Moab?'s Good central camp and good trails

[stingraymoto]

I have been to moab a couple of times and the place is such a moto heave expance I can't ever remember where I have been. This was before gps or at least one I could afford. Now I have a GPS and am going back to moab and I have a couple of questions. Does anyone have sugestions on a good central camp kinda away from town ? Any good trails that are a must ride,epic day, that stand out in your mind? I also heard of a trail that goes to GJ (Grand Junction) that sounds cool. I am up for directions, names, sites, and GPS coordinates whatever you have. I just want to have fun on my new crfx 450.

Thanks

Ray

[joethunder]

I think you are talking about the Kokopeli trail. GJ to Moab. I have never been on it but it sounds fun. I almost rode from ridgeway to Moab, there are cabins you can rent. We never got organized to do it.

I used to ride MTBs in moab. Most of the trails I am thinking of would be short on a Dirt bike.

Slickrock,

Porcupine rim,

Monitor merrimack

Klondike Bluffs

Poison Spyder W/ portal trail

Kane creek, Hurrah pass

goblin valley

Gemini Bridges

Lots of rides in the LaSalles

There are a ton of rides. Most of these are only a couple of hours on a MTB . I think porcupine rim was 4 or 5 hours to do the entire 40 mile loop from sandflats road. You could blast that out on dirt bike really quickly.

It might be fun to do White Rim, it was a few days on a MTB at a leisurley pace.

I would love to ride my dirtbike in moab, I am sure there are some great rides for the dirtbike, but I dont know for sure where they are.

Do most of you do more than one trail per day?

[Chickenhauler]

I think you are talking about the Kokopeli trail. GJ to Moab. I have never been on it but it sounds fun. I almost rode from ridgeway to Moab, there are cabins you can rent. We never got organized to do it.

I used to ride MTBs in moab. Most of the trails I am thinking of would be short on a Dirt bike.

Slickrock,

Porcupine rim,

Monitor merrimack

Klondike Bluffs

Poison Spyder W/ portal trail

Kane creek, Hurrah pass

goblin valley

Gemini Bridges

Lots of rides in the LaSalles

There are a ton of rides. Most of these are only a couple of hours on a MTB . I think porcupine rim was 4 or 5 hours to do the entire 40 mile loop from sandflats road. You could blast that out on dirt bike really quickly.

It might be fun to do White Rim, it was a few days on a MTB at a leisurley pace.

I would love to ride my dirtbike in moab, I am sure there are some great rides for the dirtbike, but I dont know for sure where they are.

Do most of you do more than one trail per day?

You can actually spend alot of time riding in Moab and still not ride it all-some stuff that gives the pedal crowd a hell of a time is easy on us, and stuff where pedallers just pick up and carry, well the ol' DRZ just don't have a shoulder strap.?

We rode an avg of 40-50 miles per day when we were there, and that was starting around 8 am and packing it in around 6 pm. Not a very good avg speed, but for 2 mudducks who had to stop and marvel at so much land with so little trees, it was all good.

On the north end of town, there are a couple of Campgrounds that look like they'd be nice and quiet-in a hollow, the river behind them, green grass, and only a few minutes from downtown-downside is they are right on the edge of the highway. Dunno the name, as we wussed out and got rooms-I love my shower, hot tub, and AC:busted:

[gaucho]

In Moab if you stay in a motel, do theyoffer any protections if you only have your bikes strapped in a truck bed or open trailer? Or is it better to camp so at least you are next to them all night? We are planned to go there this spring.

[mowtown]

We stay at the ArchView campgrounds (and RV's) just before you pull into town. Very clean, good store, keep an eye on your bikes, etc.

Bonus, you can ride right from the campground. We did 100 miles the first day and 60 back the second (did an overnight stay at Green River).

Here's the link. http://www.archviewresort.com/

6 more weeks!!!!

I forgot, they have gas, too.

[Bill_P]

Poison Spyder W/ portal trail

I don't think you want to attempt the portal trail on a motorcycle!!!

There's at least one or two MTBikers that die (fall) there almost every year.

Poison Spider to Golden Spike to Gold Bar to Sovereign and back will kick your butt in one day.

