Can you find some (relative) peace riding singletrack during the dreaded Jeep Extravaganza? Yes.

Everything else is a complete zoo, however...think New Years in Times Square, except with Coors and sleeveless Larry the Cable Guy t-shirts instead of champagne and dinner attire.

UPS/LPS depends on the snowpack. So far this year, it's been pretty pathetic. LPS I would venture to guess will be fine; UPS might be, depending on melt and spring precip.

Have...."fun".

 

I live here part of the year including the time during Jeep Safari. Trail-wise, I don't think it should be a big deal. There are a number of single-track options in Moab now (think Mag 7, Brands trails, Klondike area, Pipe Dream and maybe some others). Definitely don't ride Amasa during a planned jeep ride, but even there you can do single-track (Rock Stacker/Jackson's) on the way back down.

I'm not a jeep person, but it is kind of interesting to see some of the modified rigs they drive and it is part of the Moab scene after all. I would think that some of the restaurants get crowded so make reservations when you can. LPS might be good to go by then and sometimes you can bike part of the way up UPS and ride it back down. Have fun!

 

I agree with the others

Trails wise there are lots of places to ride that are not shared use areas with Jeeps. Resturants and traffic are going to be a *****.

Consider southwest utah. The St george and Hurricane are are beautiful that time of year and the riding is every bit as good if not better then Moab. Check out Utah Mountain Biking - Trails, Information, Repairs and look at the southwest utah area section. I think you will have a much better time that weekend in SW utah and its only about 1 hour further. Also since you are driving through Salt Lake City anyway there is no shortage of nice riding there to check out. Have fun whatever you decide.

 

Thanks for the info, guys!

I was trying to refrain from making references to Coors, wifebeater T-shirts, etc. but that is totally what we're afraid of running into, ha ha!! At least we have a cabin with a big kitchen, so we don't have to depend on going to restaurants all the time.

Pedalfaraway, your suggestion to go to SW Utah is a good one, we did go to St. George / Hurricane two years ago and LOVED it!!! Gooseberry, Barrel Roll, Bearclaw Poppy, JEM, Gould's, OMG they were all so awesome!! But now we are really hankering for Moab in particular. Plus we can't change our lodging at this point, and that area is a good 5 hours away as I recall. Can't wait to go back there though! And Thunder Mountain WILL be ridden by me in the next 2 years! :thumbsup:

For this trip, we will definitely attempt to focus on the non-jeepy trails, as you guys suggest. Here is our tentative plan (feel free to make suggestions for improvement):
Sunday (arrive early afternoon) - Pipe Dream
Monday - Sovereign
Tuesday - Amasa Back/Pothole Arch
Wednesday - Porcupine
Thursday - hike/rest
Friday - Slickrock Trail
Saturday - Mag 7 trails?
Then we're off to Fruita for a week.

So at this point I guess the only one I'm really worried about is Amasa Back. We have picked the one day that week that they don't have an *organized* ride there so I'm hoping it will be OK. I really don't want to miss that one, as we will be riding with friends on that particular day and I want to show them that trail in particular. Hope we don't regret it.

 

We have, no joke, accidentally scheduled Moab trips during the Jeep safari week three times now. Every time we throw out a (seemingly) random date, all schedule the trip then someone will have the "guys, we did it again" moment. Not to bad for me as I just have to drive down from SLC but with airfare booked we just run with it and have never had a bad time.

You've already taken care of the hard part which is lodging so sit back and relax. Yes town is a zoo, but it's only in relative terms; normally Moab is a really quiet town. The crowd gets loud and stupid at the bars and has always been respectful on the trails even when we come across the organized group drives. Last year we ascended Amasa Back as the jeeps were coming down to the stream crossing. They move oh so slowly so most of the jeeps will be at a complete standstill any time you come across one.

Treat them like any other trail user; if they were there first give them a chance to either clear the object or acknowledge you and give you direction. I'm sure they're not all great but I have yet to have a bad encounter with a jeeper during the safari.

UPS/LPS is sort of hit or miss that time of year. With the weather we're having so far I wouldn't be surprised if you could ride them now. But if the spring storms kick up then you might be stuck at the original shuttle drop like we were last year. Play it by ear and make sure you show up that morning with enough cash for the full ride no matter what the day before had been ok'd to ride.

 

Ditch slickrock for UPS/LPS - or higher if you can. Best part of TWE if you ask me... Guess you could do both. UPS/LPS > right on down to SR or even fins.

Mag 7 is not to miss either IMO...

 

Man you really don't like slickrock.....have you been on the middle routes? I know you live there you need to ride it with locals who know it and connect to fins.....so much good stuff out there. But everyone likes different kinds of riding....I love slickrock, but will say the standard route isn't as good as some of the other routes out there.

 

You guys have put my mind considerably more at ease, so thanks. It's awesome that I can be all "OH NOES!" and then via the glory of the internet be reassured by total strangers who are in the know. Zebrahum, that is hilarious that you have accidentally coincided with Jeep week 3 times!! Ha ha ha! Glad to know it's not a total deal-breaker.

I know tons of folks don't care for the Slickrock Trail, but I really like it for some reason. I can totally understand the viewpoint because it's not as "fun" as some of the other trails in the area, but it just feels like such a classic. It wouldn't feel right to go to Moab and not do it. So that's going to stay on the agenda, but on yall's advice we will definitely do Mag 7 and will hope for the best weather-wise so we can do UPS and LPS, which I am dying to check out. Wish we could just do TWE but we picked the wrong time of year for that. Next time!

 

Biking during Jeep Safari in Moab has changed significantly in the last several years, for three big reasons:

1) As mentioned above, there are many more non-motorized STs that have been developed.

2) The Red Rock Four Wheelers maintain exclusive use of certain trails on certain days. That means there are "bouncers" set up at the trailhead for an exclusive use trail. They don't bounce bikers or hikers, only other motorized vehicles (motos, ATVs, jeeps) that are not with the Red Rock Four Wheelers line of vehicles. This is an amazing development for bikers, especially with Amasa Back (called Cliffhanger by jeepers). That trail has exactly one jeep entrance and it is guarded by bouncers on the Red Rock Four Wheelers' exclusive use days. If you set out before the set Safari time, or well after they are up the trail, you will see no (as in, zero) other motorized vehicles on the trail. Ironically, the exclusive use days for Cliffhanger are the best possible days to ride Amasa Back all spring. Certainly the quietest. Especially with the ST options (Pothole, Rockstacker, Jacksons, etc.)

3) Jeep Safari is busy, busy in town. But the free-for-all, alcohol-fueled frenzy of ten years ago has been seriously curtailed by the sheer number of law enforcement personnel that have been brought in. The exclusive use thing mentioned in #2 above has curtailed the non-Safari registered element which had the reputation of being the biggest part of the problem.

Hope this helps. As everyone else has mentioned, yes town will be busy, but so is every weekend in season in Moab. Plan your rides right, and coordinate with the Red Rock Four Wheelers daily Safari routes, and you'll be set.

hfly <-- loves riding during Jeep Safari

 

Wow, so you think we should actually PLAN to do Amasa on the same day they're doing it? Interesting concept! Makes sense though. Thanks!

 

If you were planning on taking Jacksons down instead of riding back on Amasa then planning on starting the trail just before or even while the jeeps are just starting the trail would be a fantastic way to have the entire trail to yourself. They take so much time on the first 100 yards of the trail that you won't see a jeep the entire time you're there. Also, watching them crawl that section of trail is kinda fun to watch for a while then you ride it and all the jeepers get jealous.

If you're planning on riding up then down Amasa, I'd probably still avoid it as the jeeps will be ascending through the narrower trail while you're descending Amasa.

 

Like others have said, it probably wont be that big of a deal, although it is probably less than ideal just due to the large amount of people who will be in town. I've been there during Jeep week for the Jeeping, instead of riding, and had a pretty good time. Yes, there's a ******* element to the event, but since it is actually a pretty expensive hobby, it is a fairly affluent crowd in large part (at least that was my experience -- my dad is a doctor, and we went with several other md's who happen to be in to Jeeps, so maybe we were just hanging with a different crowd, but it didn't seem too "Larry the Cable Guy" to me.).

