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Moab, UtahIt’s almost impossible to overhype Moab. Its red-rock landscape is truly like nowhere else on Earth, and the best way to appreciate it is by riding it. Famed trails like Porcupine Rim, Slickrock, and the Whole Enchilada steal the spotlight, but it’s the area’s newer and lesser known trails that make a trip to Moab a mandatory pilgrimage for any mountain biker. The new intermediate-friendly trail systems north of town—North Klondike, Sovereign, Klonzo, and the Brands—all connect. Navajo Rocks, off the road to Canyonlands, offers 18 miles of slickrock, flow, and scenic views and Magnificent 7 (or Mag 7) links upper and lower Gemini Bridges Road in one ledgy, memorable traverse. With sunbaked desert riding, high-alpine singletrack in the nearby La Sal Mountains, and everything in between, it’s possible to ride in Moab year-round, but temperatures are most comfortable in spring and fall (fall being your best chance to ride the Whole Enchilada). Beyond the riding, Moab is the gateway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, a spectacular stretch of the Colorado River, and world-famous climbing at Indian Creek in Bears Ears National Monument.

Photograph by Whit Richardson, Aurora Photos

ADVENTURE

America’s 20 Best Mountain Bike Towns

To foster authentic bike culture, a town needs more than just high quality trails. These 20 mountain bike hamlets around the country (in no particular order) offer bucket-list rides, new trail development, a variety of outdoor recreation, and a fun, bike-friendly vibe. Bike on.

ByTess Weaver Strokes

May 19, 2017