Moab – Kickstart your legs for MTB Season
Another year, another ski season over, another week to head to Moab to kick start the the bike season!
When we go to Moab, we like to camp. Last year we stayed at the Slickrock Campground, which was ok. This year we stayed at Pack Creek campground. The nice thing about Pack Creek is the sites are more spacious and you can put your tent by the creek which is cooler when the days get hotter. You can also stay at the many BLM campgrounds around town, but we choose these ones for Internet, running water and a hot shower at the end of the day.
Many people ask what a good selection of trails to ride in Moab are. Since this is our first bike trip of the year, we don’t do epic rides, and we like to visit the National Parks such as Arches and Canyonlands to see everything the area has to offer.
Also check out our rides from last year which included the Klondike network, Loop of Mag7 to Portal, Capt Ahab, Navajo rocks and some rides in Grand Junction.
We stayed at our friends in Salt Lake City the first night on our drive down, then we camped at Buckhorn Wash, in a rustic spot amoungt the slickrock canyons. Last year we camped at the Wedge Overlook and did a short ride on the Good Water Rim Trail. This trip we went to check out a new trail near Green River – Athena – a defunct Rocket test site. Our next three days of riding consisted of checking out areas we haven’t ridden in Moab since we were told they were too easy! While they were less technical then the classic Moab trail, they were fun.
These areas include Klonzo, ( 17km, 2-2.5hr, 435m climbing ) Mag7 ( 15km, 2hr, 140m climbing, 520m descent ) and 7Up ( 18km, 1.5hr, 245m climbing, 600m descent ) Shuttle, and Moab Brand Trails.( 14km, 1.5hr, 330m climbing ) Our next three days of riding we were joined by our friends Kevin and Carl and we explored the more classic trails – Navajo Rocks, ( 28km, 3-3.5hr, 860m climbing ) Pothole Arch/Rockstacker ( 22km, 3.5-4.5hrs, 910m climbing ) and Enchilada. ( 53km, 4.5-5.5hr, 945m climbing, 2550m descent )
Day 1 – Camping at Buckhorn, Athena Ride and Slickrock Sunset Ride ( 1hr, 9km ride, 180m climbing ), and Slickrock Sunset Ride ( 1.5-2hr, 15km ride, 640m climbing )
Our campsite at Buckhorn Wash, just find a spot off the road! Pack it in pack it out.
Our Campsite
Drive down the I-70 through the San Rafiel Swell
Athena at Green River – Easy xc in Green River. They’re planning on making it longer. Very Bookcliffs like.
Trailhead
Nicely routed trail
Through the Bentonite
Slickrock Trail – Always a classic sunset ride with punchy climbs and endless traction
Follow the dots
Endless slickrock with the looming La Sals in the background
Day 2 Klonzo – North Side features more technical longer loops, the South side shorter and less technical. Worth doing a loop on both sides.
Well signed
Good flow
This is the technical trail
Endless singletrack
After the Klonzo ride we took a drive down the Schaefer road into White Rim area of Canyonlands. You could drive to Moab from here. A super cool road built in the 1950’s for Uranium mining. This is also the road where Thelma and Louise drove off in the movie.
Short hike to the Colorado River viewpoint
Day 3 – Mag7 and 7up Shuttle. A newer area built by Trail Mix is Mag7. We did a big loop here last year so this year we took up some friends offer of a shuttle on Mag7 and 7Up. Mag7 is worth riding for sure. 7up is often used as a climb up to make a loop with Mag7, which makes sense since its mostly road.
Mag7
Trailforks Ride Log
Strava Ride Log
7up
Trailforks Ride Log
Strava Ride Log
Rim riding
More La Sal views.
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Pingback: Moab 2018 – Spring Road Trip to the Sun Part 2 | Sharon and Lee - Just another day