- A Repair Kit! The bike shops will provide you with a flat repair kit with each rental which includes a pump, tube, tire levers, patch kit, and small multi-tool. If you like your super rad, extra special multi-tool be careful that it doesn’t get confiscated at airport security!
- Helmet! Basic bike helmets with all rentals but if you like your custom POC helmet with a TripOutside sticker (like me) then go ahead and pack it. It may take up space in your carry-on but at least it’s light!
- Pedals! The shops will have flat, SPD, Time, and Crank Brothers pedals on hand… just indicate your preference when booking. If you like your pedals, you are more than welcome to bring them and we will install them for you.
- Hydration Pack or Backpack! It is very important to bring a sufficient amount of water on rides in the Moab desert. The shops will also have a fantastic selection of hydration packs for men, women, and children if you are in the market for a new one!
- Gloves! The shops have a variety of excellent gloves for men, women, and children available at the shop. Stop in a grab a pair if you aren’t in love with the ones you have.
- Shoes! Lucky for the shops, they don’t rent cycling shoes. If you plan to use clipless shoes on your ride, you will need to pack your own or pick up a new pair at the shop!
If you are visiting Moab in the Spring or Fall time and during a weekend, we highly recommend renting a bike as this is the busiest time of the year and most shops are running out of bikes.
You can also make sure that you get the best fitting bike and the exact one that you want without making any sacrifices.
Moab offers so many incredible trail systems to choose from. Before we get into all the amazing places where you can mountain bike, let’s discuss where you can’t mountain bike. Arches National Park and Canyonlands Trails have incredible trails but they are only open for hiking. You can only mountain bike on the roads and the 4×4 roads inside of the parks. The best mountain biking in Moab is outside of the national parks.
We recommend checking out Discover Moab, MTB Projects, Singletracks and Trailforks to review the trails and the systems that you want to ride.
The most popular trails in mountain biking trails Moab are:
The Whole Enchilada (only available to ride after July and until snowfall in October-ish)
UPS/LPS and Porcupine Rim
Navajo Rocks
Bar M Trails
Klondike Bluffs
Bar M trails
Amasa Back
Dead Horse State Park
The Slickrock trail
Mag 7 trail system
In general, bikers come to Moab to ride some of the most technical trails that the world has to offer but don’t let that turn you away from trying mountain biking as an activity while you’re in Moab! The city has done an incredible job building new trails over the past few years to meet all skill levels.
If you are relatively new to mountain biking, we recommend starting off on some of the green trails listed here on MTB project and on Trailforks. But these apps can be tricky because it shows each trail and not the best beginner-friendly systems where the trails are located. The best option is to stop by a bike shop and ask the staff.
Overall, we feel that the systems below are the most beginner-friendly in Moab that offer the most green (beginner) and blue (intermediate) trails.
Bar M trails also known as Moab Brand trails (16 mins from Moab)
Klonzo Trail system (35 mins from Moab)
Klondike Bluffs trail system (30 mins from Moab) furthest from town but provides opportunities to see dinosaur footprints!
Deadhorse State Park – (45 mins from Moab) one of the best views of the area but it requires an entrance fee.
When you get to these trailheads, look for the trails marked in green and start with those. If those seem easy, you can work your way up to the blue trails.
The best time to visit Moab, Utah is either Spring (March-May) or Fall (Late August – October) as it gets very hot during the summer. Early spring and late fall are the best times to avoid Moab’s influx of tourists. Summer is sweltering in Moab, and due to the lack of shade, riding should be completed early in the morning – many shops require bike rentals to be returned by late morning.
If timing is not an issue, we would always pick September to ride in Moab because you can be guaranteed that the Whole Enchilada is open (which it won’t be in the Spring due to snow).
