 | Moab Rim Trail The Moab Rim Trail is one of the "Must-Do" trails of the Moab area. It starts with a climb that's as brutal as anything you've ever done (made easier by stopping occasionally to appreciate the extraordinary views of the Colorado River). This trail is definitely advanced technical and strenuous aerobic. It's 10 miles as an out-and-back, and you'll climb around 1400 feet. From the trailhead, the route climbs 900 vertical feet in less than a mile. Near the top, the slope is an unrelenting 25% grade, pocked with fissures, ledges, and wheel-traps. If you're not up to the brutal climb to the ridgetop, you can take the Moab Rim chairlift, which you see on the way to the trailhead. If you plan to take the rest of the rim trail, you'll still have about 500 vertical feet of climbing, and a fair amount of technical rock to navigate. |
| After reaching the top, the trail rolls up and down some brutal rock
outcroppings, with short pits of life-sucking sand between them. But the
terrain is very
pretty, and the views are good. Posts mark the trail. The trail splits a few miles out, with one section (Hidden Valley Trail) continuing to a very technical singletrack descent plus a portage, and the other (the official Moab Rim trail) grinding up to the Moab Rim overlook. Our suggestion is to ride to the overlook, and do the trail as an out-and-back. After grinding up the Rim, you don't want to miss the rad downhill -- the site of Moab's big downhill races. |
| 0.0 Start grinding up the Rim 0.9 At the top, veer R on DT 1.1 Fork R (L = viewpoint) 1.8 Fork R 2.0 Climb slickrock | 3.5 DT joins on L, keep straight 3.7 Fork L for Rim (R = Hidden Valley) 4.5 Petroglyphs R fork to Rim 5.0 Viewpoint at Rim |
 | Getting there: Head south on Moab's Main Street. When you reach the McDonald's on your right, turn right onto Kane Creek Blvd. After 1.5 miles, go straight at the "Yield" sign where the road seems to turn right. Go past the Moab Rim chairlift to 3.5 miles from McDonalds at GPS N 38° 33.541' W 109° 34.979'. The trailhead is on your left. Copyright 2002 Mad Scientist Software Inc Trail conditions change, and the layout of a trail may change without notice. Use this trail guide at your own risk. |