It's Almost Time To Take The Plunge: New Landmark Trail To Open To The Public Early This Summer
Photo courtesy of COPMOBA
Everyone has been eagerly anticipating the official opening of The Palisade Plunge, and Spoke+Blossom is happy to report the wait is almost over.
Scott Winans, president of Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association (COPMOBA) and member of the Outdoor Recreation Leadership Council, shared in February 2021 that the trail should be ready to roll mid- to late-June.
For nearly a decade now, 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 single-track trail. Once completed, The Palisade Plunge will be one of only a handful of such trails in the country and is expected to contribute at least $5 million annually to the local economy.
“What’s in front of us project-wise is a little bit of construction that wasn’t complete by the end of last year,” shared Winans. “So, we’ve got to wait until things are dry enough to get up there and do that work.”
During these four to six weeks of trail work happening this spring, Winans said the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service will be dialing in administrative details and looking over final search and rescue plans.
Select Colorado media outlets did get a sneak peek of the trail last fall, including Spoke+Blossom, but Winans said it’s important to remember that the trail has never been officially opened. Now everyone is asked to wait until the trail opens for safe use this summer.
“It did have approved use for a brief period of time to promote information in the hands of future media outreach,” he said. “General public access has never been available, and complete construction of the project and approval by the federal land agencies is the milestone that fully opens the trail. Any riding that is done on the trail ahead of time is just a negative impact to that opening.”
It’s important to note that The Palisade Plunge is an advanced trail with high levels of exposure in areas. For riders with varying abilities, the top portion of the Plunge and trails in and around Powderhorn Mountain Resort will provide ample options for more moderate terrain.
Annual trail closures will run from December 1 through the end of May, so Plunge lovers will have some time to grow their appetite for the experience year after year.
There are currently three outfitters that are on track to receive permits for shuttling The Palisade Plunge this year: Palisade Plunge Cycle & Shuttle through Rapid Creek Cycles, Powderhorn Mountain Resort and Pali-Tours.
“This is such a broad community effort,” Winans said. “So many voices and pots of energy and money have been put into this, and everybody is really invested in getting this thing done and open formally.”
Stay in the loop with project status for The Palisade Plunge on copmoba.org, or call Rapid Creek Cycles at 970.464.9266.
Originally published in the Spring 2021 issue