gjhikes.com: Tabeguache Trail (12)

The Tabeguache Trail is a 150 mile long mountain biking route between Grand Junction and Montrose, Colorado that was made by connecting various sections of pre existing roads with a few sections of singletrack and other trails. Much of what is described here can also be completed by jeeps and other OHVs by substituting nearby roads for the sections of singletrack. In fact, the first time that we completed this trip some 20 plus years ago was in a jeep. While the entire trail is sometimes completed in 4 days by mountain bikers by pre staging the necessary campsites we have broken the entire trail down into sections that can be ridden separately. We began our descriptions on the Grand Junction end of the trail from the Lunch Loop Section up to the Fence Line trail in the 25 Mesa Section. After that we went to the other end of the trail in Montrose and worked our way back. Most of the sections we rode in both directions after which we would drive to the starting point of the next section. In doing so we ended up riding 284 miles rather than the 150 miles it takes to get from Grand Junction to Montrose.

NOTE: Parts of the Tabeguache Trail are very rugged and remote. Advanced planning and preparation should be made. Route finding can be difficult in places making detailed maps of each section a valuable resource. We have included an overall map of the entire trail but by itself it is of little help and is intended only to give an overall view. More detailed maps are included with each section and should be a little more useful. The best aid is a GPS device that you can download our GPX tracks to. Cell phone service is very spotty and many times can only be found on hilltops if any at all. The lack of a good signal can cause batteries to drain very quickly. Riders should be prepared to self rescue if need be. I rode the trail on a Raleigh hardtail and other than needing to adjust the brakes several times the only repair needed was to replace a tube. I was carrying a full set of bike tools, spare tube and patch kit, and on a couple of the very remote sections a spare tire. Be sure to take plenty of fluids and DO NOT drink any water without filtering it first.