Installment V - Moab

I am grateful to the Installment IV Riders and for the token of appreciation they gave me,  a book called "Epic Rides of the World."  In the book is a chapter, beginning on page 68, called Mountain Biking in Moab.  Since we will end up Utah at the end of our 5th segment (in 2021), I looked it over again, this time with a greater degree of interest.



The chapter describes the area and some notable trail options that are available.  One of them is, the Behind the Rocks Lunatic Loop, the least popular trail in the area, according to the book.  It was described as a "sandy sufferfest" by a local bike shop outfitter.  Most of the routes are quite technical and may require bicycles other than the hybrids we will be riding to get there.  Perhaps they can be rented at the Poison Spider bike shop, nearby, if any of us want to tackle a trail.

The famed Slickrock Trail is the most popular in the area and that may be a downside.  A less popular and moderately technical route is the Amasa Back Trail.  The author rode it and mentioned that there were some challenging spots and the rider had to maintain concentration throughout.  The tracks of the trails were formed millions of years ago and neither did nor do not subsequently require any maintenance or grooming.  The vistas are apparently tremendous and worth the effort to get there.   

Distances are; Behind the Rocks (15 miles), Amasa Back (10 miles), Slickrock (10 miles).  I read somewhere else that there is a 2.5 mile beginner trail.  I will definitely ride it to become oriented before tackling any other trails.  More information is available at - 

www.utahmountainbiking.com

Update - May 5, 2021 - We decided to change our route to a more Southerly trajectory, so we will miss Moab on the upcoming tour.   I'll have to plan another adventure sometime to see that area.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Central Bethel Park Trail (CBPT)

Image
 Bethel Park is a suburban community located in an area known as the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A portion of an old coal hauling railroad, known as the Montour, used to run through the community.  The railroad was abandoned in 1977.  In 1989, a group of citizens organized and formed the Montour Trail Council for the purpose of using the old railroad right-of-way to build a recreational trail.  The Trail Council has had a great deal of success, establishing a regional rail trial that forms a roughly 47 mile arc to the South of Pittsburgh.  The trail is very popular and a portion of it runs into Bethel Park. In the 12 years that elapsed before the formation of the Trail Council, some properties in Bethel Park were sold off to private individuals and groups, so the focus was turned to the larger portions of the rail line that were still owned by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, from whom the railroad line was eventually purchased.  A decisi...
Read more

Exploring Safe Local Streets for Riding and Walking - Part I

Image
Introduction The first link below is to a map (Ride with GPS) of a proposed routing through a congested suburban area, known as the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The roughly 8-mile route passes through 4 suburban communities and some City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods.  It avoids some heavily used roads and ultimately leads to the base of an imposing ridge.   https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35143046    The ridge, aka Mount Washington, is a formidable barrier for non-motorized travelers, effectively separating "Pittsburgh proper" from some of its Southern neighborhoods and suburban communities.   Currently, the hill can be ascended by one of several roads. There is also a network of walking trails, in what is known as Emerald View Park (2nd link below), that meander up the face of the ridge.  From its Northern side, there is an inclined train car that climbs on a track via a heavy gauge pulley system.  You are allowed to take a bicycle on ...
Read more

Exploring Safe Local Streets for Riding and Walking - Part VI

Image
   Brief Re-cap of Our Journey So Far In the first five chapters of this series, we have been virtually (and actually, in my case) traveling down a proposed Pittsburgh South Hills pedestrian/bicycle route.  The journey has taken us from Bethel Park to Route 51 at the base of the Southern side of Mount Washington.  The link below is a map of the entire route. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35143046 Final Obervations and Continuing into Pittsburgh One of the beautiful things about this proposal is that a lot of it already exists and can be walked or ridden.  Only the pedestrian path in Mount Lebanon and the Seldom Seen Greenway require development but they are both accessible, with caution and a recommendation to not travel alone.  Development of those two places and of the entire route are tall orders to be sure and worthy projects for consideration going forward.  To be upgraded for safety, the existing roadways we discussed would ideally need some imp...
Read more