davethelefty

Hi all. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. My wife and I are headed to southern Utah next spring/summer and want make a trip to Moab to ride trails there.

My wife has exactly zero experience on mountain bikes, and while I own one and have ridden them quite a bit, I am a flatlander from Florida who's only done some intermediate downhill riding in the CA and NC mountains. Realistically we don't have the skills (and fitness?) for trails with a lot of elevation changes.

I want to ride slickrock trails, but have no idea if those are suitable for my wife or me, or if they're the more advanced trails in Moab. Can someone clarify?

Are tour companies a good option, or is rental and self-directed touring better?

Finally, when is a good time to go? We typically travel before or around Memorial Day to beat the crowds. Can someone advise if that's a good time to ride, and also suggest what the weather is like then -- are we fighting desert high temps or snow???

Thanks!!

Bandrada

Try Sedona, would be my recommendation. It's better in the spring than Moab. Moab is typically best in the fall, IMO.

Sedona has plenty of beginner trails, and has a similar backdrop to Moab.

ridelikeaturtle

There used to be a little "practice loop" trail at the Slickrock trailhead, not-real-long and not-real-technical, that sounds like it'd suit.

https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/158...-practice-loop

^ says "intermediate/difficult", but it's only 2.5kms "point to point", and from what I recall (which admittedly is a quite a few years ago now) it's not difficult.

drewtk

I've been to Sedona and Moab, including a week on Sedona last month. I didn't think any of the trails I biked in Sedona were friendly for a complete novice. Even the ones that were wide double track had a lot of elevation changes. The single track has a lot of cactus. Don't get me wrong, Sedona had plenty of trails that are easy for someone with a little bit of MTB experience, but it's not the place that comes to mind for a complete novice.

I obviously didn't ride every trail in Sedona, so there may be plenty of good newbie trails there. But I didn't see any, and I had my wife with me, so I was looking for easier trails so that my wife could tag along for some of the rides. I only found one south of Sedona.

Bandrada

I guess you are right. I don't exactly go to Moab to ride beginner trails, so my advice on that is relegated to the more technical trails in there. I do know from my experience in Sedona that the riding is generally easier for me, technically speaking.

If the practice loop is considered a beginner trail, though. That's saying a lot because it's not exactly beginner friendly either. A beginner would probably find themselves walking a lot. My two boys enjoyed it, though. They did not care that they had to walk some of the steeper sections, because they loved hitting the slopes and the off-camber stuff.

Kapusta

As fas as your wife goes: I don’t think Moab is the ideal place for someone with zero mtb experience to learn. I can’t think of much I have ridden that I would consider “novice” level. Maybe some of the dirt roads and double-track, but these are not what you go to Moab for.

There are plenty of options for intermediate stuff. You mention riding in NC and CA, but trails in both states can range from novice to world class gnarly.

So I think you would find plenty to enjoy, but not so much for your wife unless she is pretty OK getting whooped.

You might consider doing a hike in Arches. Pretty amazing place.

davethelefty

Thanks, Kapusta!! What planted the idea in my tiny brain was an ad for a half-day tour that was targeted for beginners. Tour comments described these rides as family friendly, so I wouldn't think they'd be hard. Maybe very boring? I'd call my own mtb experience as low-intermediate -- have ridden intermediate downhills at Mammoth and Beech Mtn in NC, but nothing remotely gnarly.

We definitely plan on hiking Arches and other parks in Utah, but will think twice about riding in Moab. It'll be a game day decision!!

Kapusta

I would assume if the tour is aimed at beginners and get positive reviews as such that it would be a safe bet. Obviously, a local bike guide is going to be familiar with a lot more trails than we are, so they likely know of good beginner routes.

c_m_shooter

Go to Moab, but plan on hiking mostly. Even the "beginner" loop at slickrock is an intermediate loop. For a beginner ride, my wife loved riding Onion Creek road. You can ride the 2 track road up to Gemini Bridges, there is 1 sandy climb you will have to hike. Go take the guided (walking) tour of the Fiery Furnace in Arches, go rafting, and just plan on exploring. If you drive a 4wd (stock is fine) you can drive the White Rim road, it is an epic 100 miles.

Happy Feet

Just returned from Moab two weeks ago on a mountain biking trip. Great place with good trails for you and your wife.

First stop would be the Moab Brands area, just north of town on the way to Canyonlands NP. You can get trail maps at all bike stores in town or the maps are posted at the site. Easy flat trails like Bar M, a little more challenging Lazy and EZ, and more challenging North 40, Mavericks etc... If you want a taste of slickrock try Circle O or Rockin A (more challenging though). Opinion was that Circle O beats the crap out of you and is more rough than the Slickrock Trail in the Sand Flats area.

Up Canyonlands NP area is Navajo Rocks with a few more challenging trails, in the sense of distance(each being 1-4 miles long), or further into Dead Horse Point Park where they have the Intrepid Trail system. That is a perfect beginners area. At Intrepid you can do easy flat single track or more scenic loops like the Pyramid Lookout Trail. You can easily walk around any hard sections. Mostly moderate up and down single track with the occasional drop or ledgey bit.

Slickrock Trail itself is considered a bit over rated but I enjoyed it. It's main draw back is length and steep climbs but you can walk those if you want. Try the practice loop of about 2 miles as it is what you get for ten. The main path is easy to follow and I started early and had most of the desert to myself.

My advice would be to hook up with a shop for advice. I went through Poison Spider and Amy and Tim were great. They'll recommend trails and provide maps etc... For beginners you can spend a lot of time at Brands and Intrepid working on your skills and confidence and then try more challenging stuff. The scenery is stunning as well and I would suggest Touring both Arches and Canyonlands/Dead Horse Point Parks as well as driving the Colorado River canyon (Hwy 128).

I'm at work right now but will link my slideshow when I get home.

Happy Feet

Moab Brands Trail System

https://www.utahmountainbiking.com/t...and-trails.htm

Intrepid Trail System

https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/de...ntrepid-trail/

Navajo Trail System

https://www.utahmountainbiking.com/t...avajorocks.htm

Basic singletrack at Intrepid (Crossroads)


Nice singletrack flw trail at Brands


Intermediate trail at Brands


Long slide show of mtb pics from my trip


That'll keep you going for a while.

davethelefty

Excellent!! Thank you for the links and also for the videos. This gives me a great idea what this is going to be like. All my downhill trail riding has been in heavily treed areas, so the desert landscape is so different. Can't wait to go!!