The Slickrock Bike Trail needs no introduction! The world famous, epic, amazing Slickrock bike trail is located a short drive or ride from downtown Moab. The trail climbs and descends over exposed Navajo sandstone. These sandstone dunes are the remains of an ancient desert. The name 'slickrock' came from the days of horses sliding on the rock in their metal shoes... mountain bike tires have an amazing ability to stick to some improbably steep climbs! Because of the wonderful marriage of rock, tire, and friction, the Slickrock trail is a playground of technical riding for experienced mountain bikers.

The Slickrock trail is one of the most famous mountain bike trails in the world, but it wasn't originally a bike trail. Built in 1969 as a motorcycle trail, the Slickrock trail is still open to motorcycles (it's not suitable for ATVs or 4x4s), although mountain bikes are now the primary user group.

Slickrock Trail from the Portal.

Trail Description

The trail follows white dashes painted on the rock, and is easy to follow. Yellow dashes signify narrow ledges and drop-offs. Alternate routes and search and rescue routes are marked with white dots. The Hell's Revenge 4x4 trail crosses the Slickrock Trail 6 times and is marked with yellow flames painted on the rock.

From the main Parking area on Sand Flats Road and assuming the recommended clockwise direction of travel on the loop:

Mileage Log:
Mile - Description
-----------------------
0.0 - Trailhead
0.3 - First Practice Loop intersection - trail goes left
0.8 - Second Practice Loop intersection - trail goes left
1.5 - Abyss Overlook
2.3 - Three way intersection, start of loop - go left
2.6 - Mountain View Cave
4.0 - Portal Overlook junction - go right
4.2 - Panorama Viewpoint - go right
6.7 - Shrimp Rock
8.2 - Junction (end of loop) - left to return to trailhead
9.0 - Abyss Overlook
9.7 - Second Practice Loop intersection - trail goes right
10.2 - First Practice Loop intersection - trail goes right
10.5 - Retrun to Trailhead

Getting There

From Moab (Main and Center):
Go south 3 blocks to E 300 S and turn left (east). Follow E 300 S to S 400 E. Take a right on S 400 E and continue two blocks to Mill Creek Drive. Turn left on Mill Creek Drive and follow this to Sand Flats Road. Continue Straight to Sand Flats Road (Mill Creek veers right). Follow Sand Flats road for several miles to the entrance station ($5.00 per car or /$2.00 per bike). From the entrance station, continue about 1.5 miles to the trailhead on the left.

When to Bike

The normal season is mid-February though November. Summers can be extremely hot, with temperatures soaring well above 100 degrees. Bring plenty of water... there is no water on the route. Winters can be a good time to ride, but be extremely careful of ice, which can cause a fatal fall from very high cliffs.

Images



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