4 of the Most Death-Defying Mountain Bike Trails in Moab

Challenge yourself on Moab's most technical and most exposed lines!

Greg Heil

Images

Slickrock section heading toward Pothole Arch. Photo: Greg Heil.

Pothole Arch. Photo: Greg Heil.

Amasa Back road. Photo: Greg Heil.

Amasa Back road. Photo: Greg Heil.

Rockstacker. Rider: Greg Heil

by Marcel Slootheer

Freeriding on slickrock near the Pothole Arch. Rider: Greg Heil

by Marcel Slootheer

Pothole Arch. Rider: Greg Heil

by Marcel Slootheer

This gives you a sense of the exposure on the iconic Portal Trail. Photo: Robert Tadlock via Flickr Creative Commons

Gold Bar Rim is just a litttttle bit exposed. Rider: Greg Heil

by Nick Orticelle

by Greg Heil

Looking back up The Whole Enchilada toward the La Sal mountains. Photo: Stanislav Sedov via Flickr Creative Commons

Mountain biking The Whole Enchilada. Photo: Stanislav Sedov via Flickr Creative Commons

Enjoying the lower sections of The Whole Enchilada. Photo: Stanislav Sedov via Flickr Creative Commons

Round Mountain in the Castle Valley, as seen from The Whole Enchilada. Photo: Stanislav Sedov via Flickr Creative Commons

Rider: Greg Heil

by Mike De La Rosa

Gorgeous view from the top of the trail. Photo: Greg Heil

The rock faces in this valley are simply stunning! Photo: Greg Heil

Tight squeeze. Rider: Greg Heil

Climbing Hymasa. Photo: Greg Heil

Rock rolls abound. Rider: Greg Heil

Gorgeous view from the top of the trail. Photo: Greg Heil

Rider: Greg Heil

by Marcel Slootheer

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Creative Commons: Attribution

Description

Most of the mountain bikers traveling to Moab are in search of a challenge. While sure, plenty of intermediate riders travel here to escape the snow in the early spring, Moab reigns supreme as one of the most brutally-technical mountain bike destinations in the USA.

Mountain biking on non-motorized routes in Moab really began with the Slickrock trail, which to this day is still in not an easy ride! But over the years, even more technical and exposed test pieces have been built!

In this guidebook, I've rounded up four of the most challenging legal mountain bike trails in the Moab region. These routes all serve up massive technical moves, relentless gnar, and massive cliff exposure—some of which has proven deadly.

While it's debatable exactly which of these four trails is the most technical, it's easy to make a case for the second half of Magnificent 7. The second half of this ride now includes the Blue Dot trail as a part of Gold Bar Rim. This old renegade line was only recently legalized due to how technical and exposed it is. Gold Bar Rim then leads to the ultra-exposed descent down Portal. Falls from this trail have claimed the lives of multiple mountain bikers in years past. These days, signs are posted warning you to dismount on the truly exposed sections where the deaths have occurred.

There are few mountain bike destinations where you can see your life flash before your eyes as often as you do on Moab's trails. If getting in touch with your mortality is on your todo list, then it's time to book a trip to Utah!

Adventures

Magnificent 7

Ride some of the most technical and dangerous mountain bike trails in the world in one massive shuttle route!

Rockstacker to Jackson's

If death-defying ledge drops, massive boulders, narrow singletrack on top of a thousand-foot cliff, and jaw-dropping views constitute your idea of fun, then Rockstacker to Jackson's is for you!

Captain Ahab

Captain Ahab combines the best new-school singletrack trail building techniques with Moab's famous views and challenging rocks for a classic mountain bike experience.

The Whole Enchilada

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.