Day 1, 9 May, 48.6 miles 5:14 riding time Court House Loop (Bar M/Coopers Ridge to Sovereign Trail through Arches National Park)
Doug had purchased
Rider Mel’s Mountain Bike Guide to Moab which we’d use to plan our daily rides. Day 1's route took us over the bike bridge on the Colorado and north to Bar M Trail. The weaknesses of the book were soon evident- Bar M trail seemed to turn into Coopers Ridge trail- which our book didn’t even mention. Bar M Loop turned south though the map showed it continued north, so we knew something was wrong. Cooper’s Ridge trail went our direction, so we decided to try it. We soon met a local couple that confirmed we were on the right path- Coopers Ridge and Bar M merged for a while- and those who put up the signs simply alternated which signs to use. Our book also failed to mention the Sovereign Trails which we’d turn on next, but despite these flaws, the book remained our best asset for planning routes- it just left out a lot of detail. Our route of single track and jeep trails took us into the back of Arches National Park- with a lot to see. Traffic on the park’s highway was fairly heavy with no shoulder. A good source for pre-planning might be
http://www.discovermoab.com/biking.htm, but they recommend using their info to select routes and then buy specific maps.
Day 2, 10 May, 31.3 miles riding time 5:44, Porcupine Ridge
The ride through Arches National Park provided some nice trails and was a great introduction to the Moab area, but it isn’t what made Moab the destination for mountain bikers. Porcupine Ridge is much closer to that, and provided more challenge to my skills and my hard tail. The route took us up the steep Sand Flats Road where we met a mid-west guy all psyched up to be in Moab- he’d finagled this trip as an addition to his daughter’s college graduation somewhere in MT. This biker, thinking to placate his non-cycling wife, had bought her a new bike, but she didn’t know how to shift. Moab has something to offer almost anyone- but maybe not those learning to shift. While his wife slept-in he’d just made his first Moab ride on “Practice Trail” somewhat misnamed. It’s more of test on a short trail to verify the existence of skills that might be needed in the area rather than a beginner’s practice route. Practice Trail will come up again in this blog.
Doug starting up Porcupine Ridge
A few miles up the road we entered Porcupine Ridge. I was surprised how my lessons from Arland flowed back as I rode this rather technical trail. It is full of famous “slick rock” which isn’t slick at all- it’s a rather sticky sandstone. On the mountain sides this rock is often in almost cut sections forming small stairsteps- some 3" high and some 3 feet high. It’s easy to climb the short stairsteps- do a bit of a wheelie and power the back up. Going down them let me better understand the term “hardtail”- the front shock and the rider's legs carrying most of his weight make the bike and rider flexible - except for the infexible "hardtail" which bounces up hitting the cyclist’s butt- over and over. We enjoyed some great views, and at the top we met a group that had been shuttled to the mountain top. The trail is about the width of a jeep trail- even when jeeps aren’t allowed. The readily seen tracks of most cyclists take the easiest route over the “slick stone drops”. However, when the first guy was rapidly gaining on me, I pulled to the unused side to have him pass me with about 2" of clearance. He was going for the highest part of the drop- whether I was in his way or not. A few minutes later I was completely off the path when another speedy descender exclaimed “Oh man”, as he looked back to see he’d ridden off a 3" drop when he could have ridden over a 2' drop! Everyone who passed me seemed to be interested in riding the biggest drop, and, of course, they were all on full suspension bikes.
About a mile from the bottom, the trail seemed to end as it crossed a deep ravine, and after the ravine, there were many rock slides making it more of a hike-a-bike than a ride on down to the Colorado River. We then alternated between a dead-ending bike-path and the highway back to Moab.
Doug on the Slickrock he doesn't care for
Day 3, 11 May 10, 51.2 miles 6:19 riding time- Hurrah Pass toward Chicken Corners
After Porcupine Ridge, we decided to do something less technical- like primitive roads and made a wise choice, "Hurrah Pass". This took us down the Colorado River for a few miles before crossing a big steep ridge into a side canyon with some dramatic scenery. Down that draw for several miles and then back over Hurrah Pass to the Colorado River toward Chicken Corners. This put us in some sand- which surprisingly enough I enjoyed. This sand was course- and with some effort in a low gear could be ridden through. I should say I enjoyed small stretches of it- the 30 feet or so I could get through. I could feel the front and rear tires going separate ways, but with a quick effort in a low gear could keep the bike upright and moving forward. This skill applies only to the course sand; I never learned to ride through the powdery sand found elsewhere. We turned around before reaching Chicken Corners because it was getting late. We'd fought headwinds all the way down, but we’d have a rather rapid return with a strong tailwind. With the dramatic scenery and steep climbs, this was my favorite day.
