UT: Moab Brands Trails

 I typically try to plan a short-ish ride in Moab the morning I'm driving home to the desert and today was no different. The big question was, where to ride? So many options here and they're all great!! I loaded my personal heatmap on Trailforks to see if anywhere stood out as a void. One place in particular jumped out: Moab Brands trails. I had never been. Let's change that.

I opted for a pre-ride breakfast of donuts from Doughbird via recommendation. This was the correct life decision and I'll be back.

Dilemma: Which one(s) to choose?? A: Chocolate Cake & Crodough Churro today.

It's a good sized trail system, I just wanted a few hours to sample to goods.

I appreciate seeing signs like this.

I'm not used to seeing such long bits of smooth flowy trail here.

From the parking area, there doesn't appear to be much elevation change. This area is most definitely not flat.

It's a hilly area with plenty of rock outcroppings to take advantage of.

Some are bigger than others.

The famous blue dots of Moab help guide the way.

Overall, I was getting the feeling these trails were a good introduction to the greater Moab area. Little bit of everything.

Nice technical challenge on the singlespeed.

Fast sweeping riding here.

Here too. It was a good mix of fast and tech.

Looks like a Claret Cup variant.

I was cruising along, stopping every so often to see which trail was next on my list. Trailforks comes in quite handy in these situations. I was still making my way south in the system when a rider approached rapidly and then greeted me by name!! What the?? I stopped and before I could say anything, Josh Tostado was introducing himself. We've been digital friends for a few years now and had never met. He's a powerhouse of a rider, frequently visiting the stop step of podiums and posting amazingly fast riding videos on YouTube, riding with the likes of Nate Hills. Here's an example.

What were the odds we'd be riding the same trail in Moab on this Sunday morning? Cool!!

He didn't balk when I asked for an action shot: Yeehaw!!

So far these trails were exceeding expectations, really fun to ride.

And, like most trails in Moab, the views don't suck.

I unknowingly missed a trail turn and ended up here.

I wasn't disappointed.

Folgers in the morning. Inside were some first aid items, repair stuff and a map. Cool.

This paved recreation path connects the Moab town center all the way up beyond Arches Nat'l Park to Gemini Bridges Rd. One of these trips, I'll ride the whole thing.

I began making my way back towards the parking area, but taking trails on the east side.

Red ribbon of flow.

That sign has been around a while. I was heading for the Circle O trail.

Distant views to Arches Nat'l Park. Balanced Rock here.

One of the many giant arches inside the park.

Two O's greet you at the start. I figured it was customary to do a lap.

This was a surprise. The slickrock here typically has either white or blue dots to follow. Here, you follow a stained line the entire way.

La Sal Mtns. frame the scene.

I'm curious to know what they used to make the line appear.

The Circle O trail was over 3 miles of this style of riding.

Crossing one of the few wash areas.

A short jeep road section brought me back to the main network of trails.

One final rip back to the parking lot. I had passed by this one early in the ride and it looked like fun.

Sure enough, fun was had.

Thanks, Moab. Until next time, stay rad.

The Moab Brands trails were way more engaging than I thought they would be. I guess that's partially because the more famous trails here get all the publicity. Plus, this area doesn't really look like much when flying by at 70 mph on US191. I'm here to tell you, don't overlook this area. Maybe use it as an active recovery day while here if you're doing some of the bigger rides in the area. There are enough trails here for a full day of riding.

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UT: Capt. Ahab Loop

 We wrapped up our White Rim ride early on Sunday, there was plenty of time for lunch, a bit of hanging out, then over to Kane Springs Rd to ride a Moab classic: HyMasa - Capt. Ahab Loop. It's not a long loop, a bit under 9 miles total, but you work for it. Most of the climbing is done on HyMasa trail, then the flowy chunk of Capt. Ahab takes over.

The Amasa Back trailhead is a good launching point for some other rides as well. We rode out to Pothole Arch back in 2016.

The first mile was a warmup, relatively flat riding to Cliffhanger Rd.

Let the climbing begin!! Now on HyMasa trail as it parallels Cliffhanger Rd.

Sign at the exit of Capt. Ahab, I'll pass by here later.

The climb up was tough. Steady mix of riding, walking and lots of practice on cleaning technical features.

Clouds building to the east over the La Sal Mtns.

Follow the blue dots.

I finally made it to Capt. Ahab, but still a bit more climbing.

Incredible vista overlooking Jackson Hole.

Same spot, looking north.

Late afternoon light vibes...and the usually crowded trail all to myself.

Town and the Colorado River.

Saw this memorial tucked up under some rocks on the way down. RIP.

What is this?? Smooth trail on Ahab?? Indeed, there are bits.

At the midway cutoff.

This is some seriously fun riding.

When you stop to take in the surroundings, it's mind blowing to think how the trail builders found a feasible route. Kudos.

The home stretch hugs Kane Springs Canyon.

Flow, power move, flow, power move and built to perfection.

Yes, a hardtail singlespeed rode just fine on this trail.

At the exit and the sign I saw earlier. What a rush.

Now for the mellow runout to the trailhead.

Ahhhhh.

No rain, but some was coming. Look at that packed trailhead.

I'd have to say, if you have a few hours before sunset, this is a great time to do this ride. It's as close to a must-ride option in Moab as there is and the nice thing about it is you don't need all day to do it. Maybe use it as your first ride in town upon arrival or your last one before heading out. Either way, if you haven't ridden it and like technical riding, don't miss it.

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