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Trip to moab, Fruita, ? for 21st birthday! (oh, and pete...) (16 posts)
|  Trip to moab, Fruita, ? for 21st birthday! (oh, and pete...) | Cabin Fever
Mar 27, 2002 8:49 AM | | My birthday is coming up in june. i've decided to treat myself to a trip to Moab and Fruita. i think i deserve it. anyone have an suggestions? i'd like to stay at one of the free campsites up the road from the slickrock parking lot. oh man, i am bare;y able to hold in my excitement till the end of this horrid school year.
does anyone have any suggestions? will those places be too hot at that time of the year for a missouri guy like myself to enjoy? also, are there any other places near those two towns that wouldbe worth driving too? i won't be there for more than 2 weeks. a week and a half might be more reaosnable. i am trying to decide whether or not to fully explore as much as possible just those two areas in the time i have, or go for a huge variety. super high altitudes aren't really a good idea. thanks for you help guys, i can't wait.
you know, Pete, i've got a bone to pick with you. all those sweet videos you have on your website make me more and more unable to stand it here at school in the midwest. i watch them over and over and just sit there drooling, wishing there was somehting here that could even remotely compare to the riding out there. i hope you realize how lucky you are. |
| 2 weeks and no Crested Butte? | 2melow
Mar 27, 2002 9:13 AM | | Dude,
Don't spend all of your time in Moab and Fruita. Moab is good for 2-3 days max, Fruita for 4 days. Also check out Aspen area and Crested Butte. The snow will be melted and the wildflowers a bloomin!
Crested Butte is the real deal for mountain biking.
Personally, I don't like the riding in Moab too much. It is hard on you and your bike. Crash once and watch you paint job go down the tube, along with anything protruding like bar ends, brakes, shifters, etc. Porcupine Rim and Poison Spider are worth checking out though..
Have fun, and remember the parts of Colorado that have mountains and epic singletrack. That is where it is at (if you like climbing and descending.)
Brett (Moab and Fruita are but the very small beginning of epic trails) |
| I'd have to disagree....... | FreeRangeChicken
Mar 27, 2002 10:14 AM | | Not trying to start a big argument,.... I personally find that five days in Moab is not long enough. I could spend a whole Spring or Fall there.
I make one to two trips to Moab every year for the last four years. Usually about five days per trip. Moab has tons of trails and lots of different terrain to choose from. I simply cannot get enough of that place.
Drop me an email I'll send you a link to some of my Moab pics.
FreeRangeChicken@yahoo.com
As far as timeframe, June will probably be hitting the beginning of the really hot season in Moab. You might want to check some of the local Moab web sites for climate info. I went once in August and it was useless.... 90(f) by 10am. If you can make it during spring break, that's the prime biking season(kinda short notice, i know). I usually go in April and September/October.
Fruita is pretty much the same climate as Moab. Only 1-1.5 hours away. The trails are really nice, but it just doesn't have the same draw for me. Seems like the trails are more spread out, here's not as many, and there's not as wide a variety of terrain. It's definatly worth a stop if you're driving to Moab.
Quote(2mellow): Personally, I don't like the riding in Moab too much. It is hard on you and your bike. Crash once and watch you paint job go down the tube, along with anything protruding like bar ends, brakes, shifters, etc. Porcupine Rim and Poison Spider are worth checking out though.
As far as I can tell, the rocks in Fruita are as hard as the ones in Moab. :o)
As far as Crested Butte, the biking is amazing and the terrain is majestic. However, I'm betting that a lot of the trails will still have snow in June. June is kind of that twilight time when it's getting really hot in the dessert, but it hasn't been warm enough long enough in the high mountains to melt off the snow. Altitude in CB will kick your butt too coming from Missouri. Not trying to dissuade you, just an FYI. If you go to CB the Hostel is very affordable and a great place to stay.
Dave |
| well.. | Cabin Fever
Mar 27, 2002 10:30 AM | | i've been to Moab and Fruita already, and i love the towns. but i was wondering if anyone had suggetions on anything other than riding. i thought about crested butte, and all the surreal riding that it offers, like in the clouds. but, i don't think that i could adjust to aht altitude in that short amount of time. i totally want to ride there eventually though... |
| Dave, that pic. | TNC
Mar 27, 2002 6:51 PM | | I know lots of those places in Southeastern Utah and the CP start to look like, but I could swear that pic looks like a spot on the Pritchett Canyon trail west of Moab off of the Kane Springs road. Any chance it is?
I sure agree with you about Moab. I've 4-wheeled it, off road motorcycled it, rafted it, canoed it, hiked, and now MTB'd it since '96 for 2 weeks at a whack every year. Yeah, I like Moab.
BTW, no ever mentions Flat Pass trail. |
| Dave, that pic. | FreeRangeChicken
Mar 28, 2002 10:12 AM | | Then endo pic is the beginning of Amasa Back Trail. A somewhat hostile landing zone, I must say.
I've absolutely love Flat Pass. Definitely one of my favorites. The sand at the end can be a real pain in the a$$ though.
Woohoo! In three weeks I'll be in Moab.
