K2-Play Finishes the 18 Road Trail Plan, and the Next Project Is the Campground

On the morning of Saturday, Oct. 10, a couple dozen people gathered in the event area parking lot at 18 Road for a ribbon cutting. Brian Kittleson helped mark the moment. The new trail is named for his wife, Kristina Kittleson, a longtime COPMOBA leader and former coordinator who helped promote cycling across the Grand Valley. The group rode the trail afterward and then stayed for a dig day on other 18 Road trails.

According to the Bureau of Land Management's announcement, K2-Play is the last trail in the North Fruita Desert Trails Master Plan, which BLM describes as a roughly 30-mile expansion of the 18 Road system. The plan is done, and its last trail opened about seven weeks before seven of the system's trails close for the winter. BLM's next project out there is camping.

What K2-Play actually rides like

BLM describes K2-Play as winding about three miles along the base of the Book Cliffs. The Trailforks page for K2-Play lists it at 3.1 miles, rates it black diamond with a "Hard" physical rating, and calls it an advanced, narrow, technical connector between Chutes and Edge Connector. Trailforks also shows it as rideable in both directions rather than one-way.

It ties the Chutes side of the system to the Edge side, and it rides like an expert trail. If your usual 18 Road loop stays on the beginner-friendly flow descents, K2-Play is a step up in commitment.

It took a big crew to build it. Construction started in November 2024. COPMOBA and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado ran volunteer workdays, and the four-person Mesa County Trail Crew did professional construction. Mesa County's Trail Program Coordinator landed a Colorado Parks and Wildlife non-motorized trail grant to bring in Summit to Sea Trails for the most technical, labor-heavy sections.

Eight years of trail building at 18 Road

K2-Play makes more sense once you see how long the full build-out took. Riders created many of the original 18 Road trails and camp spots themselves, starting in the early 1990s. The formal plan came much later:

1. 2017: The City of Fruita, COPMOBA, BLM and local businesses win a Colorado Parks and Wildlife grant to write a trails master plan.
2. 2018 to 2020: A separate environmental review approves new camping and event facilities. BLM starts building in 2020, including a 3.5-acre gravel parking and event staging area.
3. 2022: BLM finishes the environmental review of the trails plan and construction begins. In March 2023, Mesa County reported that crews had built nearly 10 miles of new trail in 2022 and planned about 10 more for 2023.
4. 2024: BLM estimates the North Fruita Desert is drawing about 107,000 visitors a year. K2-Play construction starts in November.
5. Fall 2025: Paving wraps up on about seven miles of 18 Road, funded by a Federal Lands Access Program grant Mesa County secured in 2016.
6. Oct. 10, 2026: K2-Play's ribbon cutting completes the master plan.

Not all of that work added mileage. BLM says some trails replaced routes that were less sustainable, and the plan also paid for signs, maintenance, and rehabilitation of routes that were no longer needed. The goal from the start was to spread out use that had been piling onto fewer trails. Now that 18 Road has its full trail mileage, the remaining work is about how people camp and stay there.

What closes on December 1, and what stays on the map

The newest trail on the mesa is also off the winter closure list. COPMOBA's rider etiquette and FAQ page lists an annual Dec. 1 to May 1 closure for seven North Fruita Desert trails.

The same page links to BLM's interactive seasonal closure map, which is the best place to check the trails around a planned route before winter riding. For the rest of 2026, the timing is simple. Between now and Nov. 30, every trail in the system, including the brand-new one, can go on the same weekend loop. After that, the closed trails won't reopen until May.

Weather sets limits too. COPMOBA's guidance on wet trails is direct: "If you're leaving tracks, turn back!" The group says riding after rain or snowmelt causes erosion and lasting damage. Its etiquette page also notes that the dark, crusty microbiotic soil next to the trail can take 50 to 100 years to form and only moments to destroy. The most recent K2-Play report on COPMOBA's Grand Valley trail conditions page is dated Sept. 27, 2026. It called the trail "Ideal" but mentioned center ruts after rains. A new narrow trail is especially easy to damage while it settles in, so a dry November morning is a better time for a first lap than the day after a storm.

The next project at 18 Road is camping

BLM's announcement says the trail plan is done while campground and visitor-service improvements keep going. The next major piece is Phase 4 of the lower campground. BLM describes it as a multi-year project that would add about 25 reservable fee sites, including individual campsites, a group campsite and a double-vault toilet.

This change matters most for anyone who camps out there. BLM says Phase 4 would turn part of the existing dispersed camping into managed sites to handle growing demand and improve sanitation, visitor services and resource protection. The announcement uses "would," and it doesn't say which dispersed areas are affected or when work starts. Until BLM publishes a schedule, Phase 4 is a plan.

Here's how the developed campground works now:

• Cost: BLM's North Fruita Desert Campground page lists $20 per campsite per night plus an $8 nonrefundable reservation fee.
• Reservations: The Recreation.gov listing says reservations are required in the developed campground. The stay limit is 14 days. Individual sites allow up to 10 people and two vehicles, and group sites allow 20 people and four vehicles.
• What to bring: The campground has no water, electricity or garbage service. Firewood gathering isn't allowed, trash gets packed out, and quiet hours run 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Hosts: BLM says a volunteer host is generally on site in spring and fall.

The campground sits inside the trail system, so riders can roll out of camp onto singletrack within minutes. BLM's reason for concentrating camping in planned spots is that it gives the agency more room to manage recreation and limit disturbance across the rest of the North Fruita Desert. Phase 4 extends that same approach.

A finished trail system still needs work

BLM's announcement is clear that construction ending doesn't mean the work ends. More riders mean more erosion, wider corners and new paths around muddy or difficult sections. Toilets, parking areas and event facilities all need regular upkeep too. In the same piece, BLM quotes John Howe, a longtime COPMOBA leader and past president, from an earlier interview:

"We need everyone, from individual trail users to local agencies and government, to contribute to taking care of our trails."

The Oct. 10 celebration followed that idea. It started with scissors and a ride, and the volunteers who stayed spent the rest of the morning getting other 18 Road trails ready for future use.

For our family, 18 Road is the backyard ride, and K2-Play is on our list before the Dec. 1 closures start. If you're weighing a place near the North Fruita Desert, or want to know how close you can live to the trails you ride most, Kelley Griffin and Dane are happy to talk it through, often from the trailhead. Work with Kelley & Dane and start your Grand Valley search.