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Trip Overview Towers of red rock, and cool blue water
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An illustrated itinerary of one of our many travel adventures for gay men, lesbians, and friends. This information supplements our
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We begin our week of mountain biking in the town of Moab, Utah, less than an hour's drive from Canyonlands National Park. We'll spend 4 days (3 nights) riding the White Rim Trail, camping out along the way, with 2 nights in Moab at the start of the trip and 1 night back in Moab at the end of the trail ride. Moab is a pleasant town. It's not exactly a gay mecca, but for those who wish, there is a little nightlife. And in fact our 2012 tour starts on Moab Pride Weekend, so there will be more gay life than usual. The schedule below describes a typical week. Our actual riding times, restaurants, and activities may change based on trail conditions, weather, or simply what cyclists in our group want to do. There are daily 19-seat prop plane flights to Moab from Denver (and seasonally from Las Vegas) on Great Lakes Airlines, but the closest airport with major carriers is Grand Junction, Colorado, a couple of hours' drive away from Moab. There are far more flights to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, but these require a longer drive upon arrival. There is currently no scheduled bus service to Moab.
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1: Arrival Day
Our trip officially begins at 7:00 pm, but early arrivals can walk the main street of historic Moab. A classic western boom-and-bust town, Moab maintains a funky balance between the old-timers who came to mine silver from the hills, and newer arrivals who seek excitement biking and hiking across the wild landscape. Who will be in our group? Typically, we draw a friendly and energetic group of cyclists ranging in age from late twenties to early sixties. And don't be surprised if our group includes international bikers. The popularity of the White Rim Trail attracts gay mountain bikers from around the world. Visitors from countries as far away as Belgium, Australia and Vietnam have joined us in Utah.
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2: Mountain Biking in Moab
The massive Canyonlands region, with its dramatic and intense vistas, has become synonymous with world-class mountain biking. Created by natural forces ranging from cataclysmic upheavals to slow, patient erosion by water, wind and ice, the environment continues to change as a result of endless weathering. Most intriguing is the look of the land itself. In every direction there are mesas and buttes, arches and canyons, strange eroded forms, from the odd hummocks of rock rising out of the scrubby desert soil to the graceful soaring ribbons of stone carved high above the river gorges. We'll take our first warm-up ride today to adjust to our bikes and to the terrain. There are many ride options available and our tour leader will decide, based on the group's abilities, proficiency, and desires. Klondike Bluffs, taking us past fossilized dinosaur tracks, and over a varied mix of sandstone, dirt trails, and mountain roads, is a popular choice for this day.
After the ride, there may yet be time for a late-afternoon hike in Arches National Park, for those with extra energy. A 2-hour hike takes us to several of the park's most dramatic arches, including Landscape Arch -- one of the widest free-standing rock arches in the world, with a span of over 300 feet. A 60-foot slab fell from it in 1991, and the rest looks like it could collapse at any moment. And even after this hike, the day's not over: Our welcome dinner is waiting at one of Moab's better restaurants.
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3: The White Rim Trail Begins
The White Rim Trail carves out a sweeping loop in the Island of the Sky region of Canyonlands National Park, ending not far from where it begins. It can be done in either direction. the description below follows a counter-clockwise route, and describes one year's experience. Please note that our exact itinerary may differ from that described here due to conditions of our national park permit, as well as the effects of the massive trail reconstruction required after the 2010 flooding in the region. We begin atop a 5,000 foot (1600 meter) plateau, above Mineral Bottom. There we mount our bikes and soon descend a thousand feet, over a course of well-maintained switchbacks, eventually reaching the famous White Rim Trail below. The playful route follows contours of immense canyons, with frequent overlooks above the Colorado River. We travel through geological time in magnificent canyon country, carved by the relentless forces of wind and water.
Long before Butch and the horse thieves galloped in, Anasazi Indians lived here. Our guide knows where to find pottery shards from Anasazi settlements. Later, we hike along a slender bridge of land to the remains of a high stone structure that may have been a signal tower for the Anasazi. Tree rings, from lumber used in the tower, date it to the 1200s, just before the Anasazi mysteriously disappeared. The tower is only one of several Anasazi ruins we'll see during the week. We set up camp at the site known as Potato Bottom, alongside the river. The modern, lightweight tents assemble easily. The guides arrange lawn chairs, serve hors d'oeuvres, and set the drink cooler nearby. As we relax, we enjoy picking out shapes on the horizon: In the distance, the distinctive outline of one rock formation has won it the name "The '57 Chevy." The pinnacle above us is known to locals as "The Bishop's Prick"; the smaller pinnacle, opposite it, they call "The Altar Boy"; and no, we're not making this up. Meanwhile, the guides cook up a healthy, delicious meal.
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4: An Anasazi Granary
Breakfast is as good as dinner: a choice of fresh fruit salad with blackberries, apples, and oranges; bacon and eggs; or both. And plenty of coffee. Then we're back to the trail. We have two opportunities to pause from our biking to hike today. First: an Anasazi granary. Tucked under a shelf of rock not far off the road, the granary protected the Anasazi's grain from rodents, and survives remarkably unbattered by eight centuries. Mike, our guide, is as knowledgeable about history as he is about geology. He gives a short talk about the Canyonland's first human inhabitants.
Our second hike offers an entirely different experience. We descend into a convoluted slot canyon, carved by eons of flash floods and rivers. The narrow, sinuous walls give the feeling that we've descended into a giant piece of abstract sculpture as we walk, climb, squeeze, and slide through the canyon. Millions of years of the earth's history are laid open for the curious to ponder and the photographer to record. Wingate sandstone cliffs tower above us as we cycle through ancient layers of rock containing fossils, petrified wood, and relics of an era when the entire region was a vast inland sea. As far as the eye can see, the horizon becomes a maze of undulating canyons: rugged, remote, and beckoning. Tonight we camp at Murphy Hogback, high above the Green River, with spectacular views of the valley. A massive boulder offers shade for before-dinner drinks, and a camp shower is set up for a refreshing pre-dinner wash. Mike is into astronomy, as well as geology and history. After dinner, he pulls out a chart showing when the Space Station will become visible. Sure enough, right on schedule, a light appears amidst the constellations, sweeps through an arc of sky, and two minutes later, it blinks back out.
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5: Life in a Pothole
After a good night's rest beneath a stunning canopy of stars, we will continue our trek along the White Rim Trail. Today we detour to an overlook known as White Crack. Like rooks and knights on a giant chess board, rock spires and buttes rise from the valley below. But the most astounding sight here is much smaller. Eons of weathering have carved small potholes, a few feet in diameter, into the sandstone ledges. When it rains, as it did last month, the potholes fill with water for a few weeks. Then the water dries up, and the potholes are dry again for months at a time. It all sounds simple, and dull, until our guide Maggie encourages us to look more closely. Tiny brine shrimp live in these potholes. After a few moments, we spot several of the tiny animals swimming about. And then, more remarkably, we spot larger creatures, known as tadpole shrimp, swimming, eating, and mating frantically. They've reached a length of 2 inches, and they've only got another week or two in which to lay eggs. Those eggs will survive the dry season, and will come to life -- many years later if that's what it takes -- when the rains come again. Lunches on the road are as tasty as the other meals. Today there's a selection of fruit, pasta, and mixed green salads, plenty of fixin's for sandwiches, drinks, and dessert. Then we're back on our bikes, cycling past the ever-changing scenery of sandstone mesas, dry arroyos, and sculpted rock. Ahead is the aptly-named redrock formation known as the Washerwoman. In another direction, we can still spot the '57 Chevy. Tonight's campsite is at Airport Tower, so named because airplanes once landed on the dirt road near this high sandstone butte. We share a few stories, pick out some constellations, then crawl into sleeping bags for our last night on the road.
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6: A Double-Arch Day
It's our final day on the White Rim Trail, and the shortest, but with some dramatic sights left. Geology and history surround us as we ride past a fantastic array of spires, arches, buttes, mesas, and other nameless rock formations that make up the classic high desert scenery. Today's route has a couple of demanding climbs, a wonderful descent, a few short technical sections, and singular sight: Musselman Arch. Like the arches in Moab's national park, Musselman Arch took form as wind and sand eroded the underpinnings of a vertical sandstone fin. Unlike any other arch we've seen, Musselman Arch is quite flat on top, and just wide enough to, say, drive a VW bus across it. As it turns out, that's exactly what an old-time guide used to do when he sold tours to rockhounds. Finally we come up Shafer Trail Road, back onto the top of Island in the Sky plateau. Bighorn sheep greet us at the top -- along with the van to take us home, a picnic lunch, and spectacular views of the road we've just traveled. We'll be back in Moab by mid-afternoon, with enough time for a real shower. Then, those who still want to see more can hike to Delicate Arch (which we've nicknamed License Plate Arch, because that's where visitors to Utah first see it) in Arches National Park.
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7: Departure Day or Canyonlands Hiking
Our mountain biking tour ends after breakfast in Moab this morning. You can head home right away or see more of the sights in the region. One option is to explore some of the many beautiful hiking trails around Moab and explore the arches and mines of the area. Moab is within a short driving distance of most of Utah's national parks, such as the nearby Arches National Park, so if you have additional vacation time, you may want to visit one of the other stunning locations of this area before heading home.
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