Dave |
| There Is No "Real Deal" ... | hfly
Mar 27, 2002 10:37 AM | | ... at least not a "THE" Real Deal. Riding is good at all of the meccas around the West. To stratify them in some sort of superlative order is futile.
Obviously I'm partial to Moab. Five years of this place and I still have gazillions of local haunts left yet to discover. Never substitute a skimming opinion for a final judgment. It's depth that creates a mecca; Moab, Fruita and CB all have such depth.
That said, I would generally opt for the mountains of Colorado over the desert country of Moab or Fruita in June.
hfly the Moabite |
| more about the BUTT... | hardtailer
Mar 27, 2002 12:41 PM | | like Cabin Fever, i'm with a midwestern group heading to Fruita/Moab in June. we would like to check out some of the mountain stuff too. worried about the altitude a little, a few of my companions insist they will be in top shape by then but i don't see it happening. should we expect all XC trails there or can they use the lifts and avoid the hard core uphill stuff? thanks! |
| Don't worry about altitude | 2melow
Mar 27, 2002 12:53 PM | | my buddy from sea level came out and had no problems. He's a sport level racer and is in decent shape.
It's the mix of sun and dehydration that will put the hurt on you.
Drink up, water is your friend here...
Also, if you want to do the chairlift thing, Winter Park/Fraser Valley has a TON of great trails as well...might be worth checking out.. |
| Some info... | screampint
Mar 27, 2002 9:47 AM | | June is beginning to get hot. The beginning of June starts in the 80's and by the end you will hit 90 and above. Both Fruita and Moab share the same weather patterns, with Fruita being a tad cooler (maybe a couple degrees). Moab has Porcupine Rim and Amassa Back, two great trails worth doing. I'm sure you'll get more suggestions.
Fruita has a few different areas close by. The Kokopelli Loops over look the Colorado River and has a mix of double and single track (but the majority is single track). Some of it is easy (Rustler's Loop) and some of is a very technical (Moore Fun). The Bookcliffs area has the smooth buttery fast single track that has been written up in numerous magazines. Rabbit Valley has some great trails with lots of variety (ledges, swoopy singletrack, rocky, etc.). P.O.S. (Western Rim)is my favorite trail out there.
Lastly, June is the beginning of the high country season. You should check out some of the stuff in the mountains, especially if we're in a heat wave in the desert. Both Moab and Fruita have some high country stuff that's not as well known. And 2mellow is right, Crusty Butt is a great place to ride.
I hope that helps. |
| to add more confusion to the matter.. | kokothemonkey
Mar 27, 2002 10:51 AM | | Durango might be worth hitting. It has both high mountain riding and stuff that will be available in June like Horse Gulch or the lower bit of the Colorado trail. It is fairly close to Moab if you get bored with one of your choices, this would be my preference over the two meccas mentioned in this thread. |
| 2d that, DGO rocks with attitude | gonzostrike
Mar 27, 2002 11:33 AM | | too much to mention
Moab = scenery and "unique" slickrock
Fruita = fun narrow singletrack with good scenery
DGO = awesome stuff but again altitude is a factor. The epic Molas Pass to Coal Bank Pass ride is incredible, all at 10k - 12k feet, incredible views, high alpine meadows and wildflowers bustin' out everywhere if you go mid- to late-June.
I'm headed to Gooseberry Mesa UT and Virgin UT on April 12. I'll report back afterward. |
| Yep, best ride I have done.. | kokothemonkey
Mar 27, 2002 1:02 PM | | Molas to Coal Bank that is. If you go beyond coal bank past engineer mountain there is a ridiculous downhill that finishes in a meadow through aspens. Have fun in UT, I am headed to Fruita the weekend of the 5th hopefully, if the weather holds up! |
| yup. this year even the high stuff will be open by June | club
Mar 27, 2002 1:32 PM | | we're parched here, the snowpack is like 30 some percent of normal, so you should be able to get into the high country around Durango by June, no problem. Kennebec, CO Trail, etc. should all be rockin' by June. Just don't light any forest fires with your roaches, it's gonna be a bad year for fires. |
| Youv'e been to froota and moab.... | martini
Mar 27, 2002 5:27 PM | | My idea is to hit up something new! Go to Durango, it's got amazing trails and views. Crusty Butt is a can't miss as well. There's great camping around there and the Trails, well the trails are legendary. And for a reason. If you're there for any length of time, try to hookup with a local(in CB) for some of the 'stash'. Questionable access, but man, the trails are the true meaning of epic. Some of the best riding I've done has been in CB. I can't wait to get back there.
If the snow pack is as low as the locals are saying, a must ride is the Monarch Pass/Rainbow trail combo. Oh - my - god. Look it up on Google. Simply amazing trail. I'd have to put in my top 5 trails ridden(Lived in moab, Crested Butte, SoDak(black hills rock!), an ridden many other places).
marty |
| Bake in Moab in June, slow-roast in Fruita, or come to Durango | club
Mar 27, 2002 1:29 PM | | the local trails in Durango are good to go right now, I just got back from 4 hours singlespeeding on local trails and there's not enough mud to mention. Moab is brutal by June (although there is some great singletrack in the LaSals there that would be comfy), come ride in the nice, cool San Juans instead. |
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