FATMAP by Strava

The Whole Enchilada

Moab

One of the most epic mountain bike rides of all time, the Whole Enchilada drops over 9,000 feet of vertical and passes through every climate zone imaginable, from high alpine tundra to desert.

Mountain Biking Extreme

Distance
52 km
Ascent
816 m
Descent
2.8 km
Duration
3-4 hrs
Low Point
1.2 km
High Point
3.4 km
Gradient
12˚
The Whole Enchilada Map

The Whole Enchilada ranks among the most epic mountain bike rides of all time! This point-to-point route drops a whopping 9,200 vertical feet over 32 miles, and while there is some climbing along the way, all told, it's one of the most fantastic descents in existence.

Description

A big piece of the epicness puzzle is the diversity of this route. The Whole Enchilada passes through almost every climate zone imaginable. The top of Burro Pass, the route's high point, tops out just above tree line in alpine tundra. The singletrack quickly drops back into the trees, swooping through a pine forest. Lower down the pines switch to aspens, and then low scrub oaks. The vegetation switches to the high desert variety, with short pinion trees breaking up the landscape. By the time you make it to the Colorado River, the vegetation has all but disappeared, and you're riding through a low-desert environment.

The singletrack itself that takes you from mountain top to river valley bottom is extremely varied, and always entertaining! From the shuttle drop, it's a tough grunt to the top of Burro Pass, requiring hike-a-bike for most riders. Once at the top of the Pass, it's all gravy--the singletrack drops steeply down through the trees on loamy black dirt mixed with rocks, swooping around well-built corners. While relatively technical and steep, there aren't any massive features here.

The character of the trail switches when it reaches Hazard County, changing into a flowy, swoopy descent with berms on almost every corner and optional jumps along the way. Early and late in the season, the shuttle companies (there are many to choose from in Moab) will drop riders at Hazard County. Sometimes they're only shuttling to UPS or Porcupine Rim, but the top of Hazard County is a common drop spot when Burro Pass is snowy.

UPS is the next significant segment, flowing straight into LPS, and finally the riding feels like classic Moab! Tough, technical singletrack filled with rock slabs, drops, and tough up-and-overs will challenge both your bike handling skills, and your machine itself. UPS and LPS run along the upper portions of the famous Porcupine Rim.

Eventually, the route reaches the longstanding classic, the Porcupine Rim. While the upper section of Porcupine Rim is a mix of sandy and rocky 4x4 road, the route makes up for it with the famous views off the tops of soaring cliffs that form the Rim (watch where you're riding!) and massive ledge drop options along the way. Many of these ledges, while they look enticing, are hucks-to-flat, and have broken more than one mountain bike.

The lower Porcupine Rim is singletrack, but it's extremely technical. While a good bit of it is rideable by mere mortals, portions of this trail reach double black diamond difficulty--and beyond. A few corners and moves are only rideable by professional-level mountain bikers and will require less-skilled riders to carry their bikes.

After a fantastic yet challenging descent, you'll arrive at the Colorado River, your journey down one of the most famous trails in the world officially complete.

Difficulty

Extreme

Very steep, difficult, narrow singletrack with widely variable and unpredictable trail conditions. Unavoidable obstacles could be 15in/38cm tall or greater, and unavoidable obstacles with serious consequences are likely to be present. Obstacles could include big rocks, difficult root sections, drops, jumps, sharp switchbacks, and more. Ideal for expert-level riders.

Extreme Exposure

4 out of 4

Some trail sections are extremely exposed where falling will almost certainly result in serious injury or death.

Remoteness

3 out of 4

Little chance of being seen or helped in case of an accident.

Best time to visit

between June and September

Features

  • Flow
  • Technical
  • Hike a bike
  • Shuttle-run
  • Road sections
  • Drops
  • Roots
  • Rock Rolls
  • Rock Slabs
  • Rock Gardens

Similar routes nearby

Guidebooks in this area