Day 4, 12 May 10, 30.3 miles 4:54 riding Time- Fins & Things
I suppose the choice of this trail was my suggestion. It was up the Sand Flats Road to the beginning of Porcupine Ridge- but from there we’d descend instead of ascend. I found the first section a bit scary. Fins & Things had the drops of Porcupine Ridge, but it was littered with loose dirt/sand and loose rocks- unlike Porcupine Ridge! Doug, with his full suspension bike and superior mountain biking skills, seemed to enjoy this section though. Fortunately, that section didn’t last too long- soon the loose dirt was gone and the loose rocks decreased in number. The scenery wasn’t as dramatic as Porcupine Ridge, but the rock formations we had to ride over were similar. Then we got to the lower section- where large slickrock dominated. Oddly, Doug didn’t like the slickrock at all. Some of it was steep, and sometimes there were sand traps between one large rock and the next. Doug didn’t enjoy this terrain and was slowing down, and at the steepest rock he declared it too steep to even push up, so we walked around a large circular rock formation looking for a less steep route, and then we realized we couldn’t determine where we had begun the circle! On our behalf, there were trails up the big rocks in every direction. Then we saw cyclists at the top of a large rock formation maybe a ½ mile away. Doug favored going cross country to meet them though there were plenty of ATV’s where we were. So it was push/carry bikes cross-country to find moving cyclists in the desert! When we got there, the riders weren’t there, but others were. They told us we were somewhere in the middle of “Practice Trail”, that somewhat misnamed trailed we’d heard about on day 2. We were also very close to where Fins & Things ended at Sand Flats Road- the reason for trails in every direction. Knowing he was nearly out of the slickrock, Doug forgot his tiredness, and took off. It wasn’t long until I caught him in the parking lot. I enjoyed the slickrock though and would like to ride it again.
Day 5, 13 May 10 Two Tortoise Rock via Bar M & Coopers Ridge Trails 47.6 miles 6:30 riding time
Choosing routes is a bit of a challenge, but today we decided on Two Tortoise Rock- which would take us North on the bike path and Bar M trails again, and then over a small mountain for more dramatic scenery. Most of the route was on dirt roads- with moderate traffic when we were used to almost no traffic. At this point we met 15-20 pre-teens mountain biking (see photos) we turned up a steep road which deteriorated into more or less a jeep trail that did a circle and ended up back here again. About the mid point in the loop the trail deteriorated with a lot of sand and some of that slick rock I like. Nonetheless, there was too much powdery sand for me, and Doug likes sand less than I do. We were both glad to finish the loop and be back on firm ground on the road.
Pre-teens enjoying their ride
Day 6, 14 May 10 The Green River- Mineral Canyon Rd to Taylor’s Canyon 47.8 miles 5:15 riding time
Doug and I both prefer riding without motorized assistance, but we’d decided on one of two possible routes off the plateau between the Green & Colorado Rivers that required a 30 to 40 mile drive. A last minute decision took us to where the Mineral Canyon Rd meets the highway. It was probably 12 to 15 miles of riding on smooth clay roads to the top of the Green River Canyon. A steep descent to the Green River, where we met several college age girls starting up this steep road. All were friendly except one who at the bottom of the hill was already florescent red, probably 75 pounds overweight, and who refused to speak or even look us in the eye when greeted. The college boys were back on the Green River enjoying a swim though it was likely under 70 degrees. We asked the driver of the support vehicle how many he thought he’d be transporting to the top. It seems this was a class, and he emphatically stated he wasn’t picking anyone up, though he predicted how many would have to push! Perhaps that non-speaking gal had gotten herself into more of a course in recreation than she’d planned. We rode down the Green River to Taylor’s Canyon and tried crossing it to follow the river down, and then we tried going up Taylor's Canyon. Both ways were too sandy, so we turned around. The college kids were gone by the time we reached the top of the grade, but an extended family was there with many pre-teen kids doing a 100 mile ride through the area over 4 days albeit with a support vehicle. The ride from there back to the pickup was a bit dull, no big hills, no interesting sandstone formations, just a high plateau- 12 miles. It’s amazing how day after day of dramatic terrain can spoil a person, so 12 miles of plateau are boring!
The ride into the Green River Canyon
That night was different. The friendly group from Sacramento had gone home, and a rain storm arrived early in the evening, forcing us into our tents by 8:00 p.m.
Moab offers interesting riding for cyclists of almost any ability- though I'd recommend one know how to shift before going! Porcupine Ridge started me thinking of a full suspension bike. I am set up for a week’s ride through the mountain between Durango, CO and Moab, UT later this year. It was 8 ½ hours of driving back to Boise. Maybe I’ll make this trip again!
See Doug’s perspective of the ride at: http://doug-idaho.blogspot.com/2010/05/moab-porcupine-rim-trail.html His photos are the best! I opened a Picasa account thinking I could add photos to this blog, but the process is just too complicated. My few photos are at: http://picasaweb.google.com/108781016353707204273/Moab2010#
Happy cycling for fun, fitness, and transportation!
Steve
