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A Utah mountain biking vacation will stay in your memory forever. You can choose between wide open desert rides with intriguing red rock vistas or lush green Utah Mountain biking trails that are ornamented with bucolic wild flowers. Because of Moab’s renowned Slickrock Trail, mountain biking in Utah has developed a world class reputation. Alpine mountain biking in Utah is becoming an extremely popular sport. Some of the ski resorts even offer lift-serviced mountain biking. Let’s take a cyber-ride!
Biking in Utah
Part of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA)
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There are excellent mountain biking opportunities throughout Utah. In the southern and eastern areas of the state are rugged tracts through the canyons and red rock desert landscape of the Colorado Plateau (orange area on maps). In the mountainous areas (green on maps) are challenging rides among pretty alpine scenery.
Destinations to consider are grouped by region below. Select any destination that interests you for complete information on routes, outfitters, publications, etc.
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Lift-Serviced Mountain Biking in Utah: If you love Deer Valley for winter skiing, you will adore it for Utah mountain biking. Mountain Bike Action Magazine rated Deer Valley as one of the 10 Best Mountain Biking Destinations. The lift-serviced access at Deer Valley offers over 50 miles of breathtakingly beautiful single and double track trails. At Park City Mountain Resort, there are over 32 miles of Utah Mountain biking trails that meander through weathered mine buildings and historic relics. The resort’s Spiro Trail is one of the most popular mountain bike trails in Utah. At the Canyons Resort, you can take the gondola to the mountain summit. For a historic Utah mountain biking experience, try the Rail Trail. This trail was the result of a nationwide project that helps convert abandoned rail lines into recreational purposes. It travels through the Park City historic district as well as some nearby farming communities.
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 NORTHERN UTAH
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 Flaming Gorge is made up of beautiful clear blue Flaming Gorge Lake, surrounded by brightly colored canyon walls amidst hundreds of thousands of acres of pretty, forested highlands. Around the lake and in the mountainous areas nearby are several good mountain biking routes.
Logan is an attractive small city set between the verdant Cache Valley and the Wasatch Mountains. There are several good tracts in the mountains as well as some pretty touring opportunities through the valley.
Salt Lake City is Utah's cultural, political and population center. It sits in a valley beneath the Wasatch Mountains. Lots of good mountain biking routes through the mountains are available nearby. A bit further away (32 miles) in the resort town of Park City are additional rides and plenty of outfitters.
There are also some more limited opportunities in the Wasatch Mountains near Ogden and Provo.
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 CENTRAL UTAH
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 Tushar Mountain & Beaver -- The Tushar Mountains are a pretty range with a number of mountain biking opportunities. Though the Tushars exceed the height of the Wasatch Mountains in Northern Utah, they remain under appreciated and relatively uncrowded.
Fish Lake is a large natural lake 8,800 feet up in the heavily forested Fishlake Mountains. In the surrounding area are some good mountain biking trails.
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 SOUTHEASTERN UTAH
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Southeastern Utah offers great desert mountain biking. Routes offer terrific scenery and many traverse "slickrock," a sandstone surface that (contrary to its name) offers terrific traction. By far the most popular destination is Moab, from which one can tackle renowned trails near town and in Canyonlands National Park and the La Sal Mountains.
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 Canyonlands National Park is a spectacularly wild area of immense orange-red canyons and superlative red rock formations. Mountain biking is permitted on the many miles of 4wd routes through the park. The White Rim Road in the Island in the Sky District of the park is a 110 mile loop that traverses a mesa above the massive canyons carved by the Colorado and Green rivers. The 4wd routes in the Needles and Maze districts offer numerous shorter options.
The La Sal Mountains, Utah's second highest range, rise impressively above the surrounding red rock desert landscape of southeast Utah. They offer some difficult, but cool single-track routes through pretty alpine terrain.
Moab is the desert mountain biking capital of the country. Near this small town are dozens of good trails, including the renowned Slickrock Bike Trail. There are lots of outfitters renting bikes and leading tours. Both beginners and hardcore riders will find routes to fit their desires.
Moab Utah Mountain Biking: The Slickrock Trail is not just one of the most popular mountain bike trails in Utah. It is probably the most popular biking trail in the world. Here’s some Slickrock Mountain biking Utah trivia: The Slickrock Bike Trail was first developed by motorcyclists in 1969. Although they still use it periodically, the mountain bikers have long since dominated the trail. The word "slickrock" was derived from early settlers who discovered that the barren rock was far too slick for the metal-shoes of their horses. Fortunately for mountain bikers, the opposite is true. Sections of the Slickrock Trail named "Faith in Friction," "Steep Creep," and "Baby Bottom Bowl" give insight to the trail's challenging demeanor. If you are highly skilled at mountain biking, and have impressive aerobic endurance, plan your mountain biking Utah vacation for October, so that you can participate in the 24 hours of Moab event.
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 SOUTHWESTERN UTAH
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 The Markagunt Plateau is an attractive, heavily forested, highland just east of Cedar City. It contains Cedar Breaks National Monument, an area of colorful, eroded rock forms, and the ski resort town of Brian Head. There are numerous good mountain biking rides amidst the pretty mountain scenery of the plateau.
Bryce Canyon National Park offers a spectacularly beautiful series of amphitheaters filled with colorful, eroded rock forms. Though riding in the park is limited, there are several good rides available through the pretty forested highlands of the surrounding area.
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