Fruita -> Aspen First Time

[Tech Tonics]

Hey all,

My HS daughter has an XC (running) race in Fruita tomorrow evening. And then Sunday morning is racing mountain bikes at the NICA (High School cycling league) race in Snowmass.

I’ll pick her up tomorrow (Friday) evening in Fruita. Go out for dinner after the race (hot tomato?) and looking for some recommendations on camping and riding.

Details:

-probably looking at a 1 hour ride early Saturday, (right from camp?) like at sunrise. I may be solo as she’ll be tired from the race the evening before and will be pre-riding the mtb course Saturday afternoon. What to ride and where to camp? 18rd?
The online riding I’ve done in that area is horsethief/kokopelli area, would like to ride somewhere else.

-then a quick breakfast and coffee in Fruita (recommend?) and drive to aspen

-once we get there she’ll hook up with her friends and I’ll be cut loose.

-so I’m looking for a 2-3 hour (maybe more?) ride on Saturday afternoon. We’ll be camping in Snowmass. Would love to ride something awesome.

-she races early Sunday morning (freshman girls, from Durango, come cheer her on!) and then after that, I’ll be looking to go on another ride ~2 hours. Again right from Snowmass would be cool. Or, we are headed home through paonia, not sure if there is anything that way. She’ll be taking the van home with her friends so I’ll be solo if anyone wants to ride.

What about food/beer in aspen?

Thanks. Sorry for the long post.

[Danno]

Others will probably have more/better advice, but 18 Rd is a perfect place for a 1 hour ride. Zippity is a worthwhile trail to check out, and the Kessel Run is fun as hell for a little diversion. Camping there is easy, but going on a Friday evening may be difficult. Alternate options (for camping and riding) is Rabbit Valley, close to the state line. But again, a Friday night in September isn't the easiest. If possible, can you get there before picking up your kid and find a site first? Hot Tomato is definitely a good pick for dinner.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Good luck to your daughter!!

For rides in Snowmass you can take your pick. I don't know what they have set up for the race course but there are tons of fun loops. Rim to 7 Star, Cozyline->Skyline->Deadline, Discovery->crossmountain->Viking->Tom Blake. Those are just few off the top of my head. Sky Mountain and the newer trails like Discovery and 7 Star are smoother, flowier trails, the older stuff like Government, crossmountain and the like are more technical. You can do DH laps off Elk Camp, and while a DH bike makes a lot of those trails more enjoyable, you can still have fun on a bunch them without one. They just finished new trails at the end of the summer too. It's truly an embarrassment of riches up here, just get on MTB project and start linking stuff together.

[Telemarketeer]

18rd- ride Zippity and Joe's, PBR is fun and short loop as well. All short loops right from camp, basically climb the road or Prime cut, recommend prime cut, but road is faster if you are in a hurry.

Lunch loops in GJ are awesome as well for the longer ride. Gunny Loop recommended. Could shuttle the Ribbon trail if you want. Shuttle is $15, ask about it at the bike shop.

Breakfast in Fruita- you must go to Camilla's Kafe right next to Over the Edge bike shop. Just a great, classic, breakfast spot.

Snowmass- Rim Trail is awesome. Ride as a loop with the bike path or shuttle with the bus. Great views and fun riding. Add on some trail in resort if you need more miles. Carbondale also has some pretty good riding- Red Dirt, and Crown trails. Father of Ginormous is super fun downhill trail.

[funkendrenchman]

Depends what you want on Snowmass. French Press is an amazing new flow trail. Some combo of Rim/Tom Blake/ Viewline/Deadline if you’re looking outside of the bike park. There are so many combinations of awesome trails it’s ridiculous. You could also ride government over to buttermilk and then ride Butterline/Airline/ Skyline/ Deadline and take the bus back to village or climb Tom Blake - that’s a 3 hour ride. To add more, climb Powerline and then choose from a variety of trails to descend. Another option is to climb up to Powerline, descend to Tom Blake, go down Tom Blake to Highline, Viewline, Deadline, climb up Sinclair road to the middle of Rim, descend Rim to the Rodeo lot and bus or ride back to the village.

[LesterSmoove]

I also vote for looping zippity and joes at 18rd. up zipity, down joes. blowing down joes ridge at top speed is so fun. nothing techy, just fast. I'm a hack so I haven't tried anything other than 18rd. fuck, PBR is good too, but if one ride, I just think the ridge on Joes is the most iconic 18rd.

good camping at 18rd. clean outhouses, picnic tables, and most of the sites offer decent privacy with juniper trees.

others will know aspen better than me, but I was just there and I liked hops culture for beer. can sit outside right on the pedestrian mall, and it had a killer list of draft beers. didn't eat there. first time I've ever had pliny the elder. never seen that on draft at home in JH.

