Biking in Fruita
If you ever want to do anything in someplace popular, go early. This rule should apply to any large urban center or a remote trailhead. Don’t expect to be first, there is always that person who got up even earlier than you. Some people just don’t sleep.
When biking in Fruita Colorado, that rule shouldn’t be ignored. After Moab and the few other destinations, Fruita is on the bucket list of a lot of cyclists.
And there is a good reason, even more than a few. First, it’s a lot less crowded than Moab. You don’t get as many ATVs and rock crawlers. Sure they are out there, but they usually have their networks of trails. Second, the area has spent years building biking, hiking, and multi-use trails. Most of it you have to drive to, But it’s all clustered around town. Third, It’s way easier to get to. Let’s be honest, Moab is really in the middle of nowhere. We live on the Eastern Front Range. I’d rather spend half a day to get somewhere than a full day.
Yes, the trails in Moab are epic. Super long and way in the middle of nowhere (most involve a shuttle, be warned).
One thing that Fruita has, loops. Must of the trail system is built ff the idea of loops. When there is a lot of open BLM land and not so many destination trails, this makes a huge amount of sense. Smaller footprint on the land when you have fewer trailheads. The loop idea is always fun because you can just keep adding loops to make longer and longer rides.
My partner doesn’t mountain bike as much as I do. So to keep the peace I decided we could just stick to green or blue easy trails. I also evened the playing field by riding a single-speed ridge 27.5-inch bike. This way it would slow my speed on downhills.
The one trail that we loved was Rustler’s. It’s a great beginner-intermediate loop that takes you up and around the edge of the Colorado river and under some beautiful cliffs.
The view over the Colorado River is awesome. The trail is a little setback from the edge, so if you have an issue with heights or ledges, it’s not too bad. Even the trail back (it’s a one-way loop) offers some great views of the cliff walls.
By the time that we got around the loop, the trailhead was nearly full. Given that it was heating up and getting crowded we headed back into town to enjoy some food and culture.