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Edge Loop Mountain Bike Trail
Fruita, Colorado
MTB TRAIL STATS
Avg Rating:   |
5 trail reviews |
|
Status: updated 8/20/07 by Lancefan |
Difficulty:  Intermediate |
| Length: 32 miles | Global Rank: 889 |
| Tread: Other | Configuration: Loop |
| Ridden: 27 | Wishlist: 41 |
| Avg. Speed: 6.23 mph | Avg. Time: 4hr 55min |
| IMBA Epic Trail |
Directions:
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Description: This IMBA epic is acclaimed as being one of the best MTB rides in the Country. The ride starts at the 18 Road Bookcliffs Recreation Area and takes you high up into the Book Cliffs. This is a big ride with a waterfall portage .With all the options you can mix up the start and finish any way you like, but the route should probably be ridden clockwise. Well I finally did this ride this spring. I started at the upper parking lot down Kessel Run to Western Zippety (a pipeline road) to Frontside Trail to Coal Gulch Road. This section is typical Bookcliffs. Ya gotta love it! RIDE UP Coal Gulch Road stay right at the fork and CLIMB STEEPLY to the top!! This is a long climb up a dirt road. Follow the road on the ridge top heading south. There are many spur roads Stay on the ridge top . You will pass a pump station that is always running. I was able to find some bicycle tracks to let me know I was heading in the right direction. Keep straight on the ridgeline. The road turns to double track . This is a fun rolling section with some short climbs Just as the trail starts to drop down the 2100 ft. decent there are great views of the Grand Valley. Next there are a couple of really steep downhill sections. Turn right on the single track down to the wash. This downhill was tight , twisted and fun! Ride down the wash if you can. When you reach the waterfall hope the rope is in good shape! At the bottom of the waterfall continue down this difficult wash .Look for the trail that parallels the wash crossing it several times. Itís a toss up which way is easier! Watch for the singletrack out of the wash. After about four challenging climbs (that pushed me to the limit!) turn left on the road follow this road about a mile turn right when you reach the singletrack , ride past the corral up one more hill to the lower parking lot and back to camp. What a ride! Route finding wasnít difficult but you should probably take a map.
Description: This IMBA epic is acclaimed as being one of the best MTB rides in the Country. The ride starts at the 18 Road Bookcliffs Recreation Area and takes you high up into the Book Cliffs. This is a big ride with a waterfall portage .With all the options you can mix up the start and finish any way you like, but the route should probably be ridden clockwise. Well I finally did this ride this spring. I started at the upper parking lot down Kessel Run to Western Zippety (a pipeline road) to Frontside Trail to Coal Gulch Road. This section is typical Bookcliffs. Ya gotta love it! RIDE UP Coal Gulch Road stay right at the fork and CLIMB STEEPLY to the top!! This is a long climb up a dirt road. Follow the road on the ridge top heading south. There are many spur roads Stay on the ridge top . You will pass a pump station that is always running. I was able to find some bicycle tracks to let me know I was heading in the right direction. Keep straight on the ridgeline. The road turns to double track . This is a fun rolling section with some short climbs Just as the trail starts to drop down the 2100 ft. decent there are great views of the Grand Valley. Next there are a couple of really steep downhill sections. Turn right on the single track down to the wash. This downhill was tight , twisted and fun! Ride down the wash if you can. When you reach the waterfall hope the rope is in good shape! At the bottom of the waterfall continue down this difficult wash .Look for the trail that parallels the wash crossing it several times. Itís a toss up which way is easier! Watch for the singletrack out of the wash. After about four challenging climbs (that pushed me to the limit!) turn left on the road follow this road about a mile turn right when you reach the singletrack , ride past the corral up one more hill to the lower parking lot and back to camp. What a ride! Route finding wasnít difficult but you should probably take a map.
added on June 21, 2007 by 
SIMILAR TRAILS
Riders who liked this mountain bike trail also liked:Waterton Canyon in Littleton
Flying J Ranch in Conifer
NEARBY TRAILS
- Kessel Run in Fruita (0 miles away)
- Prime Cut in Fruita (0 miles away)
- Joe's Ridge in Fruita (0 miles away)
- Chutes and Ladders in Fruita (0 miles away)
- Vegetarian Loop in Fruita (0 miles away)
TRAIL REVIEWS review this trail
reviewed by andyklevorn on December 1, 2008
I thought, coming from Michigan, that this was a pretty fun ride. Not so technical but just a fun day ride with a mix of interesting terrain. It's not every day that you get to rappel down a waterfall or have the option of bunny hopping a free range cow sleeping on the trail.
reviewed by mikestahlman on May 9, 2008
If you like riding on gravel roads then this trail is for you. The trails at the bottom... zippity, prime cut, chutes and ladders are way more fun. It was some excellent PR to get this trail rated as one of the best in the country and it is sad that this is the namesake trail of the fruita area with so much else the area has to offer.
Similar Trail: Any gravel road will do.
reviewed by NoTrace on April 19, 2008
This is one of the best cross country rides in the country. The slate rock offers stair step climbs and canyon top curves surrounded by incredible scenery. This should be on the short list of any mountain biker.
reviewed by Lancefan on July 20, 2007
This is a great trail that has a little of everything. Climbing on dirt roads, technical 4x4 road descending, amazing singletrack aand breathe taking veiws. This probably is not the best trail in Fruita but defintly a must ride if you go. The only problem with this ride is the 2 miles of riding in a dry creek bed filled with gravel. But even with that it is still fun.
reviewed by bonkedagain on June 22, 2007
I have often wondered how this ride ever got on the IMBA epic list. With something like 17 miles of road riding its hardly my idea of a singletrack dream. I suppose after too many beers with Troy you can be convinced of anything. In any case, the frontside singletrack to Coal Gulch is a lot of fun (even though much of it can be experienced by riding Zippety). The downhill is a lot of fun, but not enough for me to justify the long grind to the top. Note that after you come out at the bottom of the gulch and run into double track you should go *right*, uphill, for a couple hundred yards to get onto The Edge Connector, which is a fun ride in itself, and much more fun than riding down to the corral. After riding the connector you can go down or up Chutes and Ladders. Like Lostcause says, pick up a map at an LBS -- it will make your life easier.
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