Slickrock, FinsNThings, Porcuipine Rim and Steel Bender are another good day.

Hurrah Pass out to chicken corners is an easy ride and then go to Kane Creek. Another day or so with some other trails along the way thrown in.

All good stuff. This is the first year in quite a while that I'll be missing a ride in moab. ?

If you've never ridden Moab and the types of trials type rock obstacles that it presents, do yourself a favor and take it easy until you get the hang of it. When it says it's a 3.5-4.0 jeep trail, do not think it's going to be cake on a dirtbike. ;-) You may end up getting your butt kicked.

[Chickenhauler]

If you've never ridden Moab and the types of trials type rock obstacles that it presents, do yourself a favor and take it easy until you get the hang of it. When it says it's a 3.5-4.0 jeep trail, do not think it's going to be cake on a dirtbike. ;-) You may end up getting your butt kicked.

There seems to be 2 different rating systems for difficulty-MTB and Jeep, and what causes us frustration and aggravation, they seem to just waltz on by (who has a winch or a carry strap on a bike?), but then there is obstacles that we don't even flinch at, and they are SOL, like deep sand, or off camber corners.

The ratings are a good idea, but they don't always transpose that well to motorcycles.

In Moab if you stay in a motel, do theyoffer any protections if you only have your bikes strapped in a truck bed or open trailer? Or is it better to camp so at least you are next to them all night? We are planned to go there this spring.

I stayed at the Super 8 in Moab-while there was nothing to "impound" the bikes, I left mine in the back of my truck, chained together, and backed the truck up to the building, and have never had a problem.

[joethunder]

I don't think you want to attempt the portal trail on a motorcycle!!!

? There's at least one or two MTBikers that die (fall) there almost every year.

Poison Spider to Golden Spike to Gold Bar to Sovereign and back will kick your butt in one day.

Slickrock, FinsNThings, Porcuipine Rim and Steel Bender are another good day.

Hurrah Pass out to chicken corners is an easy ride and then go to Kane Creek. Another day or so with some other trails along the way thrown in.

All good stuff. This is the first year in quite a while that I'll be missing a ride in moab. ?

If you've never ridden Moab and the types of trials type rock obstacles that it presents, do yourself a favor and take it easy until you get the hang of it. When it says it's a 3.5-4.0 jeep trail, do not think it's going to be cake on a dirtbike. ;-) You may end up getting your butt kicked.

I know how dangerous Moab can be. My buddy went down hard and the hospital had Life flight on the way for him, luckily they stabilized him and he did not need the air lift. Personally, I almost died there myself, just a little sidetrip into one of the cracks and attempting to free climb out was almost it for yours truly.

I used to spend weeks at a time pedaling down there. And have definately left some blood there. There is no way I would do the Poison Spyder on a dirtbike. That was sketchy enough on a MTB.

Linking some of the trails would be great, and you would be able to explore a lot more on the dirtbike. It would definately be more dangerous in the technical stuff on a Dirtbike, it is not as easy to just throw it away and bail off, and my legs are really short, so dabbing on my 450 would not be easy.

I was actually a decent on a MTB, way better than I am on dirtbike. I was just thinking the rides may be shorter on the dirtbike. I would really like to give the dirtbike a try down there. I have done some trail riding near steamboat, and the ground we covered on the MX bikes was unbeleivable. There is no way I could even have done a fraction of it on a MTB in one day. ?

I was in no way discounting the difficulty and danger of a dirtbike in Moab. Just curious about the length of rides.

It is great to stop and enjoy the beauty of Moab, it is a very spiritual place.

[jjustj]

wouldnt do poison ona dirt bike?????????? yikes its piece o cake on a trials bike, or on my KTM 450exc, the rock climb at end o the first sand gulch on way up was really icy this january other wis its fine mos of the year, never seen portal trail but woouldnt consider it a part of poison spider!!! just an above average 50 yr old rider here!!!!

