K2-Play Opens in Fruita: The Last Piece of the 18 Road Expansion

Oktober 31, 2026

With a ribbon cutting on October 10, the last trail of the North Fruita Desert master plan is open. K2-Play is a rough, technical black diamond along the Book Cliffs, and it wraps up eight years of work on one of the West’s busiest desert trail systems.

by Robert Langer

The new trail

K2-Play runs for about three miles along the base of the Book Cliffs. It connects Chutes and Ladders with the Edge Connector and the wider Edge Loop. Expect about 470 feet of climbing and roughly 385 feet of descending in either direction.

It is not a flow trail. K2-Play is rated black diamond with a hard physical and technical rating: chunky rock, built rock features and a surface that doesn’t forgive sloppy lines. If you ride 18 Road for the mellow, rolling desert singletrack it’s known for, this one is a step up.

The name honors Kristina Kittleson, a longtime leader and former coordinator of the local mountain bike association COPMOBA who helped build up the riding scene in the Grand Valley. Her husband Brian helped cut the ribbon on October 10.

Trails don’t just appear. K2-Play took almost two years of hand tools, volunteers and grant money.

Who built it

Construction started in November 2024. Volunteers from COPMOBA and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado worked alongside the four-person Mesa County Trail Crew. For the most technical and labor-intensive sections, the county used a state trail grant to bring in a professional trail builder.

That mix is typical for how big trail systems get built in the US today: land agency, county, local club, volunteers and professional crews, all on the same project. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages the land, credits that partnership for the whole expansion.

Eight years, 30 miles

18 Road started as a user-built trail system in the early 1990s. By 2024, the BLM estimated about 107,000 visits a year. That kind of traffic needs more than trails, and the master plan, launched with a grant application in 2017, tackled the whole area:

About 30 miles of new singletrack, plus reroutes of less sustainable trails and closure of routes no longer needed.
A 3.5-acre staging and event area for races and festivals, so big events don’t overwhelm the trailheads.
68 campsites in the lower campground, inside the trail system, so you can roll from your tent onto singletrack.
A paved road: about seven miles of the formerly rough gravel access road were paved, completed in fall 2025.

The trail plan is now complete, but work continues. Next up is another campground phase with about 25 additional reservable sites, including a group site and new restrooms. Part of the current dispersed camping will become managed sites.

What it means if you’re planning a trip

For a first visit, 18 Road is still one of the easiest desert systems to plan: camping inside the network, a paved approach and trails for every level. K2-Play adds a real challenge for advanced riders who have already done the classic loops.

Timing matters in the desert. Spring and fall are the best seasons. Summer gets hot fast in the exposed terrain, and after rain the clay-heavy soil turns sticky. Fruita’s rule of thumb applies here too: if the trail is muddy, stay off it.

Because 18 Road is BLM land, the rules can differ from the national forest trails nearby. Check the current status for e-bikes before you go, since access is decided trail by trail.

Is the trip worth it?

18 Road shows what a desert trail system can look like when it’s planned as a whole: more trails, but also camping, parking and event space so the growth doesn’t eat the place alive. The flip side is maintenance. More riders mean more erosion, wider corners and more upkeep, and much of that still rests on volunteers.

Adds up, especially for a spring or fall trip with camping on site. K2-Play adds up for advanced riders looking for something rougher.

Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report

FAQ

How hard is K2-Play at 18 Road? It’s a black diamond trail with a hard technical and physical rating, about three miles long, with rough, rocky sections.

Can you camp at 18 Road in Fruita? Yes. The BLM runs campgrounds inside the trail system, including 68 sites in the lower campground, with more reservable sites planned.

When is the best time to ride 18 Road? Spring and fall. Summer is hot and exposed, and the trails should be avoided when they’re muddy.