A guide to intermediate mountain biking in Moab, Utah 

Slickrock. The Whole Enchilada. Captain Ahab. Porcupine Rim. If you’re avid mountain biker, you’ve probably heard of at least one of these trails in Moab, Utah. My brother David is one of those avid bikers and he invited me on a trip to Moab in November 2021. As an intermediate mountain biker at best, I was apprehensive about what I was getting myself into, but I’m generally up for any adventure and decided to tag along!

I started doing research on Moab mountain biking, and I was definitely intimidated by everything I read that indicated the biking would be intense and extreme. However, upon arrival, I was pleasantly surprised that there were plenty of trails for my skill level. I still had to challenge myself physically and technically, I had a ton of fun! If you’re in the same boat as me and looking for some of the less-extreme trails in Moab, keep reading!

A quick note on geography and topography of the Moab area, because in all honesty, that in itself is a reason to visit. The region Moab is in is varied – you’ll find petrified sand dunes, massive canyons and sandstone arches all within 30-minutes of each other. When settlers first arrived in the region, their shod horses couldn’t walk on the petrified dunes as they were extremely slippery, and that’s where the name “slickrock” came from. Many of the trails in Moab have slickrock features, but the good news is that for modern activities like biking, there’s actually no better surface - it provides excellent traction!

Preparing to bike in Moab

We travelled to Moab via Grand Junction, Colorado, where we rented a car. After making the 2-hour drive through scenic Highway 128, we arrived in Moab. We stayed at the Adventure Inn on our first night, which had a great continental breakfast and was conveniently located right across the road from Poison Spider Bicycles. There are many options for places to rent bikes, but we found that Poison Spider had the best selection and best prices. The service was also excellent – they gave us maps and local advice on the best trails and conditions. The bike rental came with a bike rack too, which the staff helped us set up as to avoid scratching our rental car. 

Moab has pretty much everything you need on its 1-mile long main street. There are restaurants, grocery stores, liquor stores and a plethora of outdoor gear shops. We made a quick stop at the grocery store to stock up on granola bars and lunch supplies, and then headed to our first trail!

Navajo Rocks

About 20-minutes from Moab on Highway 313 is the Navajo Rocks Main Parking Lot, which provides access to the 28km Navajo Rocks Loop. It was recommended to bike this loop the clockwise direction, so we started by crossing the highway to the Middle Earth section, then connecting to the Coney Island section. Both of these were a great introduction to biking on slickrock and the technical features of Moab trails. Next, we arrived back at the highway crossing and proceeded onto Big Lonely, which was more flowy. The crowning jewel of this loop is Big Mesa, because (not surprisingly) you’re biking at the base of the Big Mesa. This is a super cool rock formation and the trail provides amazing views. After Big Mesa, you’ll find yourself back at the parking lot. You could end your ride here, but we grabbed a quick lunch and then continued on Ramblin. This trail was more technical so I was glad I refuelled at lunch, but it was super fun and pretty much all downhill. Things get a little bit trickier on Rocky Tops as you have to climb back up to the parking lot, but at this point, I had about 20km under my belt and was getting more comfortable with the features.

I had so much fun on this trail and it got me super stoked for the rest of the week in Moab. I would definitely recommend starting here if you just want to dip your toe into Moab riding. Bonus: this trail is free!

Slickrock Bike Trail

Perhaps Moab’s most famous trail, Slickrock is a must-do. However, now that I can say I’ve done it once, I’m not rushing back – at least not until I’ve brushed up on my skills and fitness a little bit! Slickrock is very close to the centre of Moab in the Sand Flats Recreation Area ($5 entrance fee per car) and is an 11.2km loop. The trail is known for super steep, punchy climbs on slickrock and let me tell you, it delivered. I had lots of fun on this trail, but it was challenging for me. I ended up walking most of the tougher climbs, but it was still rewarding to have been able to do this trail. 

We were in Moab in the shoulder season, but the trail can get extremely busy in high season. Regardless, we recommend getting an early start in order to have the trail to yourself and avoid the heat of the day.  

Mag 7 

Mag 7 is located off of Highway 313 on the Gemini Bridges Road. This road was a little tricky in our small, low-clearance car, but we eventually made it to Arth’s Parking. From there, we took the trail in the counter-clockwise direction (if you want to bike downhill) and began on Getaway. There are four sections of Getaway – Lower, Mid, Upper and Top. These trails were a little easier for me, which was very welcome after having biked about 40km in the previous two days. Once reaching the end of Getaway, we continued onto Bull Run. This is where things got more fun! The trail is rated as a black, so it was techy and challenging but similar to what I’d biked at Navajo Rocks. Luckily, all of Bull Run (Upper, Mid and Lower) are downhill and take you back to Arth’s Parking. In total, this is a 22km loop. I enjoyed it because it had a mix of very easy trails, flowy sections, and technical downhill rides. 

If you want more…

I was exhausted after riding for three days, so I decided to call it quits on the biking for this trip, however my brother wanted to do more (he’s pretty extreme and intense). If you are too, check these trails out:

• The Whole Enchilada: probably Moab’s most famous trail, this 43.4km trail descends over 2,370 metres. Depending on the time of year, only certain sections are open and you’ll need a shuttle to drop you off at the top and pick you up at the bottom. In November, the high point of the trail already had snow. Starting a little bit lower, David was able to bike the Porcupine Rim section, which is accessible via a pretty rough road through the Sand Flats Recreation Area.  

• Falcon Flow: also accessible through the Sand Flats Recreation Area, Falcon Flow is a 8.6km trail with a decent of 335 metres. David said this was one of his favourite trails because it was super flowy and just an all-around well-made trail. I shuttled him up to the top and picked him up at the bottom, where he was super stoked and couldn’t stop raving about the trail. This will be the first trail I do the next time I go to Moab! 

A week spent in Moab is hardly enough and I’ll definitely be going back someday. I barely scratched the surface of the trails in Moab, but if you want to bike all day, every day, this is certainly the place to do it! Moab offers lots of other activities too. I spent the remainder of my time exploring some of the amazing hiking trails (check out my blog on hiking here) and the surrounding National Parks. 

If you’re planning a trip to Moab and have questions, feel free to reach out! I’m always happy to chat about my adventures.