You can find the entire article about the California road trip as a PDF download below.
General information about Moab (Utah)
The city
Moab is a small town with 5000 inhabitants in the desert of the US state of Utah. The town is located 1200 metres above sea level directly on the Colorado River. The Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are among the most famous sights in the USA, which is why the town has a perfect infrastructure of hotels, motels and camping parks. Moab and the surrounding area are considered an adventure paradise. Every year, hundreds of thousands of paragliders, hikers, jeep drivers, motocrossers and white-water canoeists make a pilgrimage to Moab. However, the town is particularly famous as a mountain biking Mecca. The trails are among the best in the world and enjoy a legendary reputation.
Best time to travel
The best time to visit is from March to October. There can be snow in the neighbouring high mountains until the beginning of May. However, the trails in the lower altitudes are already rideable by then. In summer, it can get extremely hot during the day. Sometimes well over 40 degrees. Then you should start early in the morning or in the evening.
Arrival
Moab is located away from the major airports. Nothing works without a hire car. It doesn't really matter whether you get off the plane at Denver International Airport or fly even further to Grand Junction, which is a little closer. The journey takes between four and six hours in either case. A flight from Germany costs between 800 and 1000 euros, with a further 300 euros for the mountain bike. Reporter Lesewitz flew from San Francisco to Denver after his road trip through California. The domestic flight was included in the total flight price Germany/USA. However, the airline charged 150 dollars, or around 120 euros, for the bike transport.
Hire car
Car hire is relatively cheap in the USA, with spacious cars available from 300 euros a week. It is best to book the full insurance package. This will save you trouble in the event of an accident. Reporter Lesewitz, for example, rammed into a moose. Fortunately, the stately animal got up unharmed and ran off. However, the front of the hire car was bent. Accidents like this are commonplace in this area.
Accommodation
Moab has a huge bed capacity, but at weekends and during holidays, rooms can become scarce. It is therefore advisable to book before departure. Rooms are available from around 40 euros/night. The price is calculated per room and not per person, which is why the price is more or less halved if there are two people in the room. Breakfast is not usually served. In the USA, the traditional way to fuel up for the day is to go to a diner. The typical offerings such as eggs, fried potatoes and burgers require a robust stomach. The mountain bike breakfast at the Moab Diner, which is guaranteed to be incorrect in terms of sports science, is a cult favourite.
The most convenient way to book a hotel is online.
Bike shops in Moab
The Mecca of the mountain bike scene is of course full of iconic shops where you can hire bikes, buy parts and maps, or book tours. You should definitely take a look here:
- Chile Pepper Bike Shop (coffee counter!)
- Poison Spider Bicycle Shop
- Rim Cyclery (oldest shop in Moab, since 1983!)
- Moab Cyclery
Guided MTB tours / shuttle
Matt Hebbert, mountain bike pioneer and member of the MTB Hall of Fame, is a legend among the guides in Moab. With his company Rim Tours, he offers all kinds of mountain biking fun, from day tours to multi-day trips.
Mark Sevenoff and the guides from his company Western Spirit celebrate the mountain bike spirit every minute of the day. Western Spirit's programme includes a wide variety of mountain bike adventures. Day tours, adventure trips and, of course, the trail classics of Moab.
Jesse Alan Marshall offers daily shuttles to the starting points of the most famous tours in the colourfully painted VW buses of his company Coyote Shuttle.
The MTB trails in Moab
The number of legendary trails around Moab is so great that it would take months to ride them all. All of them are a dream. You simply can't go wrong. An overview including descriptions can be found on the homepage of the tourist office in the "Activities" column.
The two biggest attractions that no biker should miss are the Slickrock Trail and the Porcupine Rim Trail. These two trails are considered the most legendary in the world. The Pipe Dream Trail, which was only recently built, is also sensational.
Slickrock trail
The slickrocks, or sandstone rocks, are the landmark of Moab and are located above the town. They cover several square kilometres, but are relatively compact. The smooth appearance is deceptive, because in reality the surface is covered in steps and edges. In order to boost tourism, a broken line was painted on the slickrock at the end of the sixties/beginning of the seventies. An insane undertaking, as only this almost 20 kilometre long line leads safely through the maze of steep walls and gorges. Although an entire marathon field could ride side by side in some places, only the rider on the line would survive the lap. Everyone else would crash or smash into a rock face. The guide line was originally intended for motorcyclists, but in the 1980s the trail became a place of pilgrimage for bikers. The grip on the sandstone is incredible. You can climb up the steepest ramps, but you just have to be careful not to fall backwards off your bike.
Porcupine Rim Trail
Originally created as a hiking trail, the trail was illegal for bikers until a few years ago. The trail connects Moab with the mighty high mountains that tower behind the town. You can ride it from the bottom to the top. Traditionally, however, you ride from top to bottom. The shuttle bus takes an hour. Then a wide downhill catapults you directly to the spectacular canyon edge, along which the trail now runs for kilometres. The terrain ranges from stepped to loose. The views into the wide canyon valleys are epic! After around the halfway point, the trail turns into the so-called jeep track, which is even more radical than all the other sections so far. In the lower section, the Colorado River is always in sight, while treacherous steps hungrily snatch at the tyres. The tour takes three to four hours with a sporty riding style.
Watch out! Mountain bikers repeatedly die on the Porcupine Rim Trail because they get lost on the way and then die of thirst. NEVER ride alone. Take AT LEAST four litres of liquid with you. ALWAYS let someone know which tour you are taking before setting off. There is rarely mobile phone reception in the mountains around Moab. And if you do get lost: It's better to wait for help than to wander around alone. Even if you recognise the town in the distance. There is a huge risk of falling in the canyon landscape.
The perfect Moab bike / equipment
Anyone who usually swears by hardtails will curse such a bike in Moab. The trails, including slickrock, are all rough. A fully with 100 millimetres of travel is okay, 120 to 140 millimetres is perfect. The brakes are also put under a lot of strain. The bigger the brake discs, the better. A hydration pack is even more important. In an area where the sun burns relentlessly and there is no possibility of refuelling on the way, you should have enough liquid with you. Two litres is the minimum for a slickrock tour. For longer tours such as the Porcupine Rim Trail, four litres or more is fine.
General tips
Bow park
The spectacular Arches National Park with hundreds of natural sandstone arches is located just two kilometres from Moab town centre. The campsites are spectacularly placed in the landscape. You will remember one of these nights in a tent or campervan for the rest of your life.
Brewery
The Brewery is to Moab what the Hofbräuhaus is to Munich. The rustic pub is decorated with bikes. Owner Michael Miller and his crew brew their own beer, including various delicious mountain bike beers such as the malty "Derailleur Ale" or the refreshing "Rocket Bike Wit".
24-hour marathon
The 24-hour race in Moab is one of the most iconic marathons in the world. The approximately 25-kilometre lap in a magnificent setting offers everything from steep climbs and technical descents to fine trails. The atmosphere in the start/finish area is characterised by a casual campfire ambience. The date is 8/9 October.
