Round Trip Distance: 18.6 miles
Difficulty: Easy - Moderate
Elevation: 3951 - 4631 feet
Cellphone: 2-5 bars
Time: 2 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: Lions Bike Hub
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic paved trail
The Moab Canyon Bike Trail is a paved path that begins near the Colorado River in Moab and extends north along Highway 191 for about 9 miles to Highway 313. Enroute the trail passes by Courthouse Wash, Arches National Park, the Moab Brands Mountain Bike Area and the Gemini Bridges Road.On the south end of the trail at Moab there are connections to other segments of paved trails that pass in and around the town of Moab and along the Colorado River to Negro Bill Canyon.
The trailhead is located at the junction of Highway 191 and Highway 128 on the north end of Moab. Begin by following the paved trail on the east side of the parking area near the restrooms.
The trail passes through a tunnel under Highway 128. At the junction take the route that crosses over the Colorado River on the pedestrian bridge.
Continue past Courthouse Wash and another trailhead and parking area.
After about 2 miles the trail passes the entrance for Arches National Park.
The mileposts off to the side of the trail are placed pretty accurately. If you begin where we did at the Lions Hub then add about a quarter mile to the distance.
The trail climbs gradually for the first 4.3 miles where the slope then increases.
At this point the trail is entering the Moab Brands Mountain Bike Area where many single track dirt trails make connections with the paved path. The Killer Bee trail is the first one encountered followed by several junctions with the Sidewinder Trail.
The different tones of red color blend together for a display of the outstanding scenery the Moab area is famous for.
The steepest part of the trail is like a mountain pass that lasts for over a mile and a half.
As the trail levels off around the 6 mile point it passes one of the Moab Brands parking areas.
At about the 7.25 mile point the trail passes another parking area and then goes through a tunnel under Highway 191 to the west side of the road.
Here it makes a straight shot past the Gemini Bridges Road turnoff and continues slightly downhill to Highway 313.
Just over 9 miles the trail ends at the parking area on Highway 313. The options here include turning around and heading back, as we did, or following Highway 313 to somewhere like Dead Horse Point State Park or the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands.
On the trip back there is a little bit of gradual uphill to get to the last Moab Brands parking area and then it is pretty much one long roll all the way back to Moab. There is a 20 MPH speed limit on the trail because of a few sharp corners. The total elevation gain for this ride is just over 2100 feet due to the high point being near the Moab Brands trails.
We have seen bighorn sheep through here in the past. On this trip all we spotted were a couple of hawks or falcons on a boulder high above the trail.
While we road the Moab Canyon Bike Trail on our mountain bikes it is a big draw for road bikes and was built with them in mind. The trail provides a safer route for road bikes that are headed to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks as well as Dead Horse Point State Park than riding along the shoulders of Highway 191 does. Moab is putting in a lot of effort to not only become a premier destination for hiking, mountain biking and jeeping but also for world class road biking. The Moab Canyon Bike Trail is a shining example of their efforts. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is grab your bike or 'Take a hike'.
