AdventureDad

 

AdventureDad Riding The Slickrock Trail In Moab, Utah

 

If you're into extreme mountain biking there is no finer place on earth than Moab, Utah.  It's the Mecca of mountain biking. Anyone that's into serious biking know of this place. Anywhere in the world.  The gorgeous scenery in every direction, warm weather, countless unbelievable trails, and unreal red rocks make this place a must if you love mountain biking.

 

Me and my wife have been privileged to vacation more in our lives than most do in a lifetime.  Or three.  We still have lots on our list but our experiences goes from extreme luxury to camping or staying in  scorpion infested rooms.  Before our kids were born we spent two weeks camping  in Moab, Utah and it's probably the best vacation we've done in our lives.  After loading up our high end bikes, flying to Denver, Co, renting a Suburban, we explored the wilderness of Colorado and Utah for two weeks.  It was magical.

 

This area is amazing even if you don't like mountain biking and prefer trekking instead.  Near Moab you have fantastic national parks like Canyonlands or legendary Arches.  Camping at Arches and waking up seeing one of the most amazing sunsets  in the world is something everyone should do in their lives.  The possibilities for rock climbing are also limitless but we only had time for one afternoon of rocks this time.

 

Being a biker in Moab is kind of like being a skier in Aspen.  In Aspen, you will see few cars without a ski rack.  In Moab, you're unlikely to see few without a bike rack.   There are trails for beginners but most people who come here probably are advanced bikers.  If you like adventure on a bike, this is a dream come true.  Trails like Slickrock, Poison Spider (with Portail Trail), Amasaback, Porcupine Rim are world famous and will make any serious rider excited.  

 

What makes Moab so special?  It's a beautiful place and the variety of mountain bike trails makes this place unbeatable. In this part of Utah you will be riding a lot on slickrock, kind of like red colored sandpaper.    It's everywhere and it's something unique for this area. The tire grip on this kind of rock is unreal.   The Slickrock rail is the most extreme trail, you will be riding on this special rock most of the trail.  Have you ever tried to  mountain bike up an impossibly steep hill in the woods and found your wheels slipping in the mud? This does not apply while riding on slickrock.  You need to have good technical skills but mostly, you need to be very strong.  If you're strong and in shape you will make it up every hill without much of a struggle.  Few do.  But if you have good legs, the possibilities are endless. If you're strong, you can simply stand up, almost kiss your front wheel, pedal in first gear, and make it up places you have problem scaling by foot.  It's simply amazing.  The hill I'm riding down in the photo might not look steep but most would be scared walking down this area.

 

Our two weeks in this place will forever be remembered.  We rode like crazy during the day, made some good friends,  relaxed with fine dining and alcohol in the evenings, and slept in a  tent the whole two weeks.  It was fucking fabulous.  We still talk about this trip.  We're planning to do this trip again in a couple of years unless we have a third child.  I would be willing to give up lots of sex to visit this place again…..