[beaterdit]

West-> East camping options:

Rabbit Valley: 30 mins west of Fruita and also gets crowded especially on a fri night. You'll need a high clearance vehicle and lot of time and luck to get a spot. Plenty of friends have gotten screwed four wheelin in there for 45 mins to find a shitty spot or nothing.

Fruita: Unimproved camping at 18 rd is a good option if the pay sites are full (they will be). Still gets crowded. You can most likely find a spot but it may not be flat, those go quicker. It's literally across the street from the pay camping (east side of main rd). Still just a quick walk or ride to the bathrooms.

Grand Junction: BLM land out west of the airport. Shitty moto/ATV world, tough to find a flat spot. Free. I don't bother unless all other options are exhausted. The Camp at GJ, ten minute pedal to Lunch Loops. *WAY* better riding than Fruita. Bathrooms but no working showers last time I was there (seems to be the case still from website). $30/night. Not the nicest spot but it's shady at least. Five minute pedal to a decent brewpub for grub. Plenty of Breakfast options in GJ.

Palisade: 20 mins east of GJ. Super cute little Vineyard town. Good Brew pub, Distillery. GREAT riding on Palisade Rim. No camping except Palisade Base Camp, $35/night for a tent spot on the river with wifi, electricity. Pretty nice. They also have RV hookups, cabins etc. Full amenities, Showers, pool, laundry, etc. All brand new, clean, VERY nice. Surrounded by Orchards and HUDGE MJ grow OP, the whole place smells really dank, lol! 10 min bike into town or the the Rim TH. Never gotten breakfast there but there are options. Also, obviously closer to Aaahhhsthpen. I'd do this if I were you.

The riding:

Fruita is just ok. Good for beginners. I don't bother anymore. I'd hit Joe's/Mojoe's if you end up riding there, kinda sucks in the wind though (hint: it's always windy). Hear good things about Saarlac but haven't done it.

Kokopelli area (west of Fruita, Mack/Loma) has some good riding, also some boring stuff. The ridge stuff (Mack, Troy Built, Hawkeye, Moore Fun) is better than the mesa stuff (Mary's/Horsetheif) Scenic. Moore Fun is incredibly hard ultra-tech. You either love it or hate it.

Grand Junction Lunch Loops is must ride if not now, another time. Amazing building, techy but not too techy. Real fun. Free Lunch, Pucker Up, Holy Cross, Gunny Loop are some highlights. Butterknife is good too but it finishes with a stout climb up a 4x4 rd back to the car. The Ribbon is totally unique and real fun. Gotta do it at least once. Bet you can bang out Holy Cross in an hour or just about, a good option.

Palisade Rim is a mini world class trail IMO. Built by the Lunch Loops people. First mile is steep and techy, eases up from there. Once on the Rim, there's a lower loop and an upper loop. The lower loop you can bang out in an hour I bet, another 30 mins for the upper loop. That's all the riding in the immediate area though, it's not a ton, about ten miles for all of it. Incredibly scenic and great riding with interspersed hard tech. Do each loop clockwise for best results.

Aaaahsthpen: Only really ridden around Snowmass. Good stuff on the Ski hill. Another vote for the Rim trail across from the Ski hill. Fun, fast, moderate stuff.

[skaredshtles]

<snip> Moore Fun is incredibly hard ultra-tech. You either love it or hate it.

And if you hate Moore Fun, might I humbly suggest that the hater may not be cut out for mt biking and maybe should consider taking up knitting?

[adrenalated]

beateredit pretty much covered Fruita/GJ. 18Rd has the best/easiest camping where you can ride from camp. For a 1hr ride it's fun. Not technical, but fun. For a 1hr ride I would pick two out of Joe's, Zippity, or PBR.

Lunch Loops has better riding but worser camping, and more difficult to put together a quality 1hr ride there.

In Snowmass I'd drive 10 minutes and loop Hunter Creek to Sunnyside. Waaay better than anything right in Snowmass. If you insist on right in Snowmass, loop Rim Trail to Viewline to Deadline to Tom Blake. It's very flowy XC with little tech but enjoyable. Or pony up for a lift ticket and ride the bike park, which is super fun and in no way requires a DH sled.

[beaterdit]

And if you hate Moore Fun, might I humbly suggest that the hater may not be cut out for mt biking and maybe should consider taking up knitting?

