I quit my job today. Last weekend I got back on a mountain bike after exploding my ankle back in January. My last day at work will be May 4th, and I need to be back in Seattle on the 30th. Between then I have a bike, a truck with a camper setup in the back, and a desire to road trip. I'm thinking CO/AZ, but have no itinerary whatsoever. Where should I go?
HAB goes funemployed
- Thread starter HAB
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You could come here, but there will be nothing to do but drink Melvin's from its home until the snow melts.
Or I guess you could ski.
Or I guess you could ski.
destination pisgah, with arkansas, tenessee, virginia, trails along the way?
Yeah, let's put some limitations in place here. As much as I'd like to visit every RM member and ride their home trails, with a little under 4 weeks to work with, I'm staying west of the Rockies.
I've spent more than enough time in Rochester for this life and the next one.
No doubt. That's normal weekend range for me though, I want to get some places that are normally a little harder for me to get to. We should definitely catch up when I'm settled into the new gig though.
If you come down 82 take a couple hours for the trail tour. Trails aren't far from exit 44.
I am a big fan of the hit n run trips and its pretty easy to tour Utah and the Western Slope. Once you get down there it's alot of under 3 hour drives between trails/towns/camping.
I am a big fan of the hit n run trips and its pretty easy to tour Utah and the Western Slope. Once you get down there it's alot of under 3 hour drives between trails/towns/camping.
Az if you are tired of the cold.
Bug Spring in Tucson...
All sorts of stuff in Prescott, especially if Pat Kell can show it to you...
Sedona...
North Flag...
Zion...
Moab...
Fruita...
Etc., etc., etc.
All sorts of stuff in Prescott, especially if Pat Kell can show it to you...
Sedona...
North Flag...
Zion...
Moab...
Fruita...
Etc., etc., etc.
I would say come here..... But any decent trail is still under snow
4 weeks is tight for that plan, perhaps UT/AZ or CO/WY/SD (Black Hills) would be more riding less driving.
Happy to assist if you roll my way.
Happy to assist if you roll my way.
edit: which of course doesn't work into your May schedule. I also vote SW.
moab and norcack
Where have you never been?
Go there.
Go there.
4 weeks seems like enough time to experiment with mescaline and/or peyote. you could hit the sweat lodges down in AZ. just sayin'.
His schedule is too early for that.
Yeah. I'd like to have longer, but one of my best friends is getting married, and I should probably show up...
Well there you go.
If you get as far south as AZ, you might want to stick to higher elevation places, it gets hot down there I hear. If this were me I'd likely put together an itinerary that took me south as far as I'd like to go first, then work my way back north and towards home. This is just how I roll, get the big legs done in the beginning of the trip, do smaller driving legs all the way back. Plus, for the time of year you have available this makes a lot of sense.
When heading south, I'd see about possibly stopping at Cave Lake SP in NV (there's riding there) on the way if that makes sense. Thinking Prescott or Tuscon is probably still *not* murdery hot in May and AZ is real neat. I've always been intredasted in La Milagrosa down in Tuscon. After that, start working your way northward up or in the Western slope of the Rockies...
If you decide to go through NM from AZ, the South Boundary Trail in Angel Fire / Toas is worth doing and should be plenty dry and open, plus you can knock out a day at Angel Fire Bike Park if that's your bag. Also in that area is the East Fork to Lost Lake loop which I found to be super enjoyable.
If you head north through Utah... well... the options are quite boundless. Moab will be awesome, a lot of the high country will be opening up and there's so much trail there you can't go wrong. Pre-Moab coming from the south is Zion, St. George, Gooseberry, and a bunch of other stuff that (ashamedly) I've never ridden but you can just work your way north ¡no problemas señor!
Duck into CO from either UT or NM and there's a crap-ton of riding. You're probably still a bit too early for some high country (like San Juans or the Monarch Crest) but there will be some stuff opening up. Durango has some of my very favorite riding in the whole wide wide world of places Ive ridden, just not sure at all what'll be open up here down there. Mmmm... Molas, Engineer Mtn Trail, Kennebec. Depending on how warm it gets you might even be able to get into Crested butte for some riding, not sure. If you come from Utah, I'd say Fruita/GJ area is a must do, but I hear rumblings of some great rides south of GJ in Montrose (Whole Uncolada and Sidewinder) and the Ridgway area.
Northern Utah on the way back, there's probably good riding in SLC area. I hear great things about the Wasatch Crest (?) maybe... could you also wander through the Tahoe area on the way home? I rode a few rides in South lake a couple summers ago that were SUPER fun. Looped up somethin-something to Star Pass or Lake, over Freel Pass, across Tahoe Rim Trail and down Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.. that was a hoot. And then some other thing... Christmas Valley or something like that? Both real great. 10/10 would bang again. We also rode Downieville, and if that's on your way home and open/dry it's probably worth a couple laps.
Edited to add links to trails.
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Tahoe has some fantastic riding. I only ever rode the west side, but it was great.
Holler if you hit the front range in CO.
Can make sure you have a face melting good time if ya know what I mean.
Can make sure you have a face melting good time if ya know what I mean.
Tahoe. Miss it so much.
Thought about that, but my new gig starts about a week after the wedding anyway.
@Full Trucker seems to have covered most of it. I'd recommend getting both Trailforks & Mtbproject on your electronic device. They seem to each have some obscure trails that the other doesn't.
Hartmann, Salida, Eagle, Glenwood, Basalt in Colorado. If'n you scoot as far east as the Front Range there will be a metric shit-ton of riding available and you might even be able to get some FRDB (Front Range DoucheBags) to join you in shenanigans.
Hartmann, Salida, Eagle, Glenwood, Basalt in Colorado. If'n you scoot as far east as the Front Range there will be a metric shit-ton of riding available and you might even be able to get some FRDB (Front Range DoucheBags) to join you in shenanigans.