MOAB, UT
Physical Exertion: Advanced / Technical Ability: Advanced+
Trip Category: Desert Tech
What to Expect in Moab: Uber technical riding, technical climbing, and technical descents – come prepared!
Moab is truly an outdoor paradise- sitting in the middle of one of the most unique landscapes you’ll ever see, it offers something for just about every type of adventurist. First and foremost, it’s one of the top mountain biking destinations in the world, making it a must-ride for any hardcore mountain biker. Before coming to Moab, make sure your technical skills are tip-top, because Moab has trails that humble even the most accomplished riders. From flowing singletrack to exposed, rocky cliffs that will make your jaw drop, Moab offers enough trails to keep you busy for weeks.
Sitting at the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers- and between Arches Nat’l Park and Canyonlands- Moab is absolutely spectacular… in a way that’s difficult to describe to someone that hasn’t been. It’s a rough, rugged landscape; but one that offers challenges and beauty beyond words. Including world famous trails like The Whole Enchilada, Mag-7, Slickrock, and Amasa Back, the riding here will leave you wanting to come back again, and again, and again.
Moab still offers some legitimate climbing, but most of the terrain is rolling in nature, with shorter, challenging descents and meandering singletrack: that’s what you get when trail builders have to work around some of the most unique rock formations on earth. For anyone considering Moab, make sure you’re at the top of your riding game- you’ll need every bit of skill to take on the technical trails found here. We work closely with our local, permitted guiding partners at Colorado Backcountry and Rim Tours to make sure each ride itinerary will blow your mind, because we expect nothing else in Moab.
Airport Options: Salt Lake City (4 hrs) – Denver (5 hrs) – Grand Junction (1.5 hrs)
INTERACTIVE MOAB TRAIL MAP
WHAT TO EXPECT
Day One: On our first day in Moab, plan on meeting at 1:00pm to check-in, get a quick introduction and itinerary run-down, and set expectations for an incredible weekend of riding. Make sure you eat a big lunch before we meet, because you’ll need the energy. On the trails, we’ll handle energy bars, mixes and gels from Clif Bar and Infinit. We’ll have some time to gear up and get the bikes dialed before we head for the trail, so you don’t need to show up ready to ride.
Our first day in Moab means heading just outside of town for a solid three-hour loop on Klondike Bluffs. This ride will offer a bit of everything- huge slickrock riding, technical rocky terrain, flowy singletrack downhills, and of course big views. While not super technical overall, Klondike Bluffs is an awesome introduction to Moab riding. It’ll knock your socks off, but there’s plenty more to come! After 14 miles and a moderate amount of climbing, we’ll head back down into town for dinner before calling it a night.
Day Two: After cutting your teeth on the Klondike Bluffs area on Day One, you’re now ready to step into some more difficult Moab riding. Today we’re going to combine two of the more popular trail systems: Mag-7 and Navajo Rocks. The ride today will start at the top of the Mag-7 trails, hitting some of the upper highlights like Getaway and Bull Run. From there, we’ll circle (ie., climb) back up and hit a super fun connector trail called Chisholm, which will lead us into the top of Navajo Rocks.
Navajo Rocks is a super-fun combination of slickrock riding, flowy singletrack, and some technical challenges sure to push your limits. All told today we’ll ride close to 25 miles while climbing about 2,000 feet!
Day Three: After a good night’s sleep, we’ll fill up on a big, hearty breakfast. Today’s ride is what we’ve all been waiting for: Whole Enchilada! The Whole Enchilada is famous for having an incredible amount of descending- almost 8,000 feet- with a fairly moderate amount of climbing. Yep, it really is one of the biggest, baddest rides in the world.
Luckily, we’ll take a shuttle from our accommodations up to the highest point… depending on the season, that’s likely to be either the Hazzard County trail head or Burro Pass. The top of the Whole Enchilada is high-alpine riding at it’s finest: steep downhills mixed with roots, rocks, and drops. The Hazzard County section brings us down into the sage brush fields, where the singletrack allows us to rip high-speed turns and enjoy the views overlooking town and the national parks. Once we hit Kokopelli, UPS, LPS, and Porcupine Rim, you’re in for a treat you won’t find anywhere else in the world. Technical rock steps, drops, and singletrack will have you talking about this ride for years to come.
By the time we cruise back into town, today’s ride is one for the books: 30+ miles with 6-8,000 feet of downhill! A big day like that earns a big meal… we’ll head back to the townhomes for a post-ride beer, some snacks, and a big catered dinner before hitting the sack!
Day Four: Three full days of riding in Moab has most people pretty worn out and beat, and our crew is probably not much different! That said, make sure to get up nice and early today, because we’ve got another amazing ride on the docket. We’ll head a few miles west of town and hit the Amasa Back trails, which include classics like Hymasa, Captain Ahab, and Cliffhanger. For this ride, be prepared for a pretty decent technical climb (about 30 minutes), and some of the most fun, rowdy descending you’ll do all week! A lot of folks compare Porcupine Rim to Captain Ahab – it’ll push you to your limits! To top you off, we’ll ride about 12 miles and do close to 2000 feet of climbing today.