Flat Pass aka Steelbender

Flat Pass aka Steelbender

	Flat Pass aka Steelbender
Location:	Utah
Nearest Town:	Moab
Directions to Trailhead:	loop from town (Moab). Head South out of town and fine Spanish Valley Dr, head up about 6 miles and take a left at Kens Lake (not marked, but you'll see the fireroad heading up the canyon in the distance as you approach the turnoff). Pretty well marked/obvious route but get a map. After climb out to road, all dowhnill back to town 6 miles or so through outlying neighborhoods.
Trail Description:	Great loop from town, has a bit of everything. Gradual road warm up, dirt road climb to Flat Pass and then the fun begins. 8-10 miles of slick rock/ledges and some single track, sand, stream crossings, petroglyphs or however it's spelled, killer views of La Sals. Not as crowded as p-pine, but popular with jeeps. I've seen people ride it clockwise, looks fun too. This ride was more fun on my dualie than last year on my aluminum hard tail.
Trail Length:	20+miles or so loop from town
Trail Type:	Singletrack & Fire Roads
Skill Level:	Advanced
Submitted By:	Rick

Steve from Boulder Date: June 9, 2003 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Head up hill from Ken's Lake which is a few miles south of town. Other recommended trails in the same area: Amassa Back, Porcupine Rim, Gemeni Bridges, Bartlett Wash, and of course, Slick Rock, if you don't mind waiting for the posers to get out of your way.
Review: I'm with Jimm on this one. The somewhat technical uphill is kind of fun, but with no reward. The descent is either incredibly sandy, or littered with river rocks - no good lines. Sure, it'd probably be appreciated if you had never ridden any of the other Moab trails, but there are so many better trails in the area - why waste your time. Oh, and it's a hell of grind for your bike. The sand/water mix just doesn't treat the components that well.	Overall Rating:

Jimm from SoCal Date: June 9, 2003 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: SHUTTLE or have someone drop you at Ken's Lake. Other recommended trails in the same area: Porcupine Rim!!; Amassa Back!
Review: If it's hot, avoid this ride; if you're looking for a reward for your hard work (ie: fun downhill for a tough climb), avoid this ride. If you want a workout, give it a try; if you enjoy killer views, give it a try. This is my least fav ride in the Moab area. The route has been big time rutted by 4x4's; several sections are VERY sandy. The creek crossings are short, shallow, easy and refreshing! It's alot of work for not much payoff. The biggest plus: VIEWS/VISTAS (awesome!!!). The fun/technical riding is short and IMHO, not worth the effort.	Overall Rating:

Xterra Racer from Date: May 29, 2003 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: I agree with Mark.....I don't want people to get me wrong...this is not an un-ridable course (and I don't have a thing agaist the race or the venue). But it's not a fire-road type course either. If you have ridden Moab trails it is a moderate ride compared to many of the other Moab rides. But compared to most Xterra point series courses or compared to most NORBA XC course this thing is tough. All I intended by my previous review is to make sure people understand what they are getting into on this race. I encourage as many people to go as possible, as this WILL be one of the premier Xterra races on the circuit....but it will also be one of the toughest (in true Xterra spirit). Expect the ride to take between 2-3 hours depending on your skill level. Also be carefull of some of the smaller drops (and for that matter the big ones) that land in sand. Moab sand is fine and thick and has a way of stopping you dead in your tracks. Wide tires (at least 2.1's) are recommended to deal with the sand sections. Be careful of tire pressure if your running tubes as pinch flats are easy when bouncing around on rock sections. Good luck to all that are racing and be carefull!!	Overall Rating:

Mark Warner from Provo, UT Date: May 28, 2003 Trail Ridden: Every few months
Recommended Route: Flat Pass Trail / Steelbender Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: First, I have to tell you the previous reviewer has something against us here. We will be holding an Xterra Points Series Race on Flat Pass Trail next week (7 May 03), and apparently this person is freaked out about it. It's not easy, and there are several dismounts for the faint of heart, but to say this is WAY harder than Xterra World's is purely false. I have raced Worlds twice, and it's pretty technical and rocky. Anyway, on to the review. Flat pass trail makes me smile...wide open, sand in the teeth smile. Go ride it with your sweetheart. My wife claims it as her all time favorite ride! We rode it on an UNSUSPENDED tandem last year, and it was a blast. Yes, there are drops and we got off several times. Yes, there a some technical granny gear climbs! YES, YES, YES!!! Oh sorry. Anyway, I have no idea who came up with the name Flat Pass, but it is a great ride. Mark	Overall Rating:

Xterra Racer from Colorado Date: May 27, 2003 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Xterra Course Other recommended trails in the same area: Moab is like nothing else on the face of the earth!!!
Review: I pre-rode this course in April. If you are a first time Xterra athlete....you MUST pre-ride this course. If you are a moderate XC-MTB rider....you MUST pre-ride this course. As far as Xterra courses go....this is the most difficult, most technical course on the circuit. Tahoe and Hawaii don't even come close to comparing!! This course should be regarded as Highly technical for Xterra courses and only be ridden by very experianced mountain bikers!! I have raced XC MTB now for several years and have done Xterra's now for two years....this was the hardest race course I have ever ridden!! Be carefull!!!!!!	Overall Rating:

pablo from boulder, CO Date: October 19, 2002 Trail Ridden: Every few months
Recommended Route: park at shell station or on intersection at spanish valley & whatever the name of the road is that goes up to the golf course. then ride the road & gravel first to get it out of the way. then you have downhill back to your car instead of a boring uphill road ride Other recommended trails in the same area: Slickrock, Porcupine, Maob Rim, Hidden Canyon, Poison Spider, Confluence Overlook, Bartlett Wash, Pole Canyon Rim
Review: this trail is a lot of fun. it's a good workout climbing that steep ascent up the gravel road, then the couple more miles you have to climb in the backcountry. I rode this last time in march during jeep safari, and I was getting run over and gassed a lot, but every other time it wasn't so crowded. The variety of tread is what makes this trail great. You have slickrock, ledges, sand, stream crossings, baby-head cobblestones, you name it. It's a lot of fun, except for hearing the sand grind between your brakes and your rims after you cross the stream. There's not really any unrideable sections, maybe some that are intimidating at first. But the downhill is so fast and long, that it makes for some of the best in Moab. Nothing like bombing 15-20mph down ledgy doubletrack in the hot sun!!	Overall Rating:

Rick from Folsom, Ca Date: October 14, 2002 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Get the Moab map and follow the instructions. Other recommended trails in the same area: you will figure it out...
Review: Basically a jeep trail after doing the road ride out. Had a few challenging climbs. I did this one with my wife and we both liked the trail. It is less technical than trails like Amasa's back and Porcupine Rim. Views aren't as spectacular either. On the other hand, if you are in Moab for a week or longer, I would definitely do this ride.	Overall Rating:

Fat Tony from Cairo Date: March 29, 2002 Trail Ridden: Every few months
Recommended Route: Start at trailhead above Ken's lake & loop around as mentioned in other reviews Other recommended trails in the same area: Porcupine, Moab Rim, Porcupine, Amassa Back, Porcupine, and... oh yeah, PORCUPINE!
Review: Fun ride with enough speed sections & technical stuff to keep it interesting. Sandy at the end though, and a somewhat lengthy road ride back to the trailhead, but still worth it. If you ride it sometime other than March, when runoff hasn't started yet, you'll do more than get your toes wet at some of the water crossings.	Overall Rating:

Chris from Edmonds, WA Date: March 28, 2002 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: I went from the Ken's Lake end and shuttled back. I think if i were to do it as a loop I'd do it clockwise from the golf course to avoid the slight incline back to Ken's Lake. Other recommended trails in the same area: Every single one of them.
Review: This is a fairly short, fairly technical trail. The scenery, as with most asreas around Moab was spectacular. It was our last day in Moab and so we took our time to see the petroglyphs and take plenty of pictures. This trail has some challenging terrain features. Short, gut-renching uphills followed by bone-jarring downhills. If you can clean everything at Flat Pass you should be riding with Hans Rey. A number of people have mentioned the water crossings. They were all a peice of cake. Barely got my toes wet. The bad news is that all but one come at the end of the ride and are followed by deep sady sections. This is probably a better ride after a rain shower has packed it down. This is a good ride in a very nice area. Not as wide open as Porc Rim and not as up and down as Amasa Back. It probably falls someplace in between. I'll certainly do it again. Four stars because of the sand, otherwise five.	Overall Rating:

Randall from Roseville, CA Date: October 15, 2001 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Start at Ken's Lake and head in on trail for approximately 9 miles until you come to stream crossing then head back (18 miles total). Other recommended trails in the same area: Amasa Back, P-pine, and Slickrock
Review: Pick up a Cheap is Real map for $1 at one of the local bike shops, though the trail is well marked. If you have 4-wheel drive, drive up the gravel road to the gate and park (cuts 2.6 miles off total). Slickrock and ledges for most of the ride, very fun and challenging. Not much sand unless you ride all the way to the end of the trail, past the 4 stream crossings (you'll see a beautiful canyon and petroglyphs at the end). All jeep road. Flat Pass and Steelbender are separate trails though they share the same trail for most of the ride. At mile 7.0 Steelbender brakes off to the right then joins the main trail again at mile 8.1 (may be fun to explore next time). Give it 4 wheels since it is all jeep road and not a loop.	Overall Rating:

Brian from Vail, CO Date: May 3, 2000 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: We parked at Ken's Lake and headed up the fire road. It's all pretty well marked from there. It's a loop, which is nice in a land of out & back's. Other recommended trails in the same area: Hurrah Pass/Jacob's Ladder/Amasa Back, Porcupine Rim, Slickrock, etc.
Review: The views were great and the ride was even better. We decided to ride this trail at the last minute and were glad we did. Some gravel road and then turns to slick rock/ledges. Very fast at times! Unfriendly sandy section at the end. Be careful. This trail was very uncrowded in an otherwise crowded Moab that day.	Overall Rating:

TC from Hawley, TX--USA Date: December 19, 1999 Trail Ridden: Once a year
Recommended Route: There is a large trailhead parking area near the trail, otherwise on a slow day, you can park right across the dirt road from the trail. It's an out-and-back trail--ends up being about 10-12 miles depending. Other recommended trails in the same area: Just about all of them in Todd Campbell's trail book, "Above and Beyond Slickrock". The best trail is Porcupine Rim--3 miles uphill and 10 miles down. Use Jesse's "Coyote Shuttle" for this one.
Review: This is a deceptively technical trail--lots of rocks, ledges, and quick pitches. It's mostly uphill on the way out, and then the high speed fun begins on the way back. It's a fun trail that get's more difficult the faster you go. These may be jeep trails, but they are very dangerous unless you're just poking along. Some of the drops are bad enough that they should be walked by many riders. There are 2 spots that I usually step down rather than ride just so I don't end my vacation early. The scenery at the Jackson Hole lookout point and the Colorado River lookout at the end are indescribable. This is definitely one of Moab's better trails. I'd pass on the spur that takes you out to the Poison Spider overlook--the view is OK, but the usually deep sand on this section is just not worth it.	Overall Rating:

Ed from Littleton, CO Date: September 27, 1999 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Counterclockwise from the trailhead above Ken's Lake. Other recommended trails in the same area: Porcupine Rim, Amassa Back, Poison Spider, Gemini Bridges, Slickrock.
Review: Did my first ride on this one after having ridden Amassa Back and Porcupine Rim the two days prior. Great fun ride. No sustained climbing (except at the end climbing back up the dirt road to the trailhead... whew!!). Lots of fun technical pieces, both climbing and descending. It gets a bit sandy at the end of the trail section, but the rest of the ride is well worth it. Unless you leave a car at the end or the trail, you'll need to descend on the road to Spanish Trail road where you'll hang a left and head out about 6 miles to the lake, and then up the dirt road to the trailhead. A word of advice from the locals: take the time to remove your shoes and socks and walk at least the first stream crossing (there are 4 total - you may want to walk 'em all) unless the idea of riding with soaked feet appeals to you. Sure, the water's cold, but keeping your dogs dry may be well worth it. Have fun!	Overall Rating:

NoSanBa from Chandler, AZ Date: May 28, 1999 Trail Ridden: Once a year
Recommended Route: Park at the lake and start crankin' Other recommended trails in the same area: The usuals: Porcupine Rim, Amasa Back, etc.
Review: A perennial favorite. Not many other riders on the trail, I'll bet the VERY COLD stream crossing at the start turns a lot of riders back. Skip the Slickrock trail and head up to Flat Pass!	Overall Rating:

Chris Brown from Albq. NM Date: May 24, 1999 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: We took a shuttle from town to the trailhead at Flat Pass. Other recommended trails in the same area: Amasa Back, Porcupine Rim, Back of Behind, Slickrock
Review: This trail was a pleasant suprise. The scenery was fantastic and the trail was fun and technical in sections. We didn't see anybody the whole ride which was nice. I think this trail is not popular because of its boring name, but is well worth the ride. It is more rolling than Porcupine but similar in some ways.	Overall Rating: