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Horse Thief Bench is one of those trails that Fruita is famous for. There are a few trails around Fruita that get ridden by almost everyone. This is DEFINITELY one of them. There is a reason why. It is an easy intermediate trail with a few rock gardens here and there to make it interesting. There's a bit of slick rock and some gorgious views. There are some sections that most people will walk, but a few brave souls ride.

Like many trails on the Kokopelli side, this is best done as part of a longer loop. Mary's Loop leads up the ridge to the top. There is a cut-out in the side of the cliff that leads down to Horse Thief Bench. This is one of those things that most people walk. Once you're down, most folks go clockwise. I enjoy it more that way. The views are amazing. The trail just flows. This is a PERFECT single speed ride. Jason and I rode it on a rest day on our single speeds. It was perfect except for being stuck in a nasty hail storm. Nothing quite like climbing up the gap in the cliff when there's a river of hail stones coming down.