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Moab Trip Planner

255K views 1K replies 292 participants last post by  MSU Alum 
#1 ·
This thread is designed to assist the uninitiated in planning a trip to the mecca that is Moab, as well as provide the experienced with a variety of new and different views on old favorites. There is a similar thread over on the Arizona forum that has proven very useful.

Some ground "rules":

-Keep it productive and on-topic. Respectful disagreement only, please.

-Try to word your description for someone who has never been, ever. This is not as easy as it would seem.

-Strive for brevity.

-Beta on trails, link-ups, bike shops, restaurants, camping, etc. Title posts appropriately.

-Demonstrative pictures welcome.
 
#410 ·
Moab cyclery claims burro pass is closed for the season, does this mean off, off limits, or ride at your own risk? I know we probably can't get a commercial shuttle up there, but we'd like to ride it, even if there's an inch or two of snow on it. anyone been up there in the last week? should we just start at hazard county?
 
#413 ·
Great thread - coming to Moab with the some buddies for the first time 10/17 - 10/19. Plan is to do the Whole Enchlada on Saturday 10/18. Hope it is open all the way up to Burro pass! Anyone know the temps up there? Coming from Phoenix where we don't own jackets! haha Was thinking a light jacket and a back up rain jacket would do the job.
 
#414 ·
burro is 11200 ft. i think.

the weather station nearby at gold basin 10050 feet recorded 55 F high yesterday.

the station on geyser pass road which is at the same altitude as Werner Lake recorded 59 F.

Here's the link you can check for when you get here. Maybe somebody has a link for a station higher up.

MESOWEST STATION INTERFACE
MESOWEST STATION INTERFACE

There's a handy 2 week summary tab on the left.

There can be a chill wind a blowin up on the pass that makes it seem colder
 
#415 ·
You might need more than a light jacket up there, it can get pretty cold especially early morning. Being from PHX (so am I), it might feel even colder to you. And the weather can change in an instant.

The last two years I've had Moab trips in mid-Oct and never got dropped off higher than Koko. If there are no new storms in the next couple weeks, you might be ok but any precipitation in the area will likely fall as snow up top.
 
#418 ·
Sounds like there is already snow in places. Anyone have first hand experience riding up there in December? Flying to Albuquerque for Thanksgiving - and was thinking of taking the next week off to head up and ride MOAB for the first time. Living back East - these opportunities are few a far between. Not sure I can handle another year looking at everyone's pictures - But if all the best trails are already snowed over I might think of another place in that area.
 
#421 ·
The Whole Enchilada is primo right now! It was a bit chilly once you got out of the shuttle vans, i didn't bring a jacket or wind breaker and didn't regret it. Once i started peddling it felt great. I'm hoping to get back down there at least one more time before it's done for the season.

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#423 ·
Well, right now there is no snow at lower elevations but we had some precipitation recently and there is snow in the mountains. The desert riding will be great as long as we avoid cold/snow at the lower elevations. Precipitation on the 25th in the forecast right now but it is always spotty and hard to predict here.
 
#425 ·
Hello everybody,
What would be the best season for a trip to Moab ? Early april or late september ?
I plan such a trip for 2015 (It will be my 50th anniversary birthday present !!! ...), and I'd like to stay 5 days riding.
What would be the best trails for me (I'm looking for singletracks and about 3000ft maximum climb per day and maybe 30 miles) ?
I live in France and I will bring my bike. I understand the best is to come from Salt Lake airport ?
Do you have any hotels/restaurant adress in moab ?
Thanks and Merry Christmas...

FRED
 
#426 ·
If you want to get the Whole Enchilada in fall is the best time to go. Would target late September as there likely won't be any snow storms yet. Weather tends to be a bit better overall in the fall. At least less chance of wind and spring storms moving through.

For trails:
Whole Enchilada
Mag 7
Amasa trail system
Klondike trail system
Bar M
Slick Rock

This would keep you plenty busy for 5 days.
 
#428 ·
Salut Fred,
I'm French too, I live in Denver, Colorado. I go to Moab every year in mid- to late October and so far it's been great (I camp so weather affects my trip more than just the riding aspect). April is great too, but there's still snow on the higher elevations (towards the La Sal mountains), which means that the more alpine terrain will be unrideable (like the top portion of the Whole Enchilada). Driving from Denver takes about 6 hours, for 5hrs 45 mins on Interstate 70, then make a left at the gas station. I don't know how long it takes from SLC (probably less), but depending on your flight it might be easier to fly into Denver.
In my experience, singletrack riding is not the best feature of Moab, obviously the slickrock is. Vertically speaking, there are no very long uphill rides but what the trails lack in sustained climbing they make up for in steepness and technical difficulty. In other words you'll be glad you don't have to climb the type of terrain Moab dishes for more than 20 minutes or so (generally speaking of course). A climb like the Moab Rim is crazy steep but doesn't last very long.
As mentioned by EricD4, Moab is very hard on bikes (and bodies) - on my last trip I broke a pedal and a computer :-(. Renting would be a good option. Dual suspension is a must.

