Help. Thinking about a hiking and biking trip in September.. Start in Moab. 20 days….

Then what. Happy to end up in Vegas for a few days before heading home.

Recommendations ?

Ride on the right hand side of the road in the US! : 😉

From Moab, drive to Fruita, few days riding there, then to Colorado, several months riding there….

Start in Colorado and work down, take in Fruita, Durango on to Moab then on to Vegas

If you’re starting in Moab and ending up in Vegas then I can recommend the following. I’ve been there many times (used to live in California).. if you want more ideas/info email me.

Biking:

In Moab, do all the trails of note plus make sure you get a shuttle and do the “Whole Enchilada” (30 miles). Check out the Turner Forum on MTBR (search for Whole Enchilada) for many pics, ride notes.

On way to Vegas stop for a couple of days at Hurricane (near St George) and ride Gooseberry Mesa.

On Interstate 15 is also the Brian Head Ski Resort which has developed its summer DH/Park/lift access business in recent years. I never got to stop there but drove past thinking “damn, I wish I’d known about that before!”

Hiking (& Camping):

Around Moab:

– Arches National Park

– Canyonlands National Park

– Bryce Canyon

On way back to Vegas:

Lake Powell – I slept several nights wild camping under the stars at Lake Powell. It’s a beautiful, sensual place to be.

If you head that direction to Vegas down almost via Flagstaff then you can also take in the Grand Canyon (well worth a visit and also great camping) and also a stop at Lake Havasu – which is a summer magnet for American teen partygoers (read really hot chicks in Bikinis) plus is the location where the original London Bridge ended up being located after being dissassembled brick-by-brick, transported to the US and rebuilt at Lake Havasu.

Some pics from Moab:

And this is Gooseberry mesa, Hurricane, UT:

Vegas is good fun and there is some great riding there…..I did a trail called the three mile smile…lovely. I really enjoyed he whole Moab feel. Make sure you visit Canyonlands a real gem.

Take PLENTY of water!

Accommodation in Moab itself is distinctly average. Good white water rafting on westwater canyon (avoid the room of doom and magnetic wall!), decent micro brewers in town.

Drive to Durango – home of Yeti originally I think before they moved to Golden.

Oh and take plenty of water!!!!

Go to Fruita, it’s amazing AND there are dinosaur remains

As teamhutmore says above take plenty of water.

Did a trip about 15 years ago, slick rock trail was superb but was very hot. Also did some riding in Vail and Durango areas.

The slick rock trail is a must do for all mountain bikers.

Moab and the famous trails, yes of course. Great fun. We really enjoed The White Rim Trail for scenery not the riding.

White Rim Trail, Close to the White Rim by John Clinch, on Flickr

We also cycled into Arches National park. Again more scenic than gnarr

Other things we did in that bit of America and enjoyed

hiking in and out of the grand canyon

hiking the “Narrows” in Zion National Park. 2 days walking down a slot Canyon. Much of the walking in the river.

http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-narrows.htm

the guy in the link is abseiling. It wasn’t part of our trip

Cycling in Colorado, in particular round Crested Butte

Rock climbing and hiking in Yosemite

brilliant – thanks …… we’ll do more research.

any more advice / recommendations welcomed 🙂

With 3 weeks to go at ending up in Vegas

I reckon I’d fly into Denver and generally head West
Check out the trails at Salida, Crested Butte [unmissable IMO] and Gunnison, then head over to Grand Junction and Fruita before Moab.

Bootleg Canyon just outside Vegas in Boulder City is fun.
http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/bootleg-canyon.html

They also have a great zip wire there

Home

I did a 3 weeker in that area 20 years ago ( 😮 ).

We did a week each in Durango, Moab and Crested Butte and I would do similar again. I’ve heard great things about Fruita too.

I’d definitely recommend CO. Crested Butte (trails 501 & 503). I also liked Leadville.

Found Fruita a little bit disappointing. Great trails but compact and, er, short. Joes Ridge was what spurred me go out there again in the first place but done and dusted in 5 mins. The Kessel run was better… A mate who did a weeks rising there is in no hurry to return.

Monarch Crest is somewhere I’d love to ride. I think you more or less go through it from CB to Fruita?

I didnt like Slickrock. Ironic really as I didn’t think that it was worth the risk of coming off and seriously hurting myself!

I loved Porcupine Rim though. You have to sign in at the start and out and the end. Yeah, plenty of water needed. And permits iirc.

As already mentioned Brian Head is supposed to amazing. My mate said it was some of the best riding hes ever done. Not that I would know, watch out for them motel car parks, they’re deadly you know!

Amasa Back… >sigh<

Amasa Back… >sigh<

If you like that, how about…

Poison Spider

Porcupine Rim

Portal Trail

Sovereign

Slickrock Trail

The Whole Enchilada

And you’ve got to have a Buffalo Burger at Eddie McStiffs in town!

Eclectica cafe was cool….and there was a good thai place off the main street. we stayed as Big Horn lodge which was pretty standard USA type accommodation and did the trick.
Uranium Cycles do Turner if you fancy being tempted back to the fold 😉

Monarch crest is the best ride in the world, well I liked it. Porcupine Rim is great too. Crested butte has tons with ranch flag ranch (?) and 401 remembered as the best, memory ain’t that good. Salida has some great stuff and you more or less end up there after monarch. Durango’s hermosa trail is also great. Tons of great riding and makes me wonder if there’s a link up trail around the area?

Oh and Fruita was cool but the other stuff was better.

and what about hiking trails when we’re biked out ?

and what about hiking trails when we’re biked out ?

Follow the waymarked walking trail at ‘Arches’ to the Delicate Arch. We walked for what seemed like miles and miles with the arch appearing further and further away until it couldn’t be seen at all, then rounded a ridge and there it was – absolutely amazing!

Start and finish in Vegas – easier for logistics / returning car hire / oh look dear, there happens to be Interbike at the same time!

Read ‘Desert Solitaire’ by Edward Abbey before you go.

Go and see Delicate Arch at sunset. Take a picnic and a camera. It rocks! Monument Valley is worth the trip and lots have already said about Zion etc