FKNA!

[Danno]

up zipity

this is a really bad idea

[rideit]

Might as well go up Kessel too!

[BigHerm]

NICA course is up Fanny Hill work road, Discovery->Sleigh Ride->Ditch->Connector->Work Road->Village Bound (down).

S Rim->7 Star (down)->Viewline->Deadline->Tom Blake is a good route that starts and ends at the Mall and keeps you within cell range and Snowmass Village.

Government to Buttermilk->Oregon Trail->Butterline->Airline->Skyline->Deadline is more technical and remote. Out of cell range on Govy.

Good luck to your daughter.

[adrenalated]

this is a really bad idea

Hopefully he meant up WESTERN Zippity

[LesterSmoove]

Hopefully he meant up WESTERN Zippity

jesus yes, this is a very important distinction. DEF meant go up western zippity and down joes. obv many would choose to go down zippity but I'm super partial to joes/mojoes. western zippity mellow and pretty uphill.

[Telemarketeer]

The beauty of 18rd is the quick, easy, low-commitment, and fun laps from camp. It's like a 8" powder day on a hut trip where the hut is surrounded by sub 30º low consequence terrain with a ton of wind lips and fun stuff to play on.

[grskier]

Good recs so far.

So many great rides in Snowmass now.

Discovery up (if it isn't closed) to upper Village Bound to Cross Mountain, down to gov't to anaerobic to tom blake is about as good of a variety pack you'll get on the ski area. If you want something else, go up view line, out sky line then down and back up either airline or cozy line..... then double back and finish it up with a deadline.

[Thaleia]

And if you hate Moore Fun, might I humbly suggest that the hater may not be cut out for mt biking and maybe should consider taking up knitting?

This out of shape flatlander from the east coast who was relatively new to biking ended up on this trail my first time out that way. Was not impressed with the techy climbing lol. DH was cool though. Been back a few times since so I guess it didn't scare me away at least.

[skaredshtles]

This out of shape flatlander from the east coast who was relatively new to biking ended up on this trail my first time out that way. Was not impressed with the techy climbing lol. DH was cool though. Been back a few times since so I guess it didn't scare me away at least.

You do ride it W->E, right?

[Thaleia]

You do ride it W->E, right?

That first time - no. Went in pretty much blind.

After seeing about the fourth dude approaching W-E me I asked if I was perhaps not doing it right, and got a really nice run down of the area with suggested loops for my next attempt. Dude was cool AF.

Met some other dudes at 18 Rd the next day. They were cool as hell too. I asked about which trails were for going down and which went up. Got a nice explanation of the area. I didn't immediately notice this but one of the guys then went around the parking lot asking if anyone had a spare map for me, found one, and gave it to me as I was heading off to Kessel Run. Awesome people around there.

[ticketchecker]

Just here to prop up The Ribbon again, such a cool ride

[bennymac]

Yes - if we’re going to draw comparisons to backcountry skiing the Ribbon trail is like breaking out of the trees at speed into a wide open slope of fresh snow with no tracks on it.

So much fun to just arc turns small and big. It might not excite the locals? but for a visitor, especially if you don’t normally ride this type of desert(?) terrain - I would highly recommend the shuttle up.

I guarantee you’ll like it - I’ll pay for the shuttle if you don’t!

[grskier]

Hey all,

My HS daughter has an XC (running) race in Fruita tomorrow evening. And then Sunday morning is racing mountain bikes at the NICA (High School cycling league) race in Snowmass.

I

What about food/beer in aspen?

Thanks. Sorry for the long post.

How'd she do?

What did you end up riding?

[joetron]

Yes - if we’re going to draw comparisons to backcountry skiing the Ribbon trail is like breaking out of the trees at speed into a wide open slope of fresh snow with no tracks on it.

So much fun to just arc turns small and big. It might not excite the locals? but for a visitor, especially if you don’t normally ride this type of desert(?) terrain - I would highly recommend the shuttle up.

I guarantee you’ll like it - I’ll pay for the shuttle if you don’t!

Just make sure to stick a little more to the left on the wide open slickrock. It’s easy to get carried away with the carving and the mini-jumps....and the right side ends rather abruptly in a large cliff.


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[bennymac]

Just make sure to stick a little more to the left on the wide open slickrock. It’s easy to get carried away with the carving and the mini-jumps....and the right side ends rather abruptly in a large cliff.


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yes I've only done that trail 3 times but I know what you mean. I used to take that outside the bushes far right line at speed but looking back that was very dumb.