CanadianBiker32

Just for people who have ridden in Moab Utah. any other great spots to check out outside of Moab Utah? anything that is bucket list riding in colorado etc? or other areas of Utah? thanks

cycloaptrgangr

Just next door, 70 miles away, the Fruita/Grand Junction area is the closest bucket list material.

Kapusta

I would definitely second the Fruita suggestion. While I think Moab has more iconic riding, there is still a lot of very good riding around Fruita, and I personally find Fruita itself a MUCH more interesting and pleasant town to hang out in.

Not sure how far you want to venture from Moab, but I LOVE Crested Butte. The riding that I have done and seen there is generally more "epic XC" riding than a lot of the more gnarly stuff I've done at Moab, but it is really beautiful and I love the remote back-country feel of it. Lots of big long climbs and big long descents. But what really keeps me coming back there is the town itself. It is a truly special place IMO. Not sure how to describe it, other than it feels very "real" to me, unlike so many other mountain resort towns that feel "produced". It was the kind of thing that took me many days (two 3-day visits) to fully appreciate. The only thing to keep in mind with CB (or any other high altitude town) is that at those elevations, it can really be a kick in the lungs for people like me from lower elevations. I still enjoy it, but do end up having to stop or walk places that I would normally be charging through.

I guess my take on Moab is that from a strictly riding point of view (especially if you like technical and challenging stuff like I do), it is really hard to beat. However, for me the town itself matters as well. And from that perspective, I find it falls flat.

Mountain Mitch

Lots of really good riding down near St. George/Hurricane area. Plus it is open a few weeks earlier as it's the lowest (read 'warmest') place in the State.

Pendergast

Yeah, Fruita/Grand Junction is where people tend to add to a Moab trip. There's quite a bit of variety in the area. Generally speaking, you've got rocky, technical trails at the Lunch Loops(Grand Junction), smooth, flowy trails at the North Fruita Desert(also known as 18 Road), and the Kokopelli Loops(also called Loma by a lot of people) which is sort of in-between. There are plenty of other trails to ride in the Fruita/GJ area, but those are the three main spots. There are lots of youtube videos of the trails if you want to check out what they look like.