Located near the Colorado/Utah border, Western Rim offers a less traveled option to some of the 18 Road and Kokopelli area trails while offering an incredibly fun ride around a canyon rim.

Trail Description

The trail begins with a steady climb up loose, sandy doubletrack. The trail is a shared trail (with Motos, horses and hikers), so expect other forms of travel on your way. The trail splits, so stay right on the Trail marked "2".

Several steep ups will test your fitness as well as your technical skills. You'll come to another sandy junction around mile 3, at which point you should take a left which leads towards the Colorado River as the trail drops quickly. Look for the right turn (by the tree) and the singletrack heads back towards the rim.

From this point forward, the ride around the canyon is gently downhill, fast and ridiculously fun. Enjoy the great views of the canyon the trail skirts, but again keep your eyes on the trail as there is definitely a lot of exposure.

At mile 8, you will encounter a road which you take a right turn on. This is the Kokopelli Trail and will take you back to the junction where you can retrace your route back to the car....or make another lap around the rim!

Getting There

Travel west on I-70 from Fruita for about 15 miles, and exit on Exit #2. Travel across the overpass, through the parking lot and continue down the rough dirt road to the McDonald Creek Trailhead. Low clearance vehicles can park at the main road, but this adds 5 miles of sandy, dirt road riding to the loop.

When to Bike

Late Spring - Late Fall