“Sneak Peek” Ride Of Palisade Plunge: Full Opening Spring 2021

Rider on a sneak peek of phase one of the Palisade Plunge on Thursday, September 24, 2020. Weather permitting, phase two of the Palisade Plunge will be completed before year-end and the full trail will be open for use in spring 2021. Photo by Joey Early, RockyMounts.

Mountain bikers get ready — we can confirm the Palisade Plunge is not overrated, and it will be ready for you to ride soon.

Thursday, September 24, 2020 was a big day for Spoke+Blossom, the Colorado mountain biking community and enthusiasts of the sport all around the world.

During a press conference and “sneak peek” ride, the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association (COPMOBA) and the Palisade Plunge Trail Project partner organizations announced more than half of the full route is complete and soon to be open for public use. 

Weather permitting, phase two of the project will be completed before year-end and the full trail will be open for use in spring 2021.

Along with representatives from Western Colorado towns, local organizations and Colorado media outlets, a robust group gathered at the newly constructed Shirttail Point trailhead on the Grand Mesa to hear updates on the project. 

“Mountain bikers love a challenge, and what’s shaping up right here is one of the premier challenges in the country for mountain bikers,” shared Cathy Ritter, director of the Colorado Tourism Office. “We are looking at this as a star attraction for this part of the state.”

Following the gathering at Shirttail Point, Bobby L’Heureux, co-owner of Spoke+Blossom and director of partnerships, rode phase one and shared how it was quite a memorable experience (see his exclusive video footage HERE). 

“We rode phase one of the Plunge — 17 miles starting on Lands End Road and ending in Palisade at the start of the Rim Trail. The start provided a little climbing with some amazing flow sections. As we continued, the trail became more technical and increasingly exposed — it’s well-made and very rideable if you have no fear of heights or problems with tight switchbacks.  I, on the other hand, had a difficult time riding on 18 inches or less with a shear drop off with every switchback. I felt like a new rider. My body was clenched and I had a death grip on my bars. There is no turning back so all you can do is calm your nerves to ride like you know how.

I’ve completed many notable rides in the Colorado and beyond, including Bowman’s Shortcut, Monarch Crest, The Whole Enchilada, Slickrock, Amasa Back and Cliffhanger, Hymasa/Captain Ahab. Not one of these trails prepared my nerves for the what was ahead on the Palisade Plunge.

This will become one of the most epic rides in the state and beyond. I strongly recommend only riding the Palisade Plunge if you are an advance rider and you have a very clear head the day you choose this adventure.” 

-Bobby L’Heureux, co-owner of Spoke+Blossom and director of partnerships. 

Exclusive “sneak peek” video from Spoke+Blossom

Scott Winans, president of COPMOBA and member of the Outdoor Recreation Leadership Leadership Council, led the group ride and shared how the trail will be a notable addition to the country’s list of epic mountain bike rides. 

“The Palisade Plunge Trail will challenge users through a truly unique and unforgettable trail experience, providing access to remote public lands while traversing stunning alpine to high desert terrain as it connects the top elevations of the Grand Mesa to the Town of Palisade, 6000 feet below,” shared Winans. “For over 30 years, COPMOBA has been a national leader in planning, building and maintaining trails. Through projects such as the Palisade Plunge, COPMOBA creatively engages local communities to improve our regional quality of life while simultaneously creating economic engines in our home towns. We intend for the Palisade Plunge to be a jewel of Western Colorado for decades to come.”

For nearly ten years, COPMOBA has spearheaded the Palisade Plunge trail project — which takes riders from the top of the Grand Mesa (10,700 feet) to the Town of Palisade (4,700 feet) on a challenging, terrain-shifting and visually stunning singletrack trail. 

Phase one, for which trail construction has just been completed, will soon open the lower half of the Plunge route from Lands End Road crossing on the western flank of the Grand Mesa to the Palisade Rim trailhead. Phase two, begun in spring 2020, is scheduled to be completed in December 2020, connecting Mesa Top Trailhead on Highway 65 atop the Grand Mesa to the lower phase one trail section. The third and final phase involves a paved portion of the trail connecting the Plunge trail to the Colorado Riverfront trail in downtown Palisade. (SEE TRAIL MAP.)

Once completed, the Palisade Plunge trail will be one of only a handful of such trails in the country and is expected to contribute minimum $5 million annually to the local economy.

“I’ve been a bike advocate and in the bike industry for 25 years,” said Bobby Noyes, founder of RockyMounts, “and what we’re witnessing is monumental. This has been the finest collaboration in a community or the bike industry in the past 10 years … I’ve been involved in a lot of large scale bike advocacy projects, and this thing blows them all away.”