My only $.02 is, you'll have fun if you go with a non-judgmental attitude about the environmental issues. Without expressing a political/environmental view one way or the other, I'll just say that if you disagree with people driving Jeeps on rocks, and you are unable to avoid expressing your views, or it makes you sick to see Jeeps "out in the wild," you're gonna have a long week! Kinda like an animal activist going to a rodeo or an anti-gun person hanging out at the gun show. But if you approach it with a "live and let live" attitude, you'll probably have a great week of riding, with only a few interruptions and a very crowded City Market to deal with, and I'll bet you'll see some stuff you've never seen before.

 

Awesome, I now feel like I can make educated decisions here. We plan to come back down Amasa Back rather than Rockstacker/Jackson's because we will have a couple of less experienced riders with us, and we're not exactly experts ourselves. So I think I'm going to aim for the one day all week when there's no planned Jeep outing there. I wasn't aware that Gold Bar Rim will be Jeepy, so that's good to know too. You guys rock.

And some good points have been brought up about having a good attitude about it and that it can be interesting to see how the Jeeps do it and whatnot. I can live with the fact that they're out there -- far be it from me to judge their motorized sport when I ride dirt bikes myself, ha ha! I just don't like crowds in general, especially while on vacation in Utah, and also I admit I am kind of mystified about why the hell you would do anything on 4 wheels when you can do it on 2! But maybe this will clear up the mystery! Anyway, this is all very helpful and I think we will be able to all just get along. Thanks again! Now I just have to wait 7 weeks and hope the snow holds off.

 

Jeep week is fun, but the issue may be lodging and camping availability. If you have a place to stay then you are solid. The hotels sell out and the camp sites can be full as well. There are tons of condos etc to choose from. check out vrbo.com Jeep week is great for biking because bikers are always freaked out that jeep week is a bad time to come to Moab. However, jeeps do not drive on singletrack, hence you may have bike trails to yourself. Definitely do Mag 7 for downhill singletrack. This is a trail not to be missed. UPS and LPS will likely be running, more singletrack! Moab is building more singletrack everyday, so you will not be disappointed. You may want to include Bartlett wash in you schedule as well. Ask a local the best way to ride this trail if you like surfing slickrock.

You will have a great trip as long as you stay off the jeep roads. This is not hard to do because the best Moab riding has nothing to do with jeep roads. Locals do not ride jeep roads, but they ride the singletrack. The only jeep road that you may ride is the Amasa Back climb, but the descent is all singletrack.

 

The issue may be lodging and camping availability.

Fortunately we have our lodging, we're staying in a cabin on Sand Flats Rd not too far from Porcupine.

Definitely do Mag 7 for downhill singletrack. This is a trail not to be missed. UPS and LPS will likely be running, more singletrack! You may want to include Bartlett wash in your schedule as well.

Mag 7 = yes!
UPS/LPS = yes!
Bartlett Wash is super fun, we did it a couple of years ago, but probably won't be able to fit it in this time... thanks though!

Zebrahum, I've done a couple of the Bar trails in the past and liked them... would kind of like to check them out again but I think we may have an ambitious schedule as it is. Unlike you, 2 rides a day are probably a bit much for us! We'll be doing well to get through one ride per day, most days, for a week in Moab and then a week in Fruita. Wish we could just move down there and ride every trail there is!

 

We usually try and fit two rides a day when we're not riding the long rides so I would say that the Bar trails are great for a quick (or not so quick) few loops. Definitely worth a pedal if you're bored.

 

Amen

I'll just add another amen here. My family and I go down pretty much every week during jeep week because it coincides with our spring break most years. Never really had a problem at all either on the trail or downtown in the evenings. Have fun.

