Moab- All Things Mecca
By Steve Cuff.
Utah has long been known as a skier’s haven, home to the Greatest Snow on Earth®
Come Spring, the focus turns south. Approximately 4 hours from Salt Lake City lies the buzzing outdoor adventure town Moab– world famous for mountain biking and it’s Slickrock Trail.
Slickrock is anything but slick. The high-traction, Navajo sandstone grips your tires like glue, allowing you to experience extreme wall-climbs, heart-pumping ledge drops and fast straights. This trail is more likened to a roller coaster ride than a mountain bike ride and the landscape, challenge, and breathtaking views make for a 16km ride of your life.
Looking for a journey? The Whole Enchilada is a desert ride like no other, a combination of 6 trails, covering 40km of varied terrain. After a solid 800 vertical foot climb in the La Sal Mountains, your downhill journey starts at a peak of 11,200 feet. From here you encounter technical steeps, fast single track, sand, red rock, gravel, cliff edges and jaw-dropping scenery. This is a ride that challenges the best of mountain bikers over its 7,000 foot descent and makes for the ultimate mountain bike adventure.
Visiting Moab for a mountain bike experience also allows you to venture on another great expedition into the wonderlands of Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.
Only a short drive from the town of Moab, Arches National Park has a vast array of spectacular Arches carved into the landscape over hundreds of millions of years. Choose the best time of day nearer sunset or sunrise and see colours of this red rock come alive as the sun beams it magic rays through individual sculptured Arches for sensational images for photographers.
Hike to more isolated Delicate and Tower Arch for the added adventure or access many of these incredible views like North and South Window Arches after a short stroll.
Mother Nature has created an awesome sight for you at Canyonlands allowing simple sightseeing vantage points and classic adventure hikes down to the valley floor. The Green and Colorado rivers power beneath the awesome canyon walls that stretch for over 100 miles, allowing for some high intensity white water rapids including the most treacherous Cataract Canyon.
Canyonlands offers distinct areas including the Needles, Maze and Island in the Sky for endless opportunities to explore the equivalent to Grand Canyon.
A must see when visiting Moab is to take the short drive along the Colorado river to the Red Cliffs Lodge. Not only was this the setting for the famous John Wayne western movie Rio Grande, there is also a museum of movie memorabilia located downstairs at the lodge. Owner Colin Fryer looks like he has walked straight off the western movie set and he has a wealth of history and stories to share from the area and about the movies. While at the museum you can have your photo taken with legendary John Wayne and stroll around to see all the magnificent movies made in this area.
The Red Cliffs setting speaks for itself as the red cliffs tower over the area and you can admire these each morning if you stay at the Red Cliffs Lodge. There are numerous accommodation options and if you are lucky enough to be there on a full moon, have dinner outside in the BBQ area and watch the moon rise over the mighty Colorado River and I can highly recommend the steak as one of the best you will ever have.
CLICK HERE to see a great you tube video highlighting The Whole Enchilada. Warning you can get a little motion sick watching this!