Moab, Utah - Mountain Biking

Roger and I took advantage of the perfect autumn weather and made a quick mountain biking trip to Moab this past weekend.  We decided to camp at the convenient Horsethief campground near Dead Horse Point and chose four riding locations that were new to both of us.

The bikes at Horsethief campground

After setting up camp on Friday morning, we were off to Dead Horse Point State Park.  Last year, we rode a portion of the Intrepid Trail system located on the east side of Highway 313.  The trail network has since been expanded to include several trails on the west side of the highway.  We were surprised to see so many  bikers in the parking lot when we arrived, but most people were finishing up their rides for the day by the time we were ready to start.  We did a great 11 mile loop that included Prickly, Twisted Tree, Whiptail, Crossroads, Raven Roll, and Great Pyramid trails.  None of the trails were particularly challenging or technical, but the views were fantastic!

Twisted Tree Trail

Great Pyramid Trail

 Biking at Dead Horse Point

We started our Saturday by riding a loop near Gemini Bridges, not far from our campsite at Horsethief.  There were a lot of bikers in this area as well, but many of them were riding the mostly downhill Magnificent 7 ride from the highway down to Moab.  We chose a short 7 mile loop that included Great Escape, Little Canyon, and Arth's Corner.  The ride was more technical and the views into the Moab slickrock area were fantastic.  We did a short hike to the impressive Gemini Bridges after the ride.

Great Escape Trail

Gemini Bridges

We spent the afternoon riding at Moab Brands Bar-M Loops.  This trail network is located north of Moab on Highway 191 and contains many loop options that range from easy to technical.  We were most interested in riding the Circle-O trail and this was definitely the highlight of this trail network.  The Circle-O trail was nearly all slickrock, but it was not as challenging to ride as the famous Slickrock Trail.  The views into Arches National Park were also excellent.  We finished the day by riding Deadman's Ridge, the most challenging trail of the weekend, before riding the rolling, relaxing Lazy trail back to the car.

Circle-O Trail

Circle-O Trail

 Circle-O Trail

Deadman's Ridge Trail

Sunset at camp

We did a mellow but gorgeous ride through Onion Creek on Sunday morning before returning to Salt Lake.  The trail is actually the 4WD road that follows and crosses Onion Creek numerous times as it travels through the canyon.  This made for a wet ride, but the weather was sunny and mild and all of the mud added to the fun.  We found a great spot to have lunch under an enormous cottonwood tree before turning around and coasting down the canyon.

 Onion Creek

 Roger riding through Onion Creek

Onion Creek

Taking a break in Onion Creek

Onion Creek

Moab, Utah - Mountain Biking

Despite having my mountain bike for several months and traveling to numerous locations for bike adventures, the most obvious destination was still on my to-do list until last weekend.  The weather was as good as it gets for November in Utah so Keith, Melissa, Roger, and I headed to Moab to check out some of the most famous single track in the world.

Ready to ride at Klondike Bluffs

I can't figure Moab out.  Roger and I couldn't find a hotel room anywhere in town last month while waiting for our camping and river gear to be rescued from the Colorado River on a late-season Sunday night.  With perfect weather and a holiday (Veterans' Day) weekend, I was expecting a lot of people to be camping and adventuring around the area.  We pulled into Horsethief Campground around 8pm on Friday night to find only one other site occupied.

Camping at Horsethief near Moab

We spent the entire day Saturday riding at the Klondike Bluffs trail network located several miles north of Moab.  The desert scenery reminded me of Fruita, Colorado and wasn't the classic red slickrock that most people think of when they think of riding Moab.  The trails, however, were fantastic.  We made our first loop by starting with Agate and Jasper Loops and connecting to Jurassic Trail before returning back to the parking area on Dino-Flow.  This was an easy, flowing loop and a great warm up for the weekend.

Tonic the Dog herding Keith and Melissa

Riding on Jurassic Trail

Roger on Jurassic Trail

Our second loop at Klondike Bluffs was a little spicier.  We took the Mega Steps Trail to the top of the bluffs and then over to Baby Steps, descended on Little Salty, and connected back to the parking area on the EKG Trail.  Little Salty was particularly fun, while EKG forced me to walk my bike a few time times.  We finished the loop and made it back to town for a shower and dinner at the Brewery before an eveing of stargazing at camp.

Keith on Mega Steps

With Roger on Little Salty

Bike malfunction on Little Salty

We spent Sunday morning biking at the Klonzo trail network located a few miles south of the Klondike Bluffs area.  The scenery was similar to Klondike Bluffs and the trail network was smaller, but the riding was fun and non-technical.  We rode most of the trails at the network including Dunestone, Boondocks, Secret Passage, Wahoo, and Cross Canyon.

 Roger at Klonzo Bike Trails

Roger at Klonzo Bike Trails

Keith enjoying a beverage break at Klonzo

Keith and Melissa headed back to Salt Lake on Sunday afternoon while Roger and I spent the rest of the day riding at one of Moab's most famous mountain biking trails, the Slickrock Trail at Sand Flats Recreation Area.  The scenery was spectacular with great views of the snow covered La Sal Mountains and the Colorado River.  The trail was difficult for me and I found the short but extremely steep climbs and drops to be quite intimidating.  The beautiful red rock made up for the frustration.  Roger was perfectly patient with my minor tantrums.

The La Sal Mountains from Slickrock Trail

 Roger on the Slickrock Trail

My bike taking a break on Slickrock

I bought several bundles of firewood and enjoyed a big fire and a growler from Moab Brewery on Sunday night.  Despite an increasingly bright moon, the stars were beautiful and I managed to see quite a few meteors before finally turning in to bed.

Reward after biking

After enjoying the late season sunshine and packing up camp on Monday morning, Roger and I headed to Dead Horse Point State Park to ride the Intrepid Potash Trail.  We decided to ride the medium length Great Pyramid Loop and enjoyed the leisurely riding with occasional viewpoints looking into the canyon.  The longer Big Chief Loop looked nice as well, and the views of the canyon would have been particularly spectacular with evening light.

Overlook on the Intrepid Trail

Roger at Intrepid Trail

 Enjoying the views on the Intrepid Trail

We were canoeing down there two months ago