A fantastic beginner-friendly loop around the eastern half of Dead Horse Point State Park.

Statistics

0 - 1

hrs

143

m

143

m

2

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Moderate

Description

"Dead Horse Point State Park is one of Utah’s most spectacular state parks," according to DiscoverMoab.com.

"The view from Dead Horse Point is one of the most photographed scenic vistas in the world.

Towering 2,000 feet above the Colorado River, the overlook provides a breathtaking panorama of Canyonlands’ sculpted pinnacles and buttes." In addition to the iconic Dead Horse Point vista, this area is now home to some of the most beginner-friendly trails in Moab.

The trails themselves reach beautiful viewpoints along the rim of the gorge for a more immersive Dead Horse Point experience.

These trails also serve as a great primer for beginner and early intermediate riders looking for a taste of Moab mountain biking.

With low slickrock slabs, flowy singletrack, and the occasional rock garden mixed in, this is still true desert mountain biking. The loop shown here doesn't cover all of the trails in the state park but instead, forms one of the best beginner-friendly rides in the network.

The loop as mapped covers some 7.3 miles of pedaling with 470 feet of elevation gain.

However, numerous connectors and cross trails exist, meaning that beginners can easily create a much shorter ride option. For the absolute easiest option, just stick to the Raven Roll and Great Pyramid trails and skip Big Chief.

Big Chief is a bit more difficult than the previous two trails. "Remember that non-riding spouse? This is a fine place to take him or her riding," writes John Fisch in an article on Singletracks.com.

"Making this route all the more amazing is that despite its low level of difficulty, my son and I, both advanced riders, had an excellent time as well," he concludes. Sources: http://discovermoab.com/mountainbiking/#dead-horse https://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-trails/the-best-moab-trails-for-beginners-and-casual-riders/2/ https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse/intrepid-trail/