Moab to Mineral Bottom Road

Moab to Mineral Bottom Road is a safe, fun ride that follows the bike path to highway 313.

The Bike path, which is caught just north of Moab on the north side of the Colorado River, is new and in excellent shape. You follow the path  past Arches National Parks entrance and up the hill leading out of Moab Valley. This hill reaches a grade of perhaps 6% and takes riders away from the noisy highway. After a few miles the path comes back to the west passes under the highway (US191), continuing on past Gemini Bridges Road  to Utah 313.

At this point you cross the road and head west, slowly turning to the south, on a wide highway with a good shoulder. Though 313  goes to Dead Horse State Park and Canyonlands National Park, it is not very busy. You follow it though Nine Mile Canyon as it constricts, then do a couple of steeper (7%-8%) switchbacks to reach the high plains near Moab and Monitor Buttes. Continue on with rolling, but generally climbing terrain (at a very low grade). Mineral Bottom Road is 23 miles out. Get there and reverse the route.

You will want to do this when there is minimal wind... it blows hard above the switchbacks on 313. Take lots of water as there are no facilities. The total is 46 miles with about 2,300 feet of climbing. If you are just visiting and don't have a bike, Poison Spider Bicycles at the north end of Moab (on 191) has great road bikes for rent.