For hotels, book early, whichever month you decide to visit. I've seen the "No vacancy" sign on every hotel in town in October (peak season). There are lots of motels around town, I don't have any particular recommendations though (again, I camp...).

For food, Eddie Mc Stiff's is an institution. It's not particularly great food, but the atmosphere is fun. There's many restaurants in town, serving Mexican, burgers, pub food, etc. There's a cool espresso/ice cream shop on Main Street (Moab Coffee Roasters I think) that is great to treat yourself to before (coffee - beware though, the coffee is served "à l'américaine" in a big cup) or after (ice cream) a hard ride.
À +
 
#431 ·
Headed to Moab March 23-29th from Bend, Oregon. Woot!

I have been looking for a map to buy online - but would like to know what the locals are using or what map is best...

trails I have scoped so far are:

day 1. porcupine rim (4 hours), lunch and then slickrock (2 hours)
day 2. Mag 7 (4 hours). lunch and then pipedream and maybe something else
day 3. Hymasa up, captain ahab down (2+ hours), lunch then rockstacker, jacksons, pothole arch
day 4. Sovereign and saltwash, lunch, deadmans ridge/ bar M
day 5. Possible trip to fruita if needed.

I pulled most of this from MTBproject which i think is missing a LOT.

I am headed there with a buddy. We like technical terrain, rocks etc. I am guessing some of my schedule may be a little too much to tackle each day. Don't know! Need to get in great shape before we head over.

What am i missing?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!
 
#433 ·
I would recommend Rider Mel's guide to Moab. You can get it locally in Moab and online. It is small enough to carry in a camelback during rides. Gives good intel on the riding in Moab. Be sure to get the latest version with I think is #4 or #5, there have been several new trails in the past couple of years that the older versions do not talk about.

-E
 
#437 ·
Take these too....q

Rider Mel's book is good for rough trail navigating but I think he was smokin something when he drew his maps, not very detailed and that's kinda a necessity in the desert where landmarks are not always plentiful.
I would suggest getting the national geographic Moab North/ South maps. You'll need both to cover the local riding area. They are not as current as Mel's latest edition but they have enough of the older trails that you should be able to find the new ones.

Have a hospital free trip 😊
 
#439 ·
Rider Mel's book is good for rough trail navigating but I think he was smokin something when he drew his maps, not very detailed and that's kinda a necessity in the desert where landmarks are not always plentiful.
I would suggest getting the national geographic Moab North/ South maps. You'll need both to cover the local riding area. They are not as current as Mel's latest edition but they have enough of the older trails that you should be able to find the new ones.

Have a hospital free trip ?
Thanks man. My friend who is coming with me just bought both those maps - so we should be pretty set i would hope. I will probably hit a local bike shop as well when i get there.

Is poison spider the best shop for giving advice and such?

We will also need a shuttle or 2 potentially,

thanks!
 
#440 ·
Any of the bike shops can give you good trail advice and the shuttle services will know the trail conditions. Poison Spider and Rim cyclery have their own shuttles and there are several private ones. Higher trails will still have snow in March but upper Porcupine will be open I'd guess. All trails are open now if you have a fat bike 😊
I'm thinking your itinerary is a little optimistic , I'd start with the Hymasa/ Ahab route and get used to the terrain and altitude, you will notice a difference from Oregon, maybe Im wrong, I know Bend is considered high desert......
 
#442 ·
One of my riding buddies and I both have long weekends from Jan 30 - Feb 1, and are thinking about making the trip from the front range to Moab. I don't mind riding in the cold, but is there generally enough dry trail to make it worth the trip at this time of year?
 
#443 ·
There's some snow on trails below 6000 feet that aren't getting sun during the day, above that there's a good bit of snow at the moment, below that the trails are generally dry. They will either be dry or snowy, our rainy season ended in August.
So, in simple answer, there are tons of trails to ride and the only thing to deal with is the colder temps, that you say you don't mind.......so start planning your trip:)
 
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