The 32-mile Palisade Plunge trail will be one of the country's premier mountain biking trails.

The Palisade Plunge, a new mountain bike trail that runs near Grand Mesa, is opening in July with big expectations. The 32-mile route will run near the top of the Grand Mesa flattop mountain and drop nearly 4,000 feet into Palisade, Colorado. This one-of-a-kind breathtaking path will be one of the top mountain biking trails in the U.S. Trail experts believe the Palisade Plunge will rival Moab's 35-mile Whole Enchilada and Salida's 14-mile Monarch Crest Trail. 

The Palisade Plunge is a project created from a partnership between the Colorado Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), Grand Junction, the town of Palisade, the Van Winkle Ranch, and the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association. 

Mesa County's new trail will start bikers off at the top of Grand Mesa. The trail follows a single track that overlooks the Grand Valley. The path will continue and drop nearly 4,000 feet in elevation to finish near the town of Palisade.

A map of the Palisade Plunge Trail. Courtesy The Palisade Plunge (Facebook)

The trail was expected to open in June, but snowfall, wildlife migration, and other construction factors pushed the opening date. Upon its opening, the city of Grand Junction and the town of Palisade expect a significant tourism boom, with this trail and other mountain biking paths already becoming a popular spot for cycling enthusiasts. In addition to the Palisade Plunge, the valley expects more trails to open in the coming years, and the region will boast more than 200 miles of scenic and challenging courses. 

Are you going to ride the Palisade Plunge when it opens this summer? Let us know in the comments.