Thinking of joining some friends for a trip to Moab & Fruita in late October. I know of its Slickrock reputation, but not much else. So what is it like and how much fun is it? Any advice for travel logistics & trail recommendations would be much appreciated.

My friend went about 5yrs ago and is suggesting 5-6 days at Moab and then 2-3 days at Fruita. Does that sound reasonable?

In particular, I’d like to hear about any trail options that are more downhill orientated. My wife has had very little XC riding after the birth of our daughter, so long trails with lots of climbing are out for her. Shuttle options to a mostly downhill trail would be ideal though.

Also, my wife & I will be alternating days of looking after the little one, so any tips for non-biking activities would help reassure both of us that we can make this biking holiday work with a toddler. Short hikes, tourist destinations, local swimming pools, etc, etc??

Thanks!

I would’nt even bother with the slick rock trail tbh, its got some novelty factor but there is much better riding to be had in moab. Porcupine rim is my personal favourite in moab and in October you should be able to do the “full enchilada” an extended version that drops all the way from the La Salles right into moab. I thinks its about 23 miles and most bike shops in town run several shuttles a day. For a shorter ride Amasa back is good value.
Fruita would be perfect for the Mrs. A lot of the trails are smooth rolling single track without any significant climbs. The book cliffs area has a lot of shorter trails that can be ridden indivdually or linked together for a longer day out. I would also check out Palisade and Grand Junction, both east of Fruita and similar riding.

I’d agree with the above. You could spend more time in Moab to be honest as there’s quite a bit of riding. One thing to be aware of is the heat, it’s not like a hot English day and it’s good to get rides done first thing when it’s cooler then chill by a pool. Porcupine rim is one of the best as long as you don’t mind cliff riding ;-).

Moab itself is a nice town with some cool shops and places to hang out, but you could easily do it all in a day or two. Other activities are the Arches national park and canyoning and White water rafting.

Fruita is also cool with some great trails, slightly less extreme, but still xc orientated like Moab. Moab has more uplifts but there’s still uphill riding to be done. I don’t think fruita had any uplifts as such. I would recommend getting in touch with the locals in fruita, the bike shop will bemore than happy to help you out… I joined acouple of local evening rides and did some great trails.

Oh, and as for slick rock, if you’re there you have to go and see what the fuss is about!

porcupine rim…..
about as much fun as is available with yer kit on.

dont look down tho’ and dont turn right in a momentary lapse of concentration.

I agree with all the above, I got bored on slick rock and just did the practice loop, we did an uplift called Hazard Couty twice in a week as we enjoyed it so much, its quite technical riding in general, kind of reminded me of the Peaks but dry and dusty

I can’t wait to go back…..