| November 20, 2022
Moab is an ideal basecamp for an off-season, off-road adventure.
By Randy Commons | Photography by Simon Cudby
Moab is a mecca for the outdoor enthusiast. The list of activities you can do there is miles long. Some of these activities can be thrilling and even a little chancy, while others can be purely stress-free and tranquil, like simply sitting outside and enjoying Moab’s magnificent scenery at sunset while perhaps sipping a glass of chardonnay at a local winery. The choice is yours—simple or stimulating, or how about a little bit of both? Moab can accommodate.
If you’ve never been there, you’re missing out. Moab is a relatively small city in eastern Utah that is often referred to as the gateway to Arches National Park. The city itself isn’t so much the attraction as is the awesome canyon terrain that consumes the city, where approximately 5000 lucky people call home. Thankfully, Moab welcomes outdoor adventurists of all kinds, from four-wheelers to mountain bikers, to skydivers to backpackers, to, yes, even off-road motorcyclists like you and me. Moab is no secret, however. Thousands of outdoor adventure seekers migrate to the area every year, and crowds can sometimes be somewhat of a nuisance. Peak tourist season is spring and fall—summer is too hot, and winter is too cold. As a result, adventure motorcyclists like myself tend to plot out their Moab rides during tourist season. My rides are usually point-to-point, sometimes involving pitching tents, finding a quiet place to chill and then getting a good night sleep before continuing the adventure the following day. You can easily do this in spring and fall when temperatures are prime. However, my riding buddies wanted to try something a little different this time, so we planned a multi-day ride smack dab in the middle of winter and hoped for the best weather-wise. In theory, crowds would be next to non-existent, and we’d have the place all to ourselves. Camping, of course, would be out of the question. Just too cold. But, hey, this is what Airbnb’s are for.
So, we planned four successive day rides, and they would be based out of the city. What was nice about this trip/story, we had no real agenda. No bike testing, no gear testing, just ride and have fun, the way ADV’ing was intended. Okay, perhaps that was indeed the agenda. However, when Simon Cudby is involved, there is always at least one must-do—snap some rad photos. That’s what he does (and quite well, I might add). Simon and Moab are a match made in heaven.
All right let’s do this.
Check-In
We reserved an Airbnb, our basecamp for the next four days. We brought ADV bikes, as well as dual-sport bikes. We came prepared for whatever Moab had to offer and whatever kind of trail we could find; after all, Moab has lots to offer.
Our crew of six included Kelli Anson, Travis Brock, Scott Lantefield, Simon and my son, Hayden. And when Jason Abbott heard what we were doing, he dropped everything and high-tailed it out from Idaho just to join us for the final day. With a two-car garage packed full of motorcycles (12 of them!), gear bags and plastic tubs full of stuff, the six of us set out for what certainly would be an epic off-season Moab adventure.
Moab, Here We Come
Day one’s plan was to explore the Lockhart Basin area on the adventure bikes. We had the entire day to cover a meager 75 miles, so this afforded us plenty of time to chase down those dead-end canyons and enjoy the cliffside views of the Colorado River, which we probably wouldn’t have done if we had a particular place to be at a specific time, like some of my other past long point-to-point rides. I’ve ridden the Lockhart Basin area a few times before but never stopped and made the time to explore. This is my first time through without the temps being in the high 90s and low 100s, so the mid-40s to low 50s of winter made for a welcome change. The off-season weather seemed to be working out for us.
A hidden gem along the trail was Basecamp Adventure Lodge, which I had never noticed before despite the large trailside sign—a good reminder to slow down and look around. Not sure how I would work it into a ride, but I thought it would be a cool off-grid place to spend the night.
We rode Lockhart out to the end through Lethal Bridge Natural Arch and again stopped to take in the views of the Colorado River below. After a full day of chasing down dead-end canyons and sand washes, we turned back and headed for Hurrah Pass, hoping to catch the sunset for epic photo ops. As the sun went down, so did the temps, so we headed back to our warm Airbnb. We managed to make a full day out of a “short” 75-mile ride. Not the typical mileage for an adventure bike, but it was a nice change of pace.
We chose to start day two a little later, hoping it would be a little warmer. The low 40s versus the low 30s we shivered through yesterday would be welcomed. We hopped on the adventure bikes for the second day in a row and headed north out of town on pavement for a few miles. A little cold, we hooked a left off Highway 191 onto the dirt and headed out to Gemini Bridges. We quickly ran into a partially frozen half-mile snow climb that proved to be a little challenging for some of our group. A couple runs at it, and with a little help from the others, we all made it through. Now that everyone was wide awake and warmer, we soaked in the incredible 360-degree views from the top. Dropping back into the basin floor, we rode some great fun, fast, flowing dirt roads through Gooney Bird to Gemini Bridges. The traction and dirt were perfect. We checked out some of the out-and-back Jeep trails like Metal Masher along the way. Continuing on Gemini Bridges Road, we headed North on Hwy 313 to Mineral Canyon Road, past Mineral Canyon Arch, Fruit Bowl, and the highland area. It was worth the haul as we came to a cool set of Jeep-sized switchbacks. The switchbacks made for beautiful views and dropped us down to the Green River for more great photo ops.
We chased the Green River North on some epic dirt roads, moto-ing up multiple canyons to dead ends until we ran out of options. As the sun started to drop behind the canyon walls and we found ourselves unable to find an alternate route out of the canyons, we decided to head back the way we came in. As we left the canyon, a dozen or so wild horses blocked our path. They turned out to be friendly, and they allowed us to approach and engage a bit before we rode off.
Day three was reserved for the “little” bikes, so we sought out tighter and more technical trails.
There is no shortage of these in the Moab area. You can easily find what you want for any type of motorcycle.
On the next and final day, it was back on the adventure bikes, and Jason Abbott now made it a crew of seven. We headed north and turned right onto paved Highway 128. We followed it along the Colorado River for about 30 miles. What a great area with great camping, ranch-style resorts, and old-school mercantile stores along the way.
The plan was to ride Onion Creek Trail and see if we could punch through one of the mountain passes to make it a loop rather than another out-and-back ride. Just off the 128, Onion Creek Trail and campground look like a typical dirt turn-off. A few miles in, the red canyon walls began to rise, and the deep canyon views started to appear. The Jeep trail wound back and forth through half-frozen creeks. There must have been 20 to 30 crossings with the sound of breaking ice beneath our tires. Onion Creek has some of the most beautiful rock formations and canyon views you’ll find anywhere. We rode it to the end and explored two mountain passes we thought we could get through. No luck. We encountered too much snow. No biggie, we turned back. Onion Creek was just as much fun in reverse.
The off-season in Moab was all we had hoped for. We rode and explored familiar terrain with new eyes and different conditions; we took our time and enjoyed the calm. The trails were uncrowned and wet. The town was quiet and very welcoming. We made some good memories, had a lot of fun, and returned with a ton of fantastic photography. Mission accomplished. CN