Thanks!

And a big thanks to Mat for cleaning up the MTA site and getting our DONATE button up and running. Sacrificing precious Moab riding time for the cause, he has put us in business.  Way to take one for the team!!!

Maps are a success!

In just one month,  due to the timely and concerted efforts of Kirstin, 4 maps were designed, produced, and delivered to bike shops in town. Then the magic of sales took over, MTA made $3000 profit, and Trail Mix received a check for that same amount at the April meeting. That’s pretty good turn around! That check will be used for maintenance on the dirt trails. Hopefully more checks will follow as the season progresses, more maps sell, and more of Moab trail supporters click the DONATE button on this website!! Thanks!!!!!!!

First Annual “Art for Trails” event comes off without a hitch.

MTA is known for getting things done on a shoestring. The latest endeavor was hatched at the November 5 board meeting where it was decided that in 3 weeks time, on October 30, we would throw a schwanky cocktail party/fundraiser and invite local artists to offer work for sale at a 60(artist)/40(MTA) split. MTA needed to generate some cash and artists were facing the dreaded slow winter season. MTA board chair, Ashley offered her beautiful house as the venue, invites were printed, food and drink purchased, art gathered up, and RSVP’s collected. At 6pm the doors opened and the “gallery” was immediately bustling as participants enjoyed lively conversation, yummy appetizers and libations, and a varied offering of creativity appealing to every price range and taste. The evening was a success as evidenced at 11pm by a thoroughly grazed food table, an impressive number of used wine glasses and enough of a dent in the art collection to fatten the coffers. Next year the preparations will begin more in advance and the guest list will be much longer.

 A special thanks to all participating artists:

Tom Till

Serena Supplee

Chris Conrad

Louise Seiler

Shirley Ragen

Scott and Katie Anderson

Chad Niehaus

Chloe Hedden

Anne Vitte Morse

Check Out Our Soil Crusts!

This a picture of what we wish most of our desert still looked like. These are biological soil crusts that take many years to grow and only a second to destroy. If my swiss army knife were in the picture you would see that these guys are about four inches tall and took about 50 years to get that big. If not for cows and jeeps and ATV’s and bikes and any other thing trundling across the open lands, most of our desert would still be covered with and protected by these living organisms. Anyone who has spent any time over the last ten years here can tell you that there is way more dust in the air on a windy day. That’s because the soil crusts have been disturbed and can’t do their important job of holding the dirt in place. Once a patch has been crushed to dust (one footprint can be a culprit), that dust migrates with the next wind and smothers the neighboring crusts. It is a sad story that is only going to get better if people, all of us, start paying a lot more attention to detail. Every footstep, campsite, and tire track leaves a mark. There are a lot of us out there and we need to make a difference. Start now!

No Trepidation on Intrepid

Not to brag too much but this trail along the rim of Dead Horse Point State Park is fantastic.  This brand spanking new singletrack was designed by locals along with the IMBA Trail Care Crew and built by locals with the assistance of pros from the American Conservation Experience trail crews. The trail winds along through the pinion-juniper desert in and out of small drainages, up and over rock ledges and out to spectacular viewpoints that take your breath away.  The ride is designed for beginners and families and is where to go for a refreshing, remote, laid back peddle through some of the most wonderful country where you will most likely see deer, rabbits, hawks, and an aerial view of the Colorado River like no other. The trail moves back and forth from the rim to minimize impacts to wildlife, skirts potholes to protect local fauna access to water, avoids cryptogamic soils that hold the desert in place and keeps you abreast of your location through an informative map signage system. The complete 9 mile loop system will keep every member of the group engaged and if you are lucky enough to have rented the group site (located along the route), some of them can break off and relax with a beer or a cup of tea while everyone else goes for a second round.

 

 

 

The Whole Enchilada

Enough already! No more threats of tickets for illegal riding, no more covert shuttle activity, and no more wishful thinking that someday we would have a trail of epic proportion that showcases our mountains and desert with 7000 feet of elevation drop. The Forest Service in the La Sal Mountains has come through again for the mountain biking community. Say thanks to Brian and Max (and let’s not forget Jeff and Joel from Trail Mix) for coordinating the biologists and botanists and archeologists. Say thanks again for designing a fantastic reroute of the previously user created trail that forgot about the critter’s breeding habits and other environmental concerns. Another thanks for getting those biker volunteers out there for the big trail work day push that put the official opening in March instead of maybe sometime in August. If it ever stops snowing up there (actually it is melting fast now), we’ll all be enjoying the latest addition to a fine network of trails in Moab’s own little mountain range.

Moab this spring

There are some exciting events coming up in Moab this spring. For the full calender, check this out, otherwise, here are a few of interest to Moab Trails readers.

The Moab Munifest – March 27-29th – Come check out our incredible trails on one wheel if that’s your thing.

Adventure Xtreme Series – Moab 12hr – March 28 – Get your extreme multi-sport adventure on with this challenge.

Moab 100 – March 28-29th – This ultra-endurance running races uses lots of the great trails around town.

Easter Jeep Safari – April 4-12th – This is easily one of Moab’s busiest weeks, but thanks to work from MTA we