 

Do you think we will have any luck finding a camping spot if we show up sunday? I'm kinda a newbie to moab, so if any body has any tips as far as places to camp or ride it would be appreciated. I'm bringing my two boys 8 and 12 so kid friendly areas are a must, they do ride well for there age.
Thanks

 

Sunday; people might be heading back home after a short weekend trip so maybe. I would have a backup plan in mind though. It's busy down there.

 

I think the biggest problem where the LESS desirable camping is. I live here so my knowledge of "fullness" isn't as sharp as others. I will say last weekend everything in town, all of sandflats and pretty much anything 25mins or closer on 128 and Kane creek were full. If you don't mind rougher and more remote camping, there is often space out Dalton Wells and Willow Springs.

 

Have to disagree on last weekend at least for pay sites. We camped at portal RV park and I doubt it was more than about 1/4 full. Riverside Oasis looked like they had plenty of spots too.

Driving up sand flats it did look pretty full though. And I agree with checking out Dalton Wells and Willow Springs for boondocking.

 

Have to disagree on last weekend at least for pay sites. We camped at portal RV park and I doubt it was more than about 1/4 full. Riverside Oasis looked like they had plenty of spots too.

Driving up sand flats it did look pretty full though. And I agree with checking out Dalton Wells and Willow Springs for boondocking.

I was referring to Kane Creek / 128. For whatever reason, Potash road always seems to have more space.

 

Just wanted to report back on this topic now that our week in Moab is finished. I tried to have an open mind about the jeepers, but I gotta say they did annoy me. Amasa Back was a complete cluster and I wished we'd picked a different trail to take our friends on. There were jeeps blocking the trail all the way up and all the way down, with the associated noise and dust. To their credit, they were nice folks, but it kind of ruined the feel for me. The Pothole Arch singletrack at the top was awesome and jeep-free, of course.

The only other trail the jeeps bothered us on was Slickrock, where we could hear them on their nearby trails about half the time. And I didn't realize half of Porcupine was on a big jeep road, but thankfully there were no jeeps on it that day.

Other than that, the whole experience was AWESOME!! I think Jeep Week DID help us by keeping the trails pretty empty. Even the trails we expected to be crowded (Porcupine, Mag 7 on a Sunday, etc) had almost no riders on them. I think bikers stayed away because of the jeeps. The shuttle driver said there are usually far more bikers than there were that week.

Mag 7 was amazing (we just did Bull Run, Arth's, and Little Canyon) and ended up being maybe our favorite. Slickrock was awesome (and easier than I remembered), Sovereign was really fun, and Pipe Dream was super cool. LPS was stunning, I wish we could have done UPS and Hazard County, we'll definitely be back to do the upper half of the Whole Enchilada sometime when the snow has melted. All in all, one of my favorite weeks on the bike ever. Now we're in Fruita for more awesomeness. We're fantasizing about moving here someday. Thanks for all the tips and advice!!

 

Remember that Jeep week has now bled into either weekend on both sides. You can find trails without them, but the place is a zoo. Don't intend to find a place for dinner and expect no lines. The brewery is a mess, as is all the other drinking establishments in town.

Some bike shops keep an inventory of planned routes. Regardless, I'll never forget the 350 jeeps that showed up for Top of the World as we pulled up looking for a place to park and ride it. We simply left and went on to Fruita (yes, we counted).

It's not pleasant, but tolerable. I hope they would move Jeep week to July.

 

Really glad I found this thread.

I am planning on arriving in moab tuesday morning and finding a camp site then riding all day then camping out some where ( its probably too much to hope for to find a site at moonflower on kane creek road. I am also thinking about willow springs road. I will also be riding wednesday morning and then heading on to fruita/ grand junction.

Thanks for the good info.

 

I am headed out to Moab tomorrow. To both four wheel and ride all week. Yes moab turns into a zoo, and it seems to get busier every year. But I support the red rock 4 wheelers club, they play a HUGE part in keeping trails open for access.

I would suggest avoiding trails used by the jeep event, but in my past experiences, everybody has been really respectful to each other. The jeepers are there for the same reasons you are!

If you're the hardcore biker that hates "noisy, destructive, obtrusive, *******" off-roaders, then this probably is not the week for you to be in moab...