Most riders use "Sovereign" to refer only to the southernmost -- and first developed -- singletrack section. (See web page for lower Sovereign.) This segment goes from Willow Springs Road on the south to Dalton Wells Road on the north.

The middle section of the Sovereign Singletrack -- opened several years ago -- meanders west from Dalton Road, then climbs Cedar Mountain. The area on Cedar Mountain's slopes is the toughest section of the trail.

The new extension of Sovereign forks away from Cedar Mountain on a ridgeline just above Ann's Arroyo. It parallels Highway 191 north, dumping onto doubletrack for 0.2 miles before reaching the Klondike Bluffs Road.

There's no parking at the northern end. If you plan to ride from the north, park at the Klondike Bluffs parking area along the highway. Ride the gravel Klondike Bluffs Road one mile northeast, then turn right at the doubletrack. 0.2 miles later, turn right at the singletrack.

The new northern section offers a few new possibilities. My favorites is a short lariat from the north. See Sample Rides below. For big-mile riders, consider a 27-mile epic loop from the south.

Northern Lariat to Cedar Mountain:
This is a good ride, and it would be my recommendation for a casual intermediate rider. It's 14.5 miles round trip. Twelve miles are singletrack and 2.4 miles are on dirt road. Starting at the Klondike Bluffs parking area on Highway 191, pedal one mile north to northeast. Turn right (south) on doubletrack. When you see the log ATV-barrier 0.2 miles later, fork right onto singletrack.

Pedal south on Sovereign for three miles. When the trail turns to the left onto old doubletrack (there will be tire tracks going right -- these bikers are descending to the Fallen Peace Officer trailhead), climb to the Cedar Mountain trail fork. Keep straight, then drop left as the singletrack leaves the old doubletrack. (Also consider a counterclockwise loop. The trail would work either direction, but I've only done clockwise.)

At the top of Ann's Arroyo, join the doubletrack Fallen Peace Officer Trail for about 200 feet, then fork right again on singletrack. 2.4 miles from the Sovereign - Cedar Mountain fork, keep straight (right) as you rejoin Sovereign.

Keep straight (right) past Brush Basin, and stay on singletrack as you cross Fallen Peace Officer again. When you reach the trail fork on the ridge, go left, but don't forget to turn hard right off the old doubletrack 100 yards later.

Brushy Basin Loop:
This is a faster, 13-mile loop ride, using several miles of doubletrack on the return leg. But it does require major navigation skills (and preferably a GPS track) because of multiple doubletrack forks. Unless you're very familiar with the area or are willing to follow the GPS track, I'd skip this one.

From the Dalton Wells parking area, climb the Brush Basin Trail to Sovereign. Fork left. Stay on Sovereign to the doubletrack at the north end (don't go to Klondike Bluffs Road). Go right on doubletrack. Join Fallen Peace Officer, leave it, join it, leave it and rejoin it as you carve a loop around to the Cedar Mountain Trail just above Ann's Arroyo.

When you reach Sovereign, fork left and drop off the mountain. Turn right on doubletrack at the bottom and follow it back to Dalton Wells.

Sovereign Epic Loop:
This ride is 27 miles. This ride has about 21 miles of singletrack and 6 miles of dirt road. After riding Sovereign Singletrack (all 15 miles) from the southern end, the route crosses over the ridge on doubletrack to the Little Valley Road. This takes you back to the Salt Wash Trail, which returns you to the trailhead on Willow Springs Road. (You could just do Sovereign out-and-back -- maybe with Salt Wash on the return -- for a 30 mile monster singletrack ride. But because only the strongest riders could manage this, I put the road segment into the loop.)

From the Willow Springs trailhead, just stay on Sovereign by following the signs. When you reach the doubletrack at the end, turn right uphill (don't go to the Klondike Bluffs Road). Keep straight on the doubletrack and cross over the hill. Descend to the north-south road in the valley and turn right (south). After two miles on the road, just as it begins to turn to the west, look for the Sovereign Trail crossing the road. Fork left and follow it to the base of the bluff. Now climb uphill for the return on Salt Wash or Sovereign.

(Note: if you haven't got the leg for six more miles of tech singletrack, there's an ATV trail just to the west. It will take you south to the Willow Springs Road.

Getting there:
From the north, Klondike Bluffs Road is 15 miles south of I-70. Dalton Wells road is 17 miles south of I-70, on your left. Willow Springs Road is exactly 1 mile further south, also on the left. Coming north from Moab, Willow Springs Road will be on your right, 1.8 miles past the junction with Highway 313 (Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point).
Klondike Bluffs Parking: On US-191 15 miles north of Moab (just south of the airport), find the Klondike Bluffs parking lot just off the side of the highway. Start the ride by pedaling up the gravel road.
Willow Springs Road Trailhead:  On US-191 north of Moab, turn east on dirt Willow Springs Road. Keep L at fork at mile 1.3. At mile 2.0, park in the rock-outlined area on your left N 38° 41.876' W 109° 39.868', just before a natural gas pump building on the R. Start the ride by continuing down Willow Springs Rd.
Dalton Wells Road Trailhead:  On US-191 north of Moab, turn east on dirt Dalton Wells Road. Park under the trees to ride from Brushy Basin. To reach the inner trailhead, go straight onto the dirt road. Reclose the gate at mile 0.2, and cross the broad sandy wash. At mile 1.7, park at the fork in the road N 38° 43.584' W 109° 40.783'. The L fork takes you to the top of the trail for the Dalton Loop. The R fork (straight) takes you on ATV track to the junction where Sovereign drops off the bluff, where you can connect to the southern 6 miles of trail.