UFO

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 3.2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Skill level:
Elevation: 4950 - 5081 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: Mega Steps or Klondike Bluffs
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic trail

The UFO trail is in the Klondike Bluffs Area north of Moab, Utah. The trail makes a connection between the Baby Steps Loop and the Little Salty trail. The trail is a popular route for people that come up South Baby Steps and cut over to the Little Salty trail to avoid making the whole Baby Steps Loop to get back down to the Copper Ridge Road and other trails in the area. For this post we began at the Little Salty end of the trail and followed the UFO trail over to the Baby Steps Loop where we turned around and returned to Little Salty.

The UFO trail is at the 1 1/4 mile point of the Little Salty trail measuring from the Copper Ridge Road. Whatever route a person takes to get to this point will decide how much distance to add to the length of the UFO trail if the overall distance is a concern.

Starting out the trail does a little climbing to get over a small ridge.

Once over the hump it gives back most of the elevation it gained.

We are guessing that the trail got its name from this proudly perched boulder that one can imagine looks like a flying saucer.

As the route progresses it crosses several more small ridges. From each ridge the trail drops down into scenic little valleys that are all a little different from each other.

If you can imagine the other boulder looking like a flying saucer then it shouldn't be too much of a stretch to picture this one looking like an eagle's head.

Besides the other mountain bikers that we encountered we also came upon a trail runner on the UFO trail and one on Little Salty.

The UFO trail comes to an end at its junction with the Baby Steps Loop and that is where we turned around and went back the same way that we came. Pretty much all of the trail junctions in the Klondike Bluffs have a map that shows your current location and any other trails in the area. There are a half dozen or so new trails that aren't currently on all of the maps yet but that will probably change in time. The UFO trail is a well used connector trail and a good one to keep in mind for this part of the Klondike Bluffs. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is grab your bike or 'Take a hike'.