Castle Valley, Utah

Big Mesa trail is the jewel of the Navajo Rocks trail system, containing all of the awesome mountain biking features one comes to expect in Moab, from slickrock to sand chutes with epic views of the terrain. Located off Utah Highway 313 at the Navajo Rocks Trailhead parking lot, 19 miles from dow...

The Ramblin' Trail, part of the Navajo Rocks trail system, is a beginner to intermediate mountain biking trail with a great mix of slickrock, dirt trails, and some sand that features excellent views of hoodoos, Navajo Sandstone, and the general Colorado River watershed redrock. Located off Utah H...

If you're visiting Moab for some mountain biking, this is a great place to start. There's nothing too technical and plenty of route options and points to bail out if you're getting tired. Perhaps more importantly, you don't have to work that hard to find some quality riding and classic Moab views...

As a pet owner, you probably know that bringing your pooch along on your National Park adventures can be a frustrating experience. Most of our Parks do not allow pets on trails, and for several good reasons, but if you bring your dog(s) with you to Moab country, you’ll be happy to know that there...

This is a 5.5 mile loop, if you opt out of the several in/outs to various lookout points, which extend the hike to about 10 miles -- do not opt out! These lookout points get better and better. However, you can skip the only modest part of the trail, where the West and East rims of the trail meet...

The Mag 7 a relatively new mountain bike route in 2012 that parallels Gemini Bridge road where the trail begins. The trail consists of 4 sections, Bull Run, Arth's Corner, Little Cyn, Gold Bar and Gold Bar Rim. Everyone is talking about this route and it is all great. I have to agree. This will b...

Dead Horse Point State Park sits next to Canyonlands National Park with expansive views of the canyons carved by the Colorado River. The park can be accessed year-round and the best views are within feet of the parking lot. To capture the warm light of sunrise on the red rocks, head for the wes...

Lone Mesa Campground off Utah Highway 313, 8 miles from Highway 191, and 20 miles from Moab serves as an excellent basecamp for accessing the fantastic Navajo Rocks mountain bike trail system, Dead Horse State Park, and Canyonlands National Park. In fact, the Big Mesa trail goes right through the...

Moab is an outdoor mecca, from rock climbing to mountain biking to 4WD adventures and while not particularly technical (it is only rated Class 2) the 7.8 mile Long Canyon Road just north of Dead Horse State Park is an excellent way to get a taste for the incredible features (and views) that the C...

Just 25 minutes from the town of Moab and even less from the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park (the lookout photo above is from this point), this location is pretty ideal. Great options for mountain biking (like the Intrepid Trails, Shafer Tra...

On our way to Moab from Colorado we choose to take the scenic route when some friends told us about this little Ghost Town. I kept the family in the car as I explored around and took photos, as this place had a super creepy vibe. I kept getting this errie feeling that someone was watching me, and...

This area is super quiet and uncrowded and hosts a fun mix of sport and trad climbing. This particular route is bolted, so are most immediately surrounding it.  The route works across a few slabby, mildly spooky moves (slightly run out) at the beginning then cruises up a fun arete to the bolted a...

This trip can be done with an outfit or independently. The outfit Escape Adventures is highly recommended. They send two guides - one drives a pickup behind with all the camping gear. If you don't have the money or interest, however, it is possible to simply use panniers or a backpack to carry ev...

The best way to ride the Shafer Trail is to bring a support vehicle (one with 4WD and decently high clearance). If you're into a sufferfest, by all means climb your way out of there. You can also include it on a much, much longer ride like the White Rim Trail. But if you just want to experience t...

Getting there:From Moab, follow Highway 191 south for about 23 miles until you get to Looking Glass Road/Co. Rd. 131. Take a right and follow the road for about 2 miles and then turn left into the parking lot.It is only about 0.10 miles from the parking lot to the arch itself, but there is a ~150...

Wilson Arch is a common stop for people visiting the local national parks and Moab, but with some general climbing knowledge and gear you can make this into a longer outing.  If coming from Moab, the arch is obvious on your left about 25 miles south.  There is ample parking on both sides of the r...