Moab Spring 2014

I have a big ride planned with friends, starting and ending in Rabbit Valley. In those three days we plan to ride almost all the hard stuff around Moab. Going up Pritchett and UP Rose Garden are the only 2 spots that I am already anxious about!

Thanks Everybody,
I am a fairly new rider so no major difficult trails for me.
Many in my Spring 2014 Group are also not too keen for doing the crazy stuff. The ones who are very experienced will be doing rides in smaller groups.
Thanks Friends, keep up the advice and pics. It keeps us going through the snow storms we are having here in The Midwest and elsewhere.
Simba

*subscribed*

When is your spring 2014 ride going to be,
We are going to be there the last few days in
April and the beginning of May.

First week of April.
You will enjoy it.
Simba

Wow, some really great trail pics!!! Can't wait. Counting on you, Simba, to make sure you take me to all the good photo spots.

Let me share a little story.......

A few years ago, my then teenage son and I went to Moab for his spring break....this was a "guys" trip, no women to slow us down, or hold us back!! We had longed to do the White Rim so we could claim "we rode that"

We rode it at a decent pace for two guys that hadn't ridden in several months (don't forget winter and snow where we live) and had a blast............until the massive arm pump set in along with the excruciating pain in our fore arms for the last 10 or 15 miles of washboard gravel road................:eek1 We barely made it back to the truck without bursting into tears, and had to pry our fingers off the grips!

Moral of the story, pace yourself a little, and don't ruin the week by trying to be macho studs on the first day!

Probly not a big deal if'n yous gotta trials bike & MAD skillz . . . . .

:huh

Post pix of the carnage here, pleez . . . . .

Nope. A Beta 525RR, but geared low...12/50. Usually sheer ignorance, luck, and helpful friends get us throw these adventures. It helps to not be too concerned about minor crashes..

I've never heard of Pucker Pass, but take it from a Utah Native, it is the top of Long Canyon
If you are looking for a Moab trail book, this is one that I've used for a long time. It has directions to the trail head, a few scenic pictures for along the trail, and a rating system.

As Wentjo said, Momentum is your friend. If you go too slow, small bumps or steps can hang you up. It may seem a bit scary, but you have to commit and take it with a bit more speed. Generally I stand on the pegs when going up or down steep hills. Lean forward on the uphills, so the front doesn't come over on you, and lean back on the down hills, so the back doesn't come over on you. Also, get in a low gear. The engine will do a better job of slowing the bike as you decend a steep down hill than the brakes. If you need to apply the brakes, apply equal pressure to both the front and rear. Be prepared to pump the brakes if either wheel starts to slide. Same as driving on ice.

I've seen it referred to as Pucker Pass before, but I know it as Long Canyon

These are all great rides, but let not get anyone in over their head. There are several rocky sections along the Top of the World Trail, and taking a KLR down Rose Garden Hill is not something the OP is ready for at this point. Furthermore, Lockhart basin is a fun ride, but with all the steps, It would be foolish for the OP to try that this season. An out and back on Chicken Corners would be a lot of fun for you, as would a ride up Onion Creek.

Yup, Long Canyon. I am not sure where I got Pucker Pass from!
A bud has the Moab Trail Book.
Thanks. Appreciate the pics, stories and advice.
Simba

Hello Friends,

So far we have:
1. one day of The WRT
2. one day doing Onion Creek, Musselman Arch, up Shafer Trail, Dead Horse State Park, Gemini Bridges, back to Moab.
3. One day doing Chicken Corners, Fins and Things, Sleek Rock, etc.
4. One day of pavement rides to Arches, Canyonland, Dead Horse, La Sal Mountain Loop, etc.

I need Ideas for about three to four more days--looking for easy to moderate trails. Each ride should be a day ride ending back in Moab..

We are a small group, unorganized, no fees collected, everybody responsible for their own health care, insurance, bike legality, emergency plan, etc. Is there a group size limit or should we break up into super small groups?

Thanks,
Simba

Some of these seem a bit disjointed-please consult a map because I am doing this from a hazy memory, but the day you go up Onion Creek, I think you can take a section of the Kokopelli that puts you out above Castle Valley which you can either run back down to 128 on pavement, or I think you should be able to hook onto the La Sal Mtn Loop from there.

Also, think of progression of ability. If things go well on Fins N Things and Slick Rock, you might want to consider Flat Pass. You get onto it as you head toward Steel Bender south of town by the golf course. I have not actually done the Steel Bender loop, but Flat Pass was not too bad. I remember one decent ledge that you descend if you are running south. A simple get off and walk it section if I remember it right. The rest was mild to moderate little rock features, nothing sticking out in my brain as overly hard. you come out by Ken's Lake on the southside. One note on this ride, shortly after you descend down to the valley floor at the start of the ride, you will come to two creek crossings about 100 yards apart or so. Between them is a little parking area on the right. It is a great place to play in the water and shade in the summer, but the bonus is if you cross the creek and hike up to the base of the big rock wall. If you follow that wall to the left, you will find some lesser known rock drawings/petroglyphs. Even if you just ride out to this spot and head back or venture a little further then turn around, it is a cool little oasis near town.

Also, when you get a little more experience, spending a day at Sovereign would be good. The ATV routes are not very difficult, and there are some good dirt roads around there.

Since you will be doing the WRT, you could incorporate Shafer Trail into that. Then you could do a Gemini Bridges out, Deadhorse Point and back down via Long Canyon.

I also strongly recommend going with lower gearing if you are riding some of this stuff on a KLR. I used to have it's bastard cousin, the KLX 650R, which is the more dirt version. It really became a great tractor on this stuff when I put a 13 tooth up front. Less clutch work, could practically idle up stuff, made a lot of slow/technical stuff a lot easier in my opinion.

Musselman Arch is on the WRT, as is Shafer Trail unless you bypass it using Potash Rd.
Dead Horse is up top too.

Gemini Bridges is nearby, I'd add Bull Canyon and Monitor & Merrimac to that to fill out part of a day.

If you're doing Chicken Corners, do Hurrah and continue south to do the easy part of Kane Creek (you'll know when it gets challenging)

Slickrock and Fins & Things would be a great way to get your sea legs on your first day out.

La Sal Mtns can be combined with Onion Creek out 'n back, Fisher Valley to Sand Flats Rd, etc.

Simba - pick up the Latitude 40 Moab East and Moab West maps.

Thanks--I will definitely put it together in a little more organized fashion.
I have done these trails in the past and I like to use these for practice. This time I will be either on a DR350SE or a TW200 (the Tengai got sold and the replacement KLR650 is to 'khromy' for trails).

Thanks--will pickup the maps to organize better. I want to be efficient but also want to maximize experiences. I think pavement rides to the National Parks and Dead Horse State Park, SR128 along side The Colorado River, La Sal Mountain Loop are also must do's.


Simba

Lots of folks coming from Colorado get off I-70 at the second Cisco offramp and take 128 into Moab. The scenic part really begins once you're down to Dewey Bridge.....so if one of your rides has Onion Creek at it's start - you will be doing the good section of 128 getting to Onion Creek.

There's a fun and accessible portion of Kokopelli Trail that is easy to include. The Kokopelli Trail crosses 128 a few miles north of Dewey Bridge

https://www.google.com/maps/preview....2935936,763m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

then rambles around north of 128 and dumps back out right at Dewey Bridge.

https://www.google.com/maps/preview...3132349,1593m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0



Doing that at the beginning of an Onion Creek ride would be good.

If you are old enough to remember the original 'Vanishing Point' ,Cisco is where they filmed the final scene with Kowalski crashing into the bulldozers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisco,_Utah