MTB Project Logo
Climb
MTB
Hike
Trailrun
Ski
Limited Time70% OffonX Backcountry

Joe's Ridge

Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
 4.6 (213)
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Western Colorado
  4. …Fruita
  5. 18 Road Trails
Explore MTB in 3D
Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.
Previous Next

“A short but really sweet lead-in to the newer downhill flow trail, MoJoe. ”

Michael Ahnemann
Your Rating: Rating Rating Rating Rating Rating      Clear Rating
Your Difficulty:
Your Favorites: Add To-Do · Your List

1.9

Miles

3.0

KM
Singletrack

5,543' 1,690 m

High

5,125' 1,562 m

Low

30' 9 m

Up

448' 137 m

Down

5%

Avg Grade (3°)

17%

Max Grade (10°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Allowed

Description

Joe's Ridge is accessed just off the 18 Road at the upper parking lot. It starts out as a mostly gentle climb, with one or two steeper anaerobic sections, characteristic of this area.

The trail soon climbs out to a ridge and descends. It's fast and flowy, and encourages you to let go of the brakes and let it roll. There are just a few spots that can bite you as the speeds increase, but it's mostly just a sweet section of trail. The views are great and there are more trees here compared to other trails.

Ride to the dirt road (Mitchell Road) and follow it for 0.2 miles until Joe's Ridge crosses the road and heads downhill. You'll cross the Kessel Run, and then the main road (18 Road), then finish with a short downhill to the Cow Pond intersection, just below the parking area. This lower section is smooth, fast, but a whole lot less interesting than the upper part.

A better option from Mitchell Road is to go straight across to the MoJoe trail to complete a loop back to the lower parking lot.

Contacts

Land Manager: BLM Colorado - Colorado River Valley Field Office

Shared By:

Michael Ahnemann with improvements by Kristen Arendt and 2 others
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.6 from 213 votes

#2

in 18 Road Trails

#31

Overall
  4.6 from 213 votes
5 Star
66%
4 Star
26%
3 Star
8%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Trail Rankings

#2

in 18 Road Trails

#11

in Colorado

#31

Overall
69 Views Last Month
14,752 Since Mar 29, 2013
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
1%
0%
54%
24%
22%
0%
Add a Photo

Photos

Awesome sunset on Joe's Ridge
Apr 10, 2013 near Fruita, CO
Just starting to get into the fun stuff on Joe's Ridge!
May 4, 2018 near Fruita, CO
The look when you see that first big drop!
Nov 7, 2020 near Fruita, CO
Gravity takes over on Joe's Ridge!
Nov 7, 2020 near Fruita, CO
Joes Ridge has plenty of sniper lines if you're looking to push it!
Jan 17, 2017 near Fruita, CO
Ride the spine!
Jan 17, 2020 near Fruita, CO

6 Comments

Sort by: Oldest Drop down
Newest Oldest Popular
loading

Weather

Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 1 day ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Nov 1, 2025
Anonymous
Feb 9, 2025
Lost Justpastnowhere
May 18, 2024
Andrew Palmer
Mar 25, 2024
Carly Hamilton
Oct 16, 2023
Kenny S
Sep 30, 2023
Megan Jean
Sep 24, 2023
Atsuko Ohtake
May 20, 2023
MR Hall

Nearby Recommended Routes

Welcome

Join the Community! It's FREE

Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started