Destination Spotlight: Moab,UT
SxS Trail riding in a Moab is legendary and crawling around on the slickrock will blow your mind.
Once I decided we were going, I started planning our itinerary.
First…. we decided we were going to go on St. Patrick’s Day Weekend. Celebrating my Scott/Irish heritage doing what I love (SxS Trail Ridding) in a place I love (Moab,UT) seemed legit and as it turned out was perfect. I posted the trip up on the Trail Geezers Facebook page and invited everyone to attend. Once I did this I could tell who was going and what their skill level was. I soon discovered, all 4 that were attending had never been before. This pretty much decided what trails we would run.
Second…. we were staying in a Moab hotel which fit the bill as the weather during March is sketchy. With that decision, we needed to stay somewhere that had 2 things… 1.) A big parking area… 2.) That included breakfast. Why ???? Because I’m frugal…. at breakfast we would eat then make some peanut butter and jelly bagel sandwiches from the breakfast bar…slip them into a zip lock bag along with an apple, orange and banana. Next grab a yogurt and a couple of granola bars….all from that same breakfast bar….and BAM……
instant trail lunch. We did this two days in a row and figured we just saved about $60.00 bucks. Please be on the down low and don’t get caught if you do this!
Third…. a trail itinerary would allow me to figure out a timeline for the weekend. We had two days to ride and knew exactly what trails to run. For first timers…..these trails would blow there mind and show them how awesome there SxS really are and reveal that there machines are way more capable then they are.
Fourth…. the timeline itinerary,
Thursday (Day 1)
Arriving in Moab between 12pm and 1pm, complete early hotel
check-in. Meet up with everyone in back parking lot. Meet new friends and say hello to old friends. Went downtown, eat a light lunch and do some tourist type shopping.
Thursday evening….( 5:30 pm)…. Meet and Greet Dinner and Cocktails (on your dime) at Moab Brewery Restaurant, Trail Geezers has a reservation at:
Moab Brewery
686 S Main St, Moab, UT
Late evening socializing and cocktails in hotel common area (BYOB)
Friday (Day 2)
Friday…. drivers meeting at 8:30 am in hotel hotel parking lot(Scenic View Inn). Departing for the days ride at 9:00 am sharp. Please bring a trail lunch.
The trails for today will be:
Morning Ride …..
(Fins And Things) Rated a 5 on a scale of 1-10.
The Fins and Things 4×4 Trail offers spectacular views of the La Sal Mountains across the sandstone domes of Sand Flats Recreation Area. Drivers should allow roughly 4 hours to complete the 10 miles of steep climbs and even steeper descents. Portions of the trail are limited to daytime only. Please ….. if you have not been to Moab before …. Google this trail and watch some videos so you know what to expect.
Stopping for trailside lunch, somewhere?
Afternoon Ride
(Hells Revenge) Rated 6+ on a scale of 1-10.
We will be doing the “Tip-Toe Through Hell.” part….It follows most of the Hell’s Revenge trail route but skips the difficult obstacles and is rated a 3.5. The scenery and many of the thrills of driving long stretches of slickrock remain, but the emphasis is on scenery and enjoying the ride instead of blowing up your adrenaline and your SxS on obstacles. However….still allowing people to try obstacles along the way…kinda fits the bag of best of both kind of drivers and trail experiences.
Friday Dinner
(On your dime)
I have reservations at the Blu Pig at 5:30pm. This is a great restaurant and one of our favorites.
Blu Pig
811 S Main St, Moab, UT
Late evening socializing and cocktails in hotel common area (BYOB)
Saturday (Day 3)…. drivers meeting at 8:30 am in hotel hotel parking lot(Scenic View Inn). Departing for the days ride at 9:00 am sharp. Please bring a trail lunch.
The trails for today will be:
(Hurrah Pass to Chicken Corner)
Rated a 2 on a scale of 1-10.
Hurrah Pass…..This trail ride is roughly under 60 miles for the day and will take about 7.5 hrs.
Although these are the easiest trails we ride this weekend, they are for sure
very scenic. The Pass is 4,780 above sea level with jaw-dropping views of the Colorado River Basin.
Chicken Corner…..This trail starts after the descent from Hurrah Pass. Eating lunch at the overlook at Chicken Corner. Visiting the Wind Caves on the way back. Epic scenery will have us stopping often for pictures and video.
Saturday Dinner
(On your dime)
Together or on your own? If we are going together we can decide where during the Hurrah Pass/Chicken Corner ride.
Late evening socializing and cocktails in hotel common area (BYOB)
Sunday (Day 4)
Depart for home after a breakfast at hotel.
We will be trailering our SxS’s to all trailheads for all rides as I’m the only one that has plates.
I hadn’t guided a trail ride in over a year, everything went as planned. Nobody broke down and everyone had a blast.
Fundamentally most people want rides like this to be planned out in advance and they love having an itinerary early. They love to know what’s going on and this provides that.
It was a great weekend and we plan to do it next year.
What a great wknd.