The Poison Spider Mesa Trail is one of Moab's classics! It's not for faint of heart though, with technical sand, slickrock, and a very nasty, exposed, and technical descent off the Portal Trail. This descent has claimed the lives of at 3 mountain bikers, so use caution!

Rick Mitchell, riding the Poison Spider Mesa slickrock.

Getting There

From Moab:
Drive North out of Moab on Hwy 191 for 4 miles. Turn left (southwest) on Hwy 279. Continue 5.8 miles to the trailhead parking lot and park here.

You'll pass some very nice petroglyphs along Hwy 279 (along the famous climbing area known as Wall Street), be sure to stop and have a look.

Trail Description

From the trailhead, begin riding up the jeep road. It switchbacks steeply for about a mile, then the climbing eases up a bit. A sandy area is encountered at mile 2.3. At mile 2.4 a technical rock section is encountered. You'll reach an alluvial terrace at mile 3 and descend off it at mile 5.1. Head for the large sandstone dome in the distance, carefully following the route markers. You'll reach the dome at 5.7 miles. From here, ride away from the river, following the white jeep markers on the rock. The trail enters a sandy road and passes two spur roads on the left. You'll eventually come to a T intersection and turn right onto the Gold Bar Rim trail. At 7.9 miles, the Gold Bar Rim trail reaches a stunning overlook of the Moab valley below. From here, the Portal trail heads right (south) and switchbacks down a VERY exposed section. Head the warnings to dismount and walk your bike! After the exposed section, the trail drops very steeply to the bottom of the cliff. You'll reach the BLM trail register at mile 10.2. From there either take the left fork and ride down to the road, turn right on the road and follow it back to the trailhead or take the right fork and continue on the trail for another 0.4 miles before joining the road.

When to Bike

Spring, Winter, and Fall are the best times to ride in the Moab desert. Summer days can be brutally hot, with temperature well above 100 degrees. Winters can be cold and it occasionally snows in Moab. During warm weather, bring a lot of water on this ride.

Red Tape

Portal Trail
The descent from the Portal Trail is VERY technical. Several mountain bikers have died here! Please heed the warnings and dismount and walk your bike! The very difficult technical rating is due to this section.

The rest of the route features technical slickrock, deep sand, and rocky riding. A reasonable estimate is to double your normal mountain biking time to cover this distance and elevation gain.

USGS Maps
The following USGS 7.5 minute quads cover this route:
- Gold Bar Canyon
- Moab

Images