I went for the day to go biking in Moab yesterday on the first weekend of October. October is usually the month that is the most crowded in Moab. Yep, there was a ton of people there. I was planning to camp one night but after I rode for four hours, I thought, it's a 3.5 hour drive home, why not just go home? So, that's what I did and I did have a great bike ride. I couldn't find a camping spot anyway.
I did Navajo Rocks ride first when I got there about 11:30 in the morning. It's up by Monitor and Merrimac buttes where that Dead Horse Point/Canyonlands road is. It's 6 miles from the turnoff. I parked there, ate a light lunch then took off. It was great and the temperature was dead on perfect. The trail was really awesome and it's a brand new trail that was just barely built last spring. There was a lot of short sustained climbs that lasted about 3 minutes in most spots and quite a bit slick rock and dirt mixed.
It was pretty technical and it was a well-made trail. I really liked it and I wish there was more. The loop itself is 8 miles and I think they are planning to build more trails in this area. I'm looking forward to it. It's nice that they are building a lot more bike trails in the Moab area and I can't complain but I can complain about that they need to develop or allow more camping spots in the area. Or at least more motels, maybe some affordable ones for sure. If they get more and more visitors each year, they've got think about better lodging.
Monitor and Merrimac buttes in the background on my Navajo Rocks ride.
After Navajo Rocks, I loaded my bike into the truck and drove up to Dead Horse Point and did more riding up there. I rode there last spring and enjoyed it. I wanted to do it again.
I went a little faster this time because I already knew what to expect on the trail ahead of me and knew where I was going. This was fast and fun. There was quite a bit of people this time. Especially entry level riders because these trails are a little more easy compared to the original Moab trails. Dead Horse Point trails are also fun for the advanced riders too. The views are good too.
After I was done riding the trails, I rode my bike on the highway to the Dead Horse view point. Which was like 3 more miles. This was great and I think next time I go to Moab, I am probably going to do the Klondike Bluffs trail system. I haven't been there in a long time. We will see.
