I’ve managed to bolt on a few days riding to a work trip to Denver 🙂

First thought was Fruita/Grand Junction, but it’s a fair old way for a few days. Worth it?

Any recommendations closer to the city (looking at the map…Vail/Breck perhaps)? Will some of the higher Rockies stuff still be snowbound then?

I’m after technical trail riding, and like the look of Zippity-Doo-Da in Fruita if that gives an idea.

I have hit snow closed trails in Crested Butte at the end of June (401). I’d expect May to be too early for the Front Range.

Personally I found Fruita a little bit disappointing (esp after CB). I saw a photo of Joes ridge in an old STW calendar and went, I want to go there! Only 5 minutes long… The Kessel Run was way better though. A mate of mine did a 5 day supported tour of Fruita on a Specialized promoted thing. He wasn’t overly impressed and we didn’t linger long as a result.

However mtbr forums would be a much better place to canvass for opinion: http://forums.mtbr.com/colorado-western-slope/

There’s also one for the front range (which covers Denver, etc) they might be able to point you somewhere closer to Denver?

We had deep powder in Breck and fresh snow all the way the Denver on the last weekend in April a few years back. I believe some ski resorts aim to stay open until the 4th of July. I’d certainly be planning for some snow higher up.

Too early IMHO. If you are a roadie, take that, it’s fab road riding around there. (I spend a bit of time in Denver with work)

Fruita should be open by April though. These people offer supported trips throughout (in late June it was bloody hot though!)

http://westernspirit.com/WSC_FR.php

Might give you a few ideas, but yeah, it’s a bit of a hike from Denver.

Front Range May would be too early, usually it’s July through September

There will still be snow in mountains around denver

IMHO Fruita / Grand Junction is well worth the trip from Denver

The trails are great – 18 road trails are smooth fast rolling singletrack – they have recently added some trails with gap jumps etc as well
If the snow has cleared from the top of the book cliffs the edge loop is a nice big loop – at one point you have to lower your bike down a cliff on rope

The Kokopelli trail system is also great if you do all the trails theres around 40 miles of singletrack to ride there -more rocks here (moore fun is very techie) and great views

Also you have the trails down towards rabbit valley – theres a nice big lop ride called the zion curtain down that way

There the Lunch Loops in Grand Junction – which are a more technical than the above

Also you have the pallisade rim trail in Pallisdaes which is worth doing

I’ve often driven straight to Fruita from Denver (Just make sure you check the traffic when you are heading back to denver – as the freeway from silverthrone to denver can get very congested at weekends)

Check out my website for some of my trips out Fruita way

http://www.mtb-hol.com

i’ll be out there again at the end of April – looking forward to it !!

Theses sites have lots of info on the riding down that way
http://www.gjmountainbiking.com/
http://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8007558/grand-junction

I didn’t massively rate Fruita, although if you are there the National Monument is worth a visit, don’t think you are allowed to mtb on it though. All the front range stuff around Boulder will be open in May. And you’ll get plenty of advice if you visit a shop in Boulder. Walking up the Flatirons is also worth it.

Me and the GF thoroughly enjoyed the trails at Fruita last year. Kokopelli (we never managed to clear ‘the bench’), 18 Road and Lunch Loops were all great systems. We also enjoyed our final day back at Golden – just outside Denver – looping the Apex trails (Yeti Factory lunch trails).