[velosapiens]

There is no way I would do the Poison Spyder on a dirtbike. That was sketchy enough on a MTB.

heh heh. i'm going to moab this weekend, and i told the girlfriend she should hook up with one of the other groups that is doing poison spider, since that's a nice easy ride. i can pedal the whole thing going up on a mtn bike, and it's way easier with a motor and a chubby tire.

other observations:

portal trail is not open to motorized use, and you'd be insane to try it anyway. i enjoy it on a bicycle, but i walk the couple of sketchy sections on the exposed part at the top.

archview resort is a really choice camp spot for all the trails on the northside. i'll be starting from there on saturday with a small group and doing a day ride to green river and back.

alot of the stuff that is really annoying on a pedalbike is super fun on a dirtbike, in particular all the sandy stuff around monitor/merrimac and bartlett wash.

a typical ride for me there is something like start at archview, do the south and north sections of sovereign, then cut across the hwy and head out blue hills road to monitor merrimac jeep trail (or bartlett wash), drop down wipe out hill, up towards big mesa, then cut across some obscure dirt roads to gemini bridges road, take gold bar rim up to golden spike, then either poison spider, or some cool little-used slickrock on the southwest (?) side of the mesa, then back along golden spike and down rusty nail if people are frisky and out gemini bridges road back to archview.

[auron]

Anyone ridden Canyonlands? Close to Moab and I bet it's a blast.

[KiltLifter]

Anyone ridden Canyonlands? Close to Moab and I bet it's a blast.

I bet it would be a blast, til you got throwed in the pokey! Canyonlands is a National Park. There are some 4x4 roads, but not really fun DB stuff.

[jat250wr]

heh heh. i'm going to moab this weekend, and i told the girlfriend she should hook up with one of the other groups that is doing poison spider, since that's a nice easy ride.

Hmm ... I think someone may be after my KTM.

Will I find a graveyard of previous gf's?

[velosapiens]

Hmm ... I think someone may be after my KTM.

Will I find a graveyard of previous gf's?

?

dang. guess i'm gonna have to wait and buy my own ktm.

[joethunder]

wouldnt do poison ona dirt bike?????????? yikes its piece o cake on a trials bike, or on my KTM 450exc, the rock climb at end o the first sand gulch on way up was really icy this january other wis its fine mos of the year, never seen portal trail but woouldnt consider it a part of poison spider!!! just an above average 50 yr old rider here!!!!

I had a little typo. I meant the portal trail off of poison spyder.

Penalty points are pretty high at the top. I have ridden it, and you need to keep your eyes up. It is one of those things that I did once, and each time after I have walked pass the drops.

The rest of of poison spyder was pretty mellow.

[joethunder]

heh heh. i'm going to moab this weekend, and i told the girlfriend she should hook up with one of the other groups that is doing poison spider, since that's a nice easy ride. i can pedal the whole thing going up on a mtn bike, and it's way easier with a motor and a chubby tire.

other observations:

portal trail is not open to motorized use, and you'd be insane to try it anyway. i enjoy it on a bicycle, but i walk the couple of sketchy sections on the exposed part at the top.

archview resort is a really choice camp spot for all the trails on the northside. i'll be starting from there on saturday with a small group and doing a day ride to green river and back.

alot of the stuff that is really annoying on a pedalbike is super fun on a dirtbike, in particular all the sandy stuff around monitor/merrimac and bartlett wash.

a typical ride for me there is something like start at archview, do the south and north sections of sovereign, then cut across the hwy and head out blue hills road to monitor merrimac jeep trail (or bartlett wash), drop down wipe out hill, up towards big mesa, then cut across some obscure dirt roads to gemini bridges road, take gold bar rim up to golden spike, then either poison spider, or some cool little-used slickrock on the southwest (?) side of the mesa, then back along golden spike and down rusty nail if people are frisky and out gemini bridges road back to archview.

That sounds fun! Some of the sandwashes really bite to pedal through.

[velosapiens]

I had a little typo. I meant the portal trail off of poison spyder.

Penalty points are pretty high at the top. I have ridden it, and you need to keep your eyes up. It is one of those things that I did once, and each time after I have walked pass the drops.

there's only a couple sketchy bits, easily rideable if they were on flat ground, but when the penalty for any fall is certain death, i get a little more conservative.