Utah trip information

Can anyone point me in the direction of some of the "must rides" in Utah?

A friend and I are going to drive down in Febuary and would like to hit some goods - with driving we'll probably spend a bit more than two weeks camping, hiking and biking in the States.

We're looking mostly for long out/back "all mountain" loops maybe with the chance to camp along the way; no death marches, no crazy DH trails, just good mountain biking..epic scenery is important. I'm going as much for seeing the USA as for mountain biking.

Also good brewery tours to recommend?

Is there much theft at trailheads?

Any good websites or direction would be good.

Also good brewery tours to recommend?

In Utah?? The state that regulates beer to maximum 3.2% alcohol?

Kn.

Can anyone point me in the direction of some of the "must rides" in Utah?

A friend and I are going to drive down in Febuary and would like to hit some goods - with driving we'll probably spend a bit more than two weeks camping, hiking and biking in the States.

We're looking mostly for long out/back "all mountain" loops maybe with the chance to camp along the way; no death marches, no crazy DH trails, just good mountain biking..epic scenery is important. I'm going as much for seeing the USA as for mountain biking.

Also good brewery tours to recommend?

Is there much theft at trailheads?

Any good websites or direction would be good.

You can fill up a few weeks between Moab, UT; Fruita CO; and potentially Gooseberry Mesa, UT pretty easily.

For a big multi-day epic you could look at the Kokopelli trail. http://www.bikerpelli.com/Kokopelli_Trail/index.php I've never done it, but always been curious as it connects two of my favorite areas and the scenery around there is spectacular.

And KenN is correct. Bring beer with you into Utah.

If you are driving down through Oregon, thats where the good breweries will be.

Check out our website

sharonandlee.net for some of the rides done.

Wasatch beer in SLC is pretty good!

It be late to do some of the bigger rides above 6000 feet, they're getting some snow now.

There are some good rides in Park City too.

My wife is from SLC, Utah and I can attest that there is good ([HTML_REMOVED] strong) beer to be found in Utah however I would a agree that if you are heading south through Oregon it would be wise to stock up there for the fizzy beverages.

There's actually a few decent micro-breweries in the Salt Lake area now, which produce quite decent beer. I enjoyed a quite nice imperial IPA at one (forget the name, but it's right downtown near the trendy areas. Not Squatters, which is okay. I think it had Red in it's name?) in March, which was really a pleasant surprise. Utah's slowly joining the 20th century in this regard. Apparently much has evolved in SLC since the Olympics. Ask a knowledgeable local for good info on brewpubs. There seemed to be plenty of good eating in the city, but like anywhere, do your homework. I find asking the staff at outdoor shops like Patagonia, Black Diamond, etc. always helps for good eating advice.

A previous poster was pretty much correct in advising to stock up beer in Oregon before you head down to Utah…better beer, selection, and prices. Colorado's good, too, if you're over that way. Fort Collins has quite the number of good breweries, as I can recall from past trips.

As for riding in February, you have to remember that it's still winter down there, and you have to pick your locations and timing based on the forecast and conditions. Moab (the brewpub is lame there, and is more of a family restaurant) will probably be fine for the lower elevation rides (although it can be horribly windy on the plateaus), as well as the area around Hurricane/St. George/Zion. You can probably do the Porcupine Rim around then, but might not be able to access the upper trailheads. There's plenty of good riding in Moab to suit the weather and your style. Slickrock trial is still fun, despite its business.
Gooseberry Mesa, in Hurricane is superb, and fun, although access at that time of the year can be tricky. I was there in March after a rain storm, and the road access was a sketchy, slick, muddy affair. The drive in with a 4x4 truck was quite entertaining. Anything low clearance would not have made it in those conditions. If it was dry, it would be a lot easier, but don't take your Porsche! The riding at Gooseberry was really fun and pleasant, but not hard. Highly recommended, though, as well as the Hurricane Rim/Jem trail loop, which is a fun 20 mile xc romp. There's also another cap rock type trail I did in the area, off the highway towards Zion, but can't remember it's name ( about a 20min drive to the north of the hwy up a dirt rd onto the plateau…really pleasant, as I recall. LBS will help you out down there with detailed access info.

Sedona's supposed to be nice around that time, but I've never been there.
Fruita/Grand Junction should be decent at that time of year, as well, but keep your eye on the forecast.
We hoped to ride the Thunder Mtn. trail near Bryce, but it was completely snowed in. Supposed to be a stellar ride, though.

We stopped in Vernal, Utah on the way back this spring, which had some decent riding, although the town was a dead loss. Pricey and lame accomodation (it's an oil town, so high prices), only one not-too-bad restaurant, in an otherwise completely uninspired town. The Dinosaur Museum and Dinosaur Nat. Mon. was cool for my daughter, but otherwise the town had nothing much to recommend it. The riding out at McCoys Flats was decent, fun xc riding, but nothing I'd cross the country for. I rode some trails up near the Red Fleet area, but they were less flowy, and the ground was still saturated from winter rains/snow. If Vernal is on your route, definately stop there, camp out by McCoys, and do some rides there, but I certainly wouldn't call it destination. Skip the town for food and accom, though. Dinosaur Museum is the only cool thing there.

If the weather's good, Bend, Oregon could be good for a couple of days, as it dos have some good winter riding. Make sure you do the Deschutes Brewery tour and sampling as well. Bend has about 5 brewpubs, which should tell you something about the town. Try this link for info:
http://www.ormtb.com/index.html

I did a nice ride in the Foothills of Boise on the way home, but it kind of depends on weather, and if it's had a day or so to dry out.

Here's great info for planning your riding in Utah:
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/trails/

Sharon and Lee's site is also really helpful for getting ideas as well.

Hope all this helps out. Still plenty of time to do your research. If they're having a big winter down there, don't hesitate to head further south like Arizona.

There's actually a few decent micro-breweries in the Salt Lake area now, which produce quite decent beer. I enjoyed a quite nice imperial IPA at one (forget the name, but it's right downtown near the trendy areas. Not Squatters, which is okay. I think it had Red in it's name?) in March, which was really a pleasant surprise. Utah's slowly joining the 20th century in this regard. Apparently much has evolved in SLC since the Olympics. Ask a knowledgeable local for good info on brewpubs. There seemed to be plenty of good eating in the city, but like anywhere, do your homework. I find asking the staff at outdoor shops like Patagonia, Black Diamond, etc. always helps for good eating advice.

A previous poster was pretty much correct in advising to stock up beer in Oregon before you head down to Utah…better beer, selection, and prices. Colorado's good, too, if you're over that way. Fort Collins has quite the number of good breweries, as I can recall from past trips.

As for riding in February, you have to remember that it's still winter down there, and you have to pick your locations and timing based on the forecast and conditions. Moab (the brewpub is lame there, and is more of a family restaurant) will probably be fine for the lower elevation rides (although it can be horribly windy on the plateaus), as well as the area around Hurricane/St. George/Zion. You can probably do the Porcupine Rim around then, but might not be able to access the upper trailheads. There's plenty of good riding in Moab to suit the weather and your style. Slickrock trial is still fun, despite its business.
Gooseberry Mesa, in Hurricane is superb, and fun, although access at that time of the year can be tricky. I was there in March after a rain storm, and the road access was a sketchy, slick, muddy affair. The drive in with a 4x4 truck was quite entertaining. Anything low clearance would not have made it in those conditions. If it was dry, it would be a lot easier, but don't take your Porsche! The riding at Gooseberry was really fun and pleasant, but not hard. Highly recommended, though, as well as the Hurricane Rim/Jem trail loop, which is a fun 20 mile xc romp. There's also another cap rock type trail I did in the area, off the highway towards Zion, but can't remember it's name ( about a 20min drive to the north of the hwy up a dirt rd onto the plateau…really pleasant, as I recall. LBS will help you out down there with detailed access info.

Sedona's supposed to be nice around that time, but I've never been there.
Fruita/Grand Junction should be decent at that time of year, as well, but keep your eye on the forecast.
We hoped to ride the Thunder Mtn. trail near Bryce, but it was completely snowed in. Supposed to be a stellar ride, though.

We stopped in Vernal, Utah on the way back this spring, which had some decent riding, although the town was a dead loss. Pricey and lame accomodation (it's an oil town, so high prices), only one not-too-bad restaurant, in an otherwise completely uninspired town. The Dinosaur Museum and Dinosaur Nat. Mon. was cool for my daughter, but otherwise the town had nothing much to recommend it. The riding out at McCoys Flats was decent, fun xc riding, but nothing I'd cross the country for. I rode some trails up near the Red Fleet area, but they were less flowy, and the ground was still saturated from winter rains/snow. If Vernal is on your route, definately stop there, camp out by McCoys, and do some rides there, but I certainly wouldn't call it destination. Skip the town for food and accom, though. Dinosaur Museum is the only cool thing there.

If the weather's good, Bend, Oregon could be good for a couple of days, as it dos have some good winter riding. Make sure you do the Deschutes Brewery tour and sampling as well. Bend has about 5 brewpubs, which should tell you something about the town. Try this link for info:
http://www.ormtb.com/index.html

I did a nice ride in the Foothills of Boise on the way home, but it kind of depends on weather, and if it's had a day or so to dry out.

Here's great info for planning your riding in Utah:
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/trails/

Sharon and Lee's site is also really helpful for getting ideas as well.

Hope all this helps out. Still plenty of time to do your research. If they're having a big winter down there, don't hesitate to head further south like Arizona.

February might be a bit early for Utah. Matt, Chris, and I went in mid-March this year and most was under snow. We diverted to Vegas instead. True it was a heavy/late snow year, so you never know.

Keep us posted. I'll be down in the southern states this winter and may be returning via Utah in late Feb if the weather is agreeable. I've been to Moab twice, so should be able to show you some fun stuff.

Doesn't Utah still consider bringing beer into that state bootlegging and you can get busted for it?

yup mtbr is full of stories of utah border cop roadblocks on weekends, inspecting for Oregon moonshine :)

Moab is fun, with many ride to the ride options (if you can handle 5+ miles of road first)

Sedona this year was fantastic. Primo trails + red rocks + trees!! Crazy UFO town, with great singletrack (Moab is mostly jeep track trails). Best single location I've been to in the USA.

Here's great info for planning your riding in Utah:
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/trails/

Wrocker's post covered things pretty well, the main point being that February isn't the best time to hit Utah. The biggest problem is any snow or rain makes the dirt roads mostly impassible, and you don't want your bike anywhere near the mud. Think nasty clay mud that is slippery as snot but cakes and hardens like cement on your bike. Even if the trails are ok you may not be able to get to them. The MTBR Utah forum is useful as lots of locals post there. The shops would also be able to tell you if hitting Utah in Feb is a lost cause or if it just depends on conditions. Try Over The Edge Sports in Fruita and Hurricane, and Poison Spider or Chili Pepper in Moab. The website linked above is awesome for research, with decent maps and GPS.

The good news is there are lots of other options. Sedona is a 6 hr drive south of SW Utah and has some incredible trails surrounded by amazing red rock scenery. Very worthwhile…I spent a week there last Thanksgiving and will be back again soon. Phoenix and Tucson are a bit further south but also have some great riding and great weather. South Mountain in Phoenix is a favorite. Fun technical riding plus its right by ASU and is crawling with ASU chicks in short shorts and sport bras, in case the riding isn't enough reason to go. Black Canyon Trail between Sedona and Phoenix is awesome, 78mi of trail that can be done in sections http://www.bctaz.com/. You can get decent maps of AZ trails here: http://www.singletrack.us/. February is a perfect time to ride in the desert.

If you're that far south its also an easy drive over to SoCal. Lots of good stuff here too. Palm Springs has some excellent riding. Most everything at lower elevations will be open unless it has been raining. There are too many options here to list. If you think you might make it down to AZ or SoCal I can get more specific with trail suggestions. This area is your best bet for good conditions for February.

I would 4th sedona! It would be a long drive from here.

You could fly from Bellingham to Vegas or Phoenix pretty cheap, rent a car. Phoenix would have good riding then too.

Well, I think we've decided to divert a little further south to Sedona, thanks for the heads up on the snow and the poor quality beer options in Utah. I've also always wanted to see the grand canyon so it'll be worth the extra distance.

Google maps quotes a 22hr drive from my house, with two people driving it's only an 11hr shift each, not bad at all. We're bringing my full-size pickup with canopy so I can bring all the comforts of home haha.