone needed after a long day of riding.
We started even earlier on day 2 and headed out for another completely new track in Rabbit Valley! The highlight on this ride is the Western Rim Trail. However, with temps hitting triple digits we made the detour for a swim in the Colorado River first! It felt great to cool the core temps down and rejuvenated everyone. Maybe we will consider the wakeboard park when we get back if there is any energy left in the tank!!
Our final day would take place in the most epic playground of all time. One of our favorite go to play spots in Grand Junction, Skinny Ridge!! This is where you feel like you are surfing on dirtbikes. Long climbs and long descents with one after another! It is an open canvas with tons of trails going every which way. We do have a plan of action and we head to some of the best spots in the area. A new motocross track was recently built as well and it was fun for the group to churn up a few fast laps out there! Icing on the cake was a final push through a rocky ravine and everyone left what they had out on the table. It was time to head back, relax, and relive the stories of the incredible ride!