Upper Moo Trail

Chad leads the UMB guys uphill on Upper Moo. Photo by Mike, August 27, 2004.

Upper Moo

Upper Moo is a 7.8-mile loop in the red dirt and rock west of Vernal. It's usually ridden as an add-on to the Can You Moo? loop. The trail is narrow desert singletrack, easy-intermediate technical, with about 300 feet of climbing. This trail is an easy aerobic ride, but you have to commit to 20 miles if you're adding it to Can You Moo? The loop is best ridden counterclockwise.

Update 2010: The trail has been hammered by cattle and isn't seeing regular upkeep. You can still ride the trail, but check with Altitude Cycle about current conditions. The completion of the nearby McCoy Flats riding area has made the "moo" trails less attractive.

Upper Moo forks off Can You Moo? at mile 5 (when riding counterclockwise) at N 40° 23.670' W 109° 38.138'. You can reach the trail from the north from U-121 if you want to ride Upper Moo alone (although we're not sure why you'd want to), or to shuttle the downhill side of Upper Moo and Can You Moo?

The trail was fairly straight-forward during our late-summer ride. We're told it can be significantly harder to follow in the early spring after cattle have tromped through the area in wet conditions.

At this spot on Upper Moo, Bruce is 19 miles into a 31-mile day.

View to the west from the ridgetop. Not the eye-popping views of southern Utah, but the riding needs no apologies!

Shuttle via U-121: You can also access Upper Moo from U-121 by turning off on a dirt road about a mile southeast of Ashley. (You can shuttle to the top and ride the downhill segments of Upper Moo and Can You Moo without riding uphill.) Sorry, we don't have coordinates or driving directions -- talk to the guys at Altitude Cycle in Vernal if you want to try this option.

Getting there through Can You Moo? Starting at the view area on US-40 just west of Vernal, drive west (away from Vernal) 5.9 miles. As the road curves right around a small mountain, spot a dirt road on the right. Park on the side of the dirt road at N 40° 20.253' W 109° 38.055'. Carry your bike through the gate (close it!) and start riding up the old road. When the singletrack leaves the road on the left, keep right as the trail drops into a wash. Ride five miles up Can You Moo until you see a trail fork where Upper Moo keeps straight north (right-hand of the fork) and Can You Moo turns leftward to the west. Immediately after going through the wash, keep right at the fork to ride the loop counter-clockwise.