MTB Vacation, Where In October Or November

[kingsalami]

And now for something completely different...

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/the-unlikely-mountain-bike-mecca-of-bentonville-ar-2017.html

https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8007054/arkansas#sub-areas


Summers are hot & humid, but Oct - Mar will rock your socks off.

 

[Tom K.]

And now for something completely different...

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/the-unlikely-mountain-bike-mecca-of-bentonville-ar-2017.html

https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8007054/arkansas#sub-areas


Summers are hot & humid, but Oct - Mar will rock your socks off.

Good to hear!

I'm angling to spend a good chunk of next November in Arkansas.

 

[at_nyc]

How's the foliage?

Have plan to go up to NH next weekend. But it's so warm down here, not a hint of color. Hope it's starting up there?

 

[Crank]

How's the foliage?

Have plan to go up to NH next weekend. But it's so warm down here, not a hint of color. Hope it's starting up there?

Starting to get nice up north. We came down from Stowe to Sunape on Saturday and there was much less color though it was starting to get nicer. Drove home yesterday and almost none south of the MA line.

 

[Crank]

Bump

So we punted and drove up to VT and NH for a week last October. This year we already have our flights booked and are flying out to Grand Junction on Friday, September 7. We are ending up in Telluride on Thursday, 9/13 for the Blues and Brews fest. Plan is to hit Moab and Fruita for 5 days of riding and hiking pre fest.

Questions:

Looks like Fruita is an hour and a half drive from Moab, should we just stay in Moab and drive to Fruita for a day trip or 2 or should we move our base and spend a night or 2 in Fruita. Both Moab and Fruita are about 2.5 hours from Telluride.

What are some must ride trails for intermediate riders...nothing super techy please?

Any restaurants, bars, etc we should not miss?

Great hikes? I am thinking we will probably only spend 1 day near Moab on foot and then do more hiking when we hit Telluride.

FYI: It is a lot harder to find flights in and out of Montrose and Grand Junction in season that are not winter. We actually burned miles on 2 different airlines, taking one out and the other back.

 

[tball]

Fun trip!

Don't day trip between Moab and Fruita. With 5 days, I'd stay a couple nights at each.

In Fruita, the easy and intermediate Kokopelli loop trails should be perfect for you, and are absolutely beautiful:
http://www.copmoba.org/userfiles/files/kokopellis loops 3-8-15.pdf

The 18 Road trails also have some excellent beginner and intermediate routes that are a blast:
http://www.copmoba.org/userfiles/files/18 road 3-8-15.pdf

In Moab, the Dead Horse Point, Horse Thief Loop, and Klondike Bluffs trails have a lot of great beginner and intermediate trails.

There you go. 5 days of riding at 5 different trailheads. Fun!

 

[SShore]

I might add Durango to the list if you are hitting Moab. Lots of trails that leave right from town and it is a great town to entertain yourself in.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Stay in Grand Junction for a few days. As stated above, the 18 road trails are a great start and on the Kokopelli side are there some trails that while technical should still be ridden. Horsethief Bench off of Mary's loop is a blast. Just walk the entrance which is too technical for most mortals, then just have fun.

There are also some great trails at the Lunch Loop area of Grand Junction (not Fruita)..

In Moab, despite being technical, I couldn't imagine not doing Porcupine rim. You just don't get endless descents out east, so you have to do this.

 

[tball]

Another option would be to ride the fairly new Ridgway trails near Telluride in addition to or instead of Fruita and Moab:
http://ridgwaytrails.com/

I haven't been there yet, but have heard the trails are fantastic single track trails built by mountain bikers for mountain bikers. The different trail systems seem to be one-upping each other, and we are the beneficiaries!

 

[Crank]

Thanks for the info and advice. We did decide to stay in Moab for the 5 days. Found a decentish air b&b condo for a reasonable rate. I did not realize how pricey lodging is there at that time of year. We plan to do some hiking so probably 3 days of riding and a couple good hikes. Looking into the Fiery Furnace loop hike in Arches. I would like to ride Slick Rock but don't want to stress Robin with anything too techy. I rode Porcupine Rim trail a bunch of years ago when I was in Moab for a work thing.

 

[martyg]

Western Spirit. Any number of their trips at that time of year. You will have a much better experience then if your freelance it.

 

[Crank]

What are the advantages of guided rides vs on our own?

 

[martyg]

You are buying time and convenience. You won't be doing (for example) the White Rim Trail without water caches on a one day lap or multi-day. If you are on vaca, you can spend a day doing it, or pay someone. If you live there, or nearby, no big deal.

A supported trip with Western Spirit is a lot like a raft support kayak trip. The day goes something like this: wake up, coffee is on. enjoy the views, Enjoy your coffee. Breakfast is served, enjoy breakfast and he views. Break down your tent, guides load your gear on the truck. Get on your bike, ride to lunch spot, enjoy lunch,, etc.

The cost will be comparable, or less, to staying in Moab. It will, of course, be more expensive then dry camping on BLM and eating out of your cooler.

 

[martyg]

Tablet format error - my bad....