Gold Bar Rim to Portal

Gold Bar Rim to Portal

	Gold Bar Rim to Portal
Location:	Utah
Nearest Town:	Moab
Directions to Trailhead:	Get a map at a Moab bike shop. Bring plenty of food and water - the middle section along the rim isn't a trail, you feel your way along it.
Trail Description:	Starts with a long climb on a Jeep road. Next section is ad lib cairn-to-cairn on rocky ledge to the top of the Portal trail. Portal has a 1/2 mile of the most exposed and narrow trail you'll ever ride followed by a rugged, steep, rocky descent. Not for the faint of heart.
Trail Length:	25 miles
Trail Type:	Singletrack
Skill Level:	Extreme
Submitted By:	Baconman

Chris from Edmonds, WA Date: April 21, 2003 Trail Ridden: Once a year
Recommended Route: Pick up a Falcon Guide or Moab West map and follow the directions. The ride description from each source is more vague than it needs to be. Follow the directions to Gold Bar Rim. When you get to the first overlook of the highway into town (HWY 191) you will need to back track a hundred yards and follow the markings for the Golden Spike Trail. The Portal trail is very clearly marked with a sign and it is very obvious based on the tire tracks heading up a slickrock hillside. As the guidebook says, it's in a sandy wash. A Big sandy wash. Begin to look for it after a decent and approaching the base of Poison Spider Mesa. The Portal Trail is a gas! Anyone who has gone hiking in the real mountains can walk the sections of this trail that you are exhorted to walk. This is serious stuff. When the sign tells you to walk, walk! Other recommended trails in the same area: All of them
Review: This is a very scenic trail with a medium amount of technical challenges. There are fantastic views in every direction. Look for opportunities to site see and forget all the talk about cairns. Idiots have built cairns all over the place. Follow the trail markers, signs and watch for tire marks.	Overall Rating:

Randall from Roseville, CA Date: October 16, 2001 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Start at Gemini Bridges trailhead and head toward Colorado River via the rim. About midway into the ride after a short sandy section you will come to a fairly steep uphill ignore the spur on the right and climb the cairns on your left until you see the trail. Gold Bar (three white bars on rocks) will eventually become Gold Spike (white railroad spike) and will take you to the start of the Portal trail or take Poison Spider down to the river. Other recommended trails in the same area: Amasa Back, P-pine, and Slickrock
Review: Pick up a Cheap is Real map for $1 in local bike shop. First third of ride is wide road and sand then you enter slickrock. Great views when you get up on the rim. Didn't do Portal since BLM discourages it and I've heard that it is mostly hike a bike.	Overall Rating:

pm from ct Date: June 21, 2001 Trail Ridden: Please Select
Recommended Route: Take gemini bridges trail, to goldbar to portal (one way ride if you have an extra car) see www.bikerag.com for topo map and pictures! Other recommended trails in the same area: porcupine rim
Review: This route is quite the adventure. Great rock riding some sandy sections, even some great wildlife viewing if that kind of thing turns you on.. Ending with the portal downhill makes the end of the day stellar!	Overall Rating:

Rick from CO Date: April 24, 2001 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: I shuttled it to Potash Rd/Poison Spider T-head. Began at lower. Gemini Bridge T-head. 23 miles. Other recommended trails in the same area: 7 Mile Canyon. Route finding a bit tricky.
Review: Rode it on a cool, overcast, windy day. I think my brain would have fried on a hot sunny day. Classic Moab ride with all the goods. Dirt road, awesome ledge rock, some sand (especially Poison Spider) and views, views, views. Technically challenging but if u are physicall fit, you can walk whatever you don't care to ride. Route finding up to Gold Bar Rim and to Poison Spider Mesa (where Portal Trail drops down) is now very well marked (Golden Spike Trail..look for the white spikes). I only got off track once. When the Golden Spike Tr. intersects with the Portal trail, take the Portal trail up to the mesa and then loop back around on Poison Spider Trail. 4 hours minimum this described shuttle route.	Overall Rating:

Jorge from Newport Beach, CA, USA Date: October 16, 2000 Trail Ridden: Please Select
Recommended Route: Shuttle to Gemini Bridge Trailhead Other recommended trails in the same area: Amasa Back
Review: This is a Gonzo trail for refining your technical MOVES. From one ledge to another, or a multiple stairstep to a steep, you are either going to really improve, or your going to make a trip to the emergency room. Awesome ride, we had Bill at Rim Tours as our guide, he was able to take us on some "secret" side trails which were killer. The portal trail is for superman. Next time we'll go down the Spider.	Overall Rating:

Peter from Denver, CO Date: October 2, 2000 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Start from town ride road to the gemni bridges trailhead, continue on gemni bridges trail until you reach the left hand turn to the gold bar rim. It will take you to the edge of the rim then continue on gold spike trail until you get to the portal outlook. Chose to do poison spider instead of portal. Ride road from poison spider trailhead back to town. Other recommended trails in the same area: Flat Pass
Review: Very epic ride. Appoximately 45 miles of total riding nothing warms up the body like the road miles. Be prepared with all tools and plenty of water. Don't forget route finding is half the fun of riding in moab.	Overall Rating:

Mark McCrimmon from Naperville, IL Date: April 25, 2000 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Park at GoldBar Rim parking, Ride up to the Rim, continue on Golden Spike, Be careful to take the trail to the Portal, skip the portal and go down Poison Spider Other recommended trails in the same area: Porc Rim
Review: This ride was great. The portal is good to say you've down it but realistically it is mostly a hike a bike on a cliff where others have died. I'd go down Poison Spider next time or back the way we came.	Overall Rating:

Ben from Illinois Date: March 18, 2000 Trail Ridden: Once a year
Recommended Route: start at gemini bridges trailtail and climb climb climb! Other recommended trails in the same area: its moab....just ride
Review: very fun trail! technical ledges, lung and leg bustin' climbs, gnarly downhills make this ride one of my Moab fav's. A little hard to follow for the last 4 miles (should put some slickrock-like paint marks down!!) which makes it easy to get lost. There are GREAT views at the top, and a few small canyons on the trail are fun to echo and throw rocks in. end the trail with the portal and you have a real man's ride done. 5 flamin' chilis for one helluva trail.	Overall Rating:

Vaughn from Denver Date: September 20, 1999 Trail Ridden: Once a year
Recommended Route: A fun alternative for starting is to shuttle up near Dead Horse Point above the White Rim. Park up there near the well-signed Gemini Bridges turnoff. Cruise the easy stretch out to the bridges, then drop down into Bull Canyon. Turn right and now you are on route with the Gold Bar Trail. Other recommended trails in the same area: There is only one Moab. There is good reason why it is so overcrowded with outdoors people. All trails there are matchless just for the views alone.
Review: Every year I forget how difficult that Gold Bar climb is with the sun beating down on that rock hill. Always worthwhile. Other reviewers give a fine description of route finding along the rim as you look for the Portal Passage. No matter how many times I've done it it still is a bit of a challenge following the cairns and jeep skid marks. The portal trail is awesome...and to be feared. I'm happy to walk the high exposure areas, but really enjoy the trialsy drop down to the Colorado River. I'd feel bad taking an intermediate rider who hoped for more than a great view because they will walk most of the way down, which is always a bummer when you have worked so hard for the climb. This is definitely a must do ride when in Moab.	Overall Rating:

Bill from Littleton, Colorado Date: September 13, 1999 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: We started the trail as described in the trail description, but took Poison Spider Mesa trail, rather than Portal Trail, back down to the highway. This gave us 27 dirt/rock miles and 14 highway miles. I suggest a shuttle for the highway stretch unless you're superman on a bike. Other recommended trails in the same area: Plenty of others- I'm not going to recite them.
Review: Rather than trying to re-describe the route, I'll suggest you get a good map. Getting to Gold Bar Rim with a map is pretty straight forward, but you'll need good route finding skills to make your way along Gold Bar Rim to the head of the Portal Trail (which coincides with the end of the Poison Spider trail). Look for cairns and jeep marks (blackened rock and scrapes) and stay high on the rim, and you'll eventually make it. I don't recommend this if you're not comfortable route finding. Our group debated where we should go more than once, but luckily there's more than one route that works. This trail has more miles of technical rock trail (slickrock, ledges, obstacles, etc.) than most everything else in Moab area. Great fun factor and terrific views, but best left to adventurers.	Overall Rating:

Scott from Littleton, Co Date: August 13, 1999 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Forget riding from the highway up past the Gooney Bird. Drive instead to where the road splits about four miles in. you'll avoid the boring, dusty and crowded part. Other recommended trails in the same area: You already know them.
Review: If you like hopping rocks, big drops, steep climbs and route finding you'll love this ride. If not, go ride Klondike Bluffs. Take lots of water and energy bars. The route is hard to follow at times but if you stay high, you'll eventually find your way.	Overall Rating:

Rick Tur from Louisville KY Date: November 2, 1998 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: East out of town past Arches National Park. Go thru parking lot for the Goldbar Trail. Take left were the trail splits and climb to the Portal trail head. Down to the Potash road and then right back into town. Good 4-6 hour ride depending how tough a ride you want. Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: Hardest 5 hours of my life. The climb up to the portal trail is extreme. Its like an entire city of buildings has colapsed all over itself and you get to ride up and over it for hours. I rode this trail with a proffesional guide from Rim Tours, Robi, there in town. Take lots of water. Your in the sun the entire time. If you want the most extreme desert ride of your life this is the trail. Only go with someone who knows the trial. It gets kind of confussing up there.	Overall Rating: