In late September Pura Vida Adventures headed to Moab, Utah to ride the trails of this world class mountain biking destination.  Moab has been called “a mountain biking paradise” and the trails that surround Moab definitely lived up to this phrase.
Day 1:  Stopping at the Chili Pepper Bike Shop I was able to rent a bike and buy the needed maps for the week of riding.  I started with the classic slickrock trails just outside the city of Moab. The trails were truly incredible slick rock; they consisted of rolling smooth rock sometimes steep up and down rock face , while other times riding smoother, flatter rock along the canyon rim. It provided beautiful views of desert canyons as well.
The afternoon of Day 1 took me to Bar M.  These trails were less aggressive with nice downhills and easier climbs. It was much smoother riding than slickrock but not as technically challenging.  Two of the trails of a more moderate riding ability at Bar M were Deadman’s Ridge and Rockin’ A.  These two trails are not to be missed by any experienced mountain biker while riding Bar M .

Mountain Biking Guides

Mountain Biking Moab


Day 2: On day two I met up with five year Moab resident and current head mechanic at The Hub bicycle shop in Pisgah Forest North Carolina Jimi Meg.  Jimi is a good friend of Pura Vida Adventures and I was lucky that my trip coincided with a friend who had insider knowledge into the Moab Mountain Biking scene.  Jimi and I had a delicious breakfast at the Love Muffin Cafe before heading to Amasa back trail. The trail was a loop which started with about a four mile climb on  relatively nontechnical slickrock. This was followed by miles of wall riding, nice slick rock drops and jumps, and technical riding along the canyon edge. There were quite a few places where dismounting and walking my bike was necessary, but the riding by far made up for these short hiking sections.  During the ride we ran into a canadian couple and rode with them for the rest of the day as well as the following day.
After an am ride of Amasa back we headed to one of Moab’s newer trails located right over the town. Pipe Dream was a fun 5-6 miles of singletrack well constructed and at an easier level then Amasa back. The trail was 99% rideable and was a great 2 hour afternoon ride to complement the morning at Amasa back.

Mountain Biking guides Pisgh to Moab

Enjoying a rest in the moab desert.


Day3: The Whole Enchilada, over 35 miles of mountain biking euphoria.  The morning started with a hour long shuttle, provided by Coyote Shuttle, up into the La Sal mountains.  It followed with one of the best rides of my life: incredible downhills that started high in the pine forest with trails that reminded me of Pisgah. Later it led to miles of down hill slick rock with incredible rock drops and jumps. Our entire party of four were grinning ear to ear all day.  This ride is not for beginners but any experienced mountain bikers owe it to themselves to ride this at least one time in their life.

Mounatin Biking the whole enchalada

Start of the whole Enchilada


The whole mountain biking experience in Moab was incredible and ended with a great party hosted by the Chili Pepper Bicycle Shop.
Below you can find a comparative table of rides of Moab and those of Pisgah. Pura Vida Adventures will be happy to customize and guide you through Brevard Mountain Bike experience.
Moab                                   Brevard
Bar M, Pipe Dream          Dupont
Amasa back                       Bennett Gap, Farlow, Slate Rock, Pilot Rock
Slickrock                             Cove Creek, Daniel Ridge, Butter Gap, Long Branch, Cat Gap
Whole Enchilada               Black Mountain, Squirrel Gap, Butter Gap, Avery Creek
Although the trails are obviously different this chart is simply to assist in comparing technical trail difficulty and effort.
To check our slick rock trails located in Brevard visit Cedar Rock, Big Rock, Burnt Mountain, and Micajah trails in Dupont State Forest.
 
Pura Vida Adventures is a professional guide service located in Pisgah Forest NC operating under special use permit through Pisgah National Forest. We offer mountain bike trips in length from a half day to a week. For more info email contact@pvadventures.com