Fruita is a small town in Colorado known for one thing- biking! The whole town revolves around bikers and it is the best vibe.
The premier area for all skill levels is known as 18 Road. There is a large campground available that accommodate tents to trailers (be sure to check each campsite for what will work for your camping setup). Most of the campsites you need to reserve ahead of time- some are released 6 months in advance and others 4 days in advance. Weekends do book out quickly, and if you’re looking to snag a 4 day in advance campsite for a weekend, you may need to book your site starting Wednesday or Thursday. It seems most people do, and by the time campsites open for Friday they are all already reserved. My advice is to really try to get a campsite here because it is central to so many trails that make getting out and biking so easy.
Here’s a link to reserve your campsite- https://www.recreation.gov/camping/gateways/16582
What’s great about the 18 Road trails is there are beginner green trails that are balance bike friendly, and also you scan access blue, black and double black trails. Perfect for a group or family of varying
skill levels.
We spent most of our time biking the trail Kessel Run. It’s flowy and fun, and has several different entry/exit points throughout the campground that made it super easy to access. While the kids did bike up a few times, we often shuttled them back to the top #littlelegs.
A few people in our group checked out a few more trails on 18 Road- PBR, Zippity Do-Da, Joe’s Ridge, and Moejoe.
Here’s a map of the trail system:
If you’re looking for a yummy place to grab some food, be sure to check out Hot Tomato. We had heard so many great things, and it did not disappoint. My favorite was the “Big Dill” but we got in minus the pickles and dill which made it just a really good white pizza. I would drive back just for the pizza.
If we weren’t on our bikes, the campsite was super fun to hang out. We had a group of 6 of us + all our kids. A few things they loved doing at the campsite aside from biking and exploring were- stomp rockets, magnetic cubes, monster trucks, and a frisbee.
We were hoping to explore the nearby Colorado National Monument, but it didn’t happen this trip! If you’re looking for good hiking in Fruita, check it out. Most of the trails are short and would be kid friendly as well!
Leave any questions you have about camping in Fruita in the comments!
