Looking east. Gemini Bridges Trail

The Gemini Bridges ride is one of the more famous mountain bike routes in Utah but it's also a popular 4-wheel drive route. On peak weekends (such as during several festivals for off-roaders), the Gemini Bridges road will be crowded with 4-wheelers. We recommend you save this ride for a weekday or an off-season weekend. 

The Mad Scientist on his bike "Banana Thunder" on the way towards the bridges. Behind, the ridges are formed of Entrada Sandstone, a common cap-rock in the area northwest of Maob.
October 15, 1999. Photo by Mike Engberson

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The trail is a broad rocky gravel road, with some steep sections and one stretch of ledgy slickrock. As an out-and-back from the highway, it's 16 miles round trip. Total climbing is about 1500 feet, in 3 sections of 500 feet each (two on the way out, one on the way back).

The trail isn't tough, but it's long. Beginners can do this ride, but consider the length of the ride and the long uphill climbs before deciding whether this ride is right for you. The road is well-marked. At each fork, a sign shows you the right way.

Matt Flygare, Dominic, and Mike cruise the road near the "Gooney Bird." The sheer cliffs are of Wingate Sandstone, found below the Entrada, Navajo, and Kayenta. The ledge near the valley floor is the Chinle formation.  These formations date to the late Triassic to early Jurassic Era, 200 to 170 million years ago. October 15, 1999.

Matt leads the pack along the road.
Mike catches air! There's one section of steep loose rocky dirt above the Gold Bar turnoff. Even the toughest bikers will walk up this one. (When you get back to this section going downhill, riders who aren't experienced "sand surfers" should walk down also.)

Mike  grabs some air off a Navajo sandstone ledge. October 15, 1999.
As you approach the bridges, the road forks into a small loop. There are a couple of viewpoints, then a 1/4 mile hiking trail that takes you to the arches. GPS N 38° 35.123' W 109° 42.456'.

Dominic Bria rolls down the slickrock towards Gemini Bridges.
Photo October 15, 1999.

The DOMinator on the slope!
View of the arches, looking north. Approach the bridges with caution. You could easily fall off a 200-foot cliff. The capstone of Kayenta forms a ledge that protects the underlying Wingate sandstone from erosion. The Wingate fractures away in large vertical columns as the soft Chinle Formation underbeneath it erodes, forming breath-taking vertical cliffs.

Mike and Dominic approach the outer of the two bridges while Chad stands on top.
October 15, 1999.
Getting there: Drive south on US-191 for 22 miles south of I-70 (about 7 miles north of the Colorado River at the edge of Moab). Spot the parking area on the west (right as you head toward Moab) side of the road. GPS N 38° 39.381' W 109° 40.672'. Park in front of the railroad tracks, and head out west on the road. As of 2009, a $5 fee is required to park here (it's private land). But you can park across the road in the Bar M lot and ride back.

Gemini Bridges Trail Map
Riding Resources for Gemini Bridges:
  Topo map:  Low Res     High Res
  Single-page riding guide for printing.		  
GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
     Garmin     GPX      National Geographic    Google Earth
Jeep on a ledge of the cliff.

If you need a reminder to be careful, look over the edge at this jeep, 200 feet below the arch. This was a fatality just one week before our 1999 ride. At that time, the bridges themselves were open to cyclists and motorists. A popular activity was to drive your vehicle across the bridge.

 

Ride smart. But if you didn't...
Learn about care of biking injuries on-line at UtahMountainBiking.com!

For additional information, including nearby lodging, rentals, camping, and current conditions, may we suggest:
Comprehensive info on visiting Moab:  http://www.moab-utah.com/ 
More stuff, activities:  http://www.discovermoab.com/  Another source:  http://www.moab.net 
BLM information (OHV info, hiking, camping): http://www.blm.gov/utah/moab/rec-frame.html 
Arches National Park Information:  http://www.arches.national-park.com/
Canyonlands National Park:  http://www.canyonlands.national-park.com/

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Copyright 2002 Mad Scientist Software Inc
Updated 2009.