The Slickrock Trail, is a popular mountain biking destination in Grand County, Utah, United States, a few miles northeast of the city of Moab. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
This 10.5-mile (16.9 km) trail [6] [Note 1] takes riders over a landscape of petrified sand dunes and the eroded remnants of ancient sea beds. Mountain bikers rate the Slickrock Trail as one of the more difficult rides in the Moab area, both technically and cardiovascularly. [8]
Part of the Sand Flats Recreation Area (which is managed through a partnership between Grand County and the Bureau of Land Management), [6] [Note 2] the Slickrock Trail was originally laid out in 1969 by Richard R. Wilson for use by Honda Trail 90s (before the mountain bike was invented), and the area is still open to such recreation today. [9] [10] [6] [11] [5] 4X4 and off-road enthusiasts will find a challenge on the nearby Hell's Revenge 4X4 Trail, which intersects the Slickrock Trail in several places.
The so-called "slickrock" sandstone, which forms the majority of the trail's surface has a surface much like sandpaper, making it really grippable by the rubber tires of a mountain bike or off-road motorcycle. The texture is notorious for inflicting severe abrasion injuries.
The name "slickrock" was used by early settlers of the area to describe the sandstone because of the low traction between horses' metal shoes and the rock's sloping surfaces. [1] [12] [9] The same is true today for cyclists who use shoes with metal cleats while riding the Slickrock Trail. Slickrock also becomes slick when wet.
In geological terms, the Slickrock Trail is not part of the Entrada Sandstone formation, which includes the Slick Rock Member. Rather, most of the outcrop that forms the trail is Navajo Sandstone, and the term "slickrock" has come to mean any expanse of sandstone with a surface level enough for walking or riding.
A small fee is required to enter the Sand Flats Recreation Area. [Note 2] Pit-toilets are available at the trailhead, but there is no drinking water available within the area.
Permitted trail activities include mountain biking, hiking, and motorcycling. All four-wheeled vehicles are prohibited on the all of the Slickrock Trail, except those sections which intersect with the Hell's Revenge 4X4 Trail (which occurs about six times). [13] [6]
The Slickrock Trail consists of three main sections: An out-and-back lead-in (akin to the stick of a lollipop or stem of a cherry), the main 6.8-mile (10.9 km) loop (akin to the fruit of a cherry or the candy part of a lollipop), and an optional 2.3-mile (3.7 km) practice trail (also called the practice loop, although it is not literally a loop) that begins and ends at separate points on the lead-in.
The practice loop is about as hard as the rest of the trail, [14] but it is shorter and close to the trailhead, serving for new riders as a sample of the rest of the trail or as an alternative return and or departure route.
The lead-in, main loop, and practice trail are marked out by white, dashed lines on the rock to prevent riders from straying from the trail, becoming lost, or disturbing the fragile cryptobiotic soil near which the trail passes. Trail maintainers also use yellow markings near blind drop-offs, narrow ledges, and other features to indicate to riders where to be particularly careful. [13] [15] [10] [Note 3]
Moab is the largest city and county seat of Grand County in eastern Utah in the western United States, known for its dramatic scenery. The population was 5,366 at the 2020 census. Moab attracts many tourists annually, mostly visitors to the nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. The town is a popular base for mountain bikers who ride the extensive network of trails including the Slickrock Trail, and for off-roaders who come for the annual Moab Jeep Safari.
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Clark County, Nevada, is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape Conservation System, and protected as a National Conservation Area. It is about 15 miles (24 km) west of Las Vegas, and is easily seen from the Las Vegas Strip. More than three million people visit the area each year.
The Entrada Sandstone is a formation in the San Rafael Group found in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Colorado, northwest New Mexico, northeast Arizona, and southeast Utah. Part of the Colorado Plateau, this formation was deposited during the Jurassic Period sometime between 180 and 140 million years ago in various environments, including tidal mudflats, beaches, and sand dunes. The Middle Jurassic San Rafael Group was dominantly deposited as ergs in a desert environment around the shallow Sundance Sea.
Dead Horse Point State Park is a state park of Utah in the United States, featuring a dramatic overlook of the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park. The park covers 5,362 acres (2,170 ha) of high desert at an altitude of 5,900 feet (1,800 m).
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The Little Sahara Recreation Area is a large area of sand dunes, hills and sagebrush flats located in the northeast corner of the Sevier Desert in Juab County in the west central part of Utah, United States.
Snow Canyon State Park is a state park in Utah, located in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. The park features a canyon carved from the red and white Navajo sandstone of the Red Mountains, as well as the extinct Santa Clara Volcano, lava tubes, lava flows, and sand dunes. Snow Canyon is located near the cities of Ivins and St. George in Washington County.
The Porcupine Rim Trail, located near Moab, Utah, is a popular mountain biking trail almost as famous as the Slickrock Trail. This 14.4-mile (23.2 km) trail is ridden one way with shuttle service or as a 30.8-mile (49.6 km) loop. The trailhead is located in the Sand Flats Recreation Area about 8 miles (12.9 km) past the Slickrock trailhead. The trail begins with a double-track climb gaining 900 feet (274.3 m) in 4 miles (6.4 km) with partially shaded rocky, dirt/sand and slickrock terrain which is rideable in its entirety except for a few small sections. There is a scenic outlook at the top of the climb which is a common rest stop.
The Jeep Safari is an annual event hosted by the Red Rock 4-Wheelers off-road club, where 4-wheelers come to challenge the rough terrain of the backcountry in the Moab, Utah area. Although its title does say it is a festival of Jeeps, a few take on the trails in 4x4 trucks. The Easter Weekend safari lasts for nine days, going through Easter Sunday.
The Kokopelli's Trail is a 142-mile (229 km) multi-use trail in Grand County, Utah and Mesa County, Colorado in the western United States. The trail was named in honor of its mythic muse, Kokopelli. The trail was created by the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association (COPMOBA) in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) in 1989.
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The Columbia Plateau State Park Trail is a 130-mile-long (210 km), 20-foot-wide (6.1 m) corridor in eastern Washington state maintained as part of the Washington State Park system. The rail trail runs along the abandoned right-of-way of the former Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.
Arches National Park is a national park in eastern Utah, United States. The park is adjacent to the Colorado River, 4 miles (6 km) north of Moab, Utah. More than 2,000 natural sandstone arches are located in the park, including the well-known Delicate Arch, as well as a variety of unique geological resources and formations. The park contains the highest density of natural arches in the world.
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The Moab 240 is an annual 238 miles (383 km) endurance-running competition in Utah, United States. It was created in honor of distance runner Stephen Jones.
Coordinates: 38°34′53″N109°31′10″W / 38.581365°N 109.51947°W
