Review
Intro
This ride is a classic. It is also an insane, hold onto your hats, crazy downhill ride with drop offs in excess of two feet. The ride begins with a 3-mile 1000 ft. ascent to the an incredible view of Castle Valley, and the La Sal Mountains. Then, the fun begins. 11 miles of downhill, the last 3 on a no hold barred single track that will shake up your brain and hopefully your bike will hold together.
What Makes It Great
Moab is known for it’s hard mountain biking, this trail is a prime example of how extreme it can be. The first 3ish miles are a steady uphill gaining 900 feet. The top is the perfect place to do a selfie, while you and camera are still in one piece. From there the ride is an 11-mile downhill losing 2,800 feet. The last three miles are single track… this is not your ordinary single track, it’s single track on steroids. It is technical with a big T and be prepared for extreme exposure. For the double black diamond mountain biker in excellent shape, this will be fun, for anyone else; this will be a very long bad day.
Who is Going to Love It
This is a classic Moab mountain bike ride. It is a double black diamond trail for the extremely fit, experienced mountain biker. For anyone else, this will be a painful day. It is highly suggested that riders spend time on easier trails testing their skills before jumping into this ride. There is nothing worse than getting injured on vacation or taking your bike for a long run while avoiding getting clobbered by riders coming down behind you.
Riders must carry more water than they think they need and an adequate amount of food. A helmet is an obvious necessity, so it a repair kit, a jacket and a headlamp.
Directions, Parking, & Regulations
Go east on 100 north from the main drag of town. Go .5 miles and take a right onto 400 East. Go another .5 miles and take a left at Dave’s Corner Market, onto Millcreek Drive. Go another .5 miles to stop sign. Go straight up the hill following signs. The Entrance booth is 2.5 miles up the road. Porcupine Rim Trail is near mile marker 7.
The entrance cost is $5 a vehicle, $2 for a shuttle driver or $20 for an annual pass.
Dogs are allowed, but this is not recommended. Every year enthusiastic dog owners bring their dogs on big rides where the slickrock rips their paws leading to days of pain for the dog and guilt for the humans. This is especially the case for dogs coming from the snowy mountains in the spring.
Poison Spider Bicycles in Moab offers shuttles to the top of the trail, 12 miles from town. They will pick you up at your hotel, or at their shop in an air-conditioned van. For more information on schedules go to http://poisonspiderbicycles.com/bike-shuttles/ or call (435) 260-0896. Schedules are worth the cost as to not have to spend the time retrieving vehicles after a long ride. The trail ends by Negro Bill Canyon on River Road. The ride from there to town is 5-miles with all but .5 miles on a paved trail away from car traffic.
