Vertigo

Rating: 
One-way Distance: 1 mile
Difficulty: Moderate
Skill level:
Elevation: 4449 - 4582 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Parking Area A
Fee: none
Attractions: Very fun scenic challenge

The Vertigo trail is located in the Klonzo Mountain Biking Area north of Moab, Utah. The upper end of the trail begins near the top of the Cross Canyon trail while the lower end connects to the middle of the Secret Passage trail. The middle of the Vertigo trail is also connected to by the lower end of the Gravitron trail. Tight turns in and around boulders, as well as a narrow section along the steep slope of a deep wash, suggest that riders may need just a little more than intermediate riding skills.

This post begins at the upper end of the trail at the point where it departs from the Cross Canyon trail which is only a few hundred feet from where it meets up with the Wahoo trail.

The red dirt route begins with a little descent as it winds its way around the contours of the hillside.

As the trail progresses it crosses a small rocky ridge.

At one point the trail makes a tight turn between several boulders where a narrow bridge of rocks spans a wash. Going in this direction the boulders serve as a natural means to get riders perfectly lined up for the crossing but its sudden appearance does draw gasps from those that aren't ready for it. We had already ridden the trail in the other direction and from that way the bridge doesn't make such an unexpected appearance.

After crossing the narrow bridge be sure to read all of this sign. The intended message is; 'DUCK, rock above'!

There is more room than it first appears but it definitely isn't a good time to be standing up.

The Gravitron trail makes its connection right at the half mile, or midpoint of the trail. The Gravitron trail is one-way in the other direction so to ride it you have to begin at the top off of the Wahoo trail.

At this point the wash looks more like a canyon. The steeps slope of the hillside makes the trail seem a lot narrower. We're guessing that the trail got its name from this spot.

After the narrow passage the landscape opens up considerably and the trail makes a twisted descent down an area of large boulders.

The last leg of the trail crosses the pipeline road and climbs a small hill to get to the next valley over.

The Vertigo trail comes to an end at the midpoint of the Secret Passage trail. From here either way you go will lead to the Cross Canyon trail. On the day we did the Vertigo trail for this post we also did all of the rest of the trails in the North Klonzo area and still finished up with a lot of daylight left. Other riders that we stopped to talk with were coming from as far away as Denver and Salt Lake City. Many of them were camping for the weekend along the Willow Springs Road. If you choose to do that be sure to bring your own portable toilet along because at present there are no facilities of any kind in the area. As far as the Vertigo trail goes, if you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is grab your bike or 'Take a hike'.