Home ::Travel Destinations ::Moab Biking
Moab Biking
The Moab, Utah has become one of the most popular mountain bike destinations in the world. A walk down Main Street reveals more bikes than cars, and it seems as though everybody has bike short tans, scabbed skin and muscles popping out of strange locations in their upper the calf. It can easily make a beginner feel very uneasy.
Gear Up-Borrow,to buy or rent an up-to-date mountain bike in best running condition. Better Get a full-suspension bike if you can, but at the very least you must have a front suspension fork. Get properly outfitted at any one of the many bike shops in the town with sunscreen, shoes, shorts, gloves, a shirt, helmet and plenty of water. If You should also get a map of the area showing the rides listed .Ride One - Hoorah Pass-Your first ride is Hoorah Pass, located just outside of town on Kane Creek Road. It's a relatively smooth out-and-back ride on a scenic gravel road that ascends to a nice overlook. There is nothing technically challenging on a Hoorah Pass road, so take this opportunity to get to know your mountain bike. You play around with the shifting and brakes, and practice getting in and out of your pedals. The climb out may seem long, so just put your bike in an easy gear and keep your pedaling away. If you are already comfortable with your own bike and are ready for a little more challenge you can skip this ride.
The Moab is a city in Grand County, in eastern Utah, in the western United States. It is 233 miles (374 km) southeast of Salt Lake City and 354 miles (569 kilom) west of Denver, Colorado, about 30 miles south of Interstate 70 at the intersection of U.S. Route 191 and State Route 128. The population was 4,779 at the two thousand census. It is the county seat of the Grand County. The Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors of the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, which are located close by. The town is also a popular base for mountain bikers who come to ride the extensive network of trails including the famed Slickrock Trail, and off-roaders who come for the annual the Moab Jeep Safari.
The Biblical name the Moab refers to an area of land located on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Some historians believe the city in Utah came to use this name because of William Pierce, the first postmaster, believing that the biblical Moab and a part of Utah were both "the far country". However, others believe the name has Paiute origins, referring to the word "moapa" meaning the mosquito. Some of the settlers to the area attempted to change the city's name because in the Christian Bible, the Moabites are demeaned as incestuous and idolatrous. One petition in 1890 had 59 signatures and requested a name change to Vina. Another effort attempted to change the name to Uvadalia.
During the 1800s the area around what is now the Moab served as the Colorado River crossing along the Old Spanish Trail. The Mormon settlers attempted to establish the trading fort at the river crossing called "Elk Mountain Mission" in 1855 to trade with travelers attempting to cross the river. Later that year and after repeated the Indian attacks, the fort was abandoned. A new round of settlers established a permanent settlement in 1878. The Moab was incorporated as a town on December 20, 1902.
In the year of 1883 the Denver and the Rio Grande Western Railroad main line was constructed across eastern Utah. The rail line did not pass through the Moab, instead passing through the towns of Thompson Springs and the Cisco, 40 miles to the north. Later, other places to cross the Colorado were constructed, such as Lee's Ferry, the Navajo Bridge and Boulder Dam. These changes shifted the trade routes away from the Moab. The Moab farmers and merchants had to adapt from trading with passing travelers to shipping their goods to distant markets. Soon the Moab's origins as one of the few natural crossings of the Colorado River were forgotten. Nevertheless, the U.S. military deemed the bridge over the Colorado River at the Moab important enough to place it under guard as late as World War II.
Prior to the construction of the railroad in the year of 1883, The Moab was a strategic place to cross the Colorado River. A toll ferry service across the river ended when a permanent bridge was built in 1911. This bridge was replaced with a new bridge in the year 1955, which was in turn replaced by another new bridge in 2010. This new bridge has opened for traffic despite still being under construction. The bridge opened in 1955 has since been demolished. The highway that uses this bridge has been renumbered multiple times and is presently numbered U.S. Route 191.
The Moab gained freight railroad access in the year of 1962, when a spur railroad line (now the Union Pacific Railroad's Cane Creek Subdivision) was built to service the Cane Creek potash mine. The Moab has never had passenger rail service, although the California Zephyr has advertised service to the Moab in the past via the stops at the Thompson Springs (no longer a scheduled stop), the Green River or the Grand Junction, Colorado. The Moab currently does not have regular bus service, although charter busses and shuttle service to Salt Lake City or Grand Junction in the Colorado are available. the Air service is available at Canyonlands Field. Direct flights from/to Denver (DIA) to/from Moab - three flights per day.
