The premier Moab slickrock trail lies northeast of town
between the Sand Flats Road and the river. There are
long stretches of slickrock where the 4WD trail has
recently been marked (a yellow, sometimes white, paint
design that resembles aflame). There are other paint
marks, too, for mountain bikes and emergency medical
services. The most difficult obstacles are out of the
stock-vehicle class, but those can be bypassed. There
are steep climbs and descents and some edges that are
not for the faint of heart. The steep slopes, however,
are not technically difficult because of the excellent
traction on sandstone. In a few places, the trail crosses
the now-famous "Slickrock Bike Trail," a motorcycle
and mountainbicycle trail. (Although the Lion's Back,
the Dump Bump, and Potato Salad Hill are nearby, they
are not part of this trail.)
Approximate
mileages: 16 total, 12 off highway.
Scenery:
The large vistas sweep full circle from the La Sal Mountains
through Arches National Park to the cliff rims that
overlook Moab Valley. The nearby country is an amazing
stretch of bare sandstone with clefts and canyons, including
the Colorado River canyon.
Road
Surface:
In addition to the slickrock, thereare rock ledges,
broken rock, sandy dirt, and a little blow sand.
Obstacles:
The first clump of slickrock has high mounds and steep
descents that lead to a second mound that does the same
thing. The major slickrock area includes steep climbs,
sharp turns, and a hair-raising descent along a steep
ridge with little room for error left or right. "Tip-Over
Challenge" is a brief rock hill with a sandy base
that requires tight maneuvering, an excellent line of
attack, some help in the differentials, or the easy
bypass on a slickrock fin. Just above Tip-Over is a
shortcut to avoid the final hill, called "Rubble
Trouble" because of its large loose rocks and a
couple of tough ledges. This may be our easiest 4-rated
trail because there is easy access to bypasses.
GPS Coordinates
WP # Latitude Longitude Mileage Turn
1 N 38° 34' 31.2" W 109° 31' 19.2"
0 L
2 N 38° 34' 46.5" W 109° 31' 35.0"
0.4 L
3 N 38° 34' 53.1" W 109° 31' 42.1"
0.7 L
4 N 38° 35' 05.1" W 109° 31' 56.1"
1.0 S
5 N 38° 35' 10.3" W 109° 32' 02.4"
1.2 R
6 N 38° 35' 16.0" W 109° 32' 00.3"
1.4 R
7 N 38° 35' 20.5" W 109° 31' 58.1"
1.5 R
8 N 38° 35' 23.5" W 109° 31' 58.0"
1.6 S
9 N 38° 35' 40.1" W 109° 31' 53.4"
1.9 S
10 N 38° 35' 48.3" W 109° 31' 50.3"
2.1 L
11 N 38° 36' 02.3" W 109° 31' 59.3"
2.5 R
12 N 38° 36' 26.1" W 109° 32' 05.7"
3.1/ 0 T
13 N 38° 36' 04.2" W 109° 32' 05.6"
0.8 R
14 N 38° 35' 58.7" W 109° 32' 09.9"
0.9 S
15 N 38° 35' 49.7" W 109° 32' 22.0"
1.2 S
16 N 38° 35' 38.7" W 109° 32' 35.8"
1.7 S
17 N 38° 35' 34.5" W 109° 32' 36.2"
1.8 L
18 N 38° 35' 37.4" W 109° 32' 18.8"
2.2 R
19 N 38° 35' 24.6" W 109° 32' 15.3"
2.6 R
20 N 38° 35' 22.9" W 109° 32' 21.0"
2.7 S
21 N 38° 35' 13.3" W 109° 32' 24.4"
2.9/ 0 R
22 N 38° 35' 17.8" W 109° 32' 32.6"
0.2 L
23 N 38° 35' 15.4" W 109° 32' 40.8"
0.4 R
24 N 38° 35' 19.1" W 109° 32' 50.0"
0.6 L
25 N 38° 35' 09.6" W 109° 32' 38.8"
0.8 S
26 N 38° 35' 04.6" W 109° 32' 26.7"
1.0 S
27 N 38° 34' 52.2" W 109° 32' 01.4"
1.5 S
28 N 38° 34' 46.6" W 109° 31' 56.6"
1.6 R
29 N 38° 34' 11.7" W 109° 31' 31.8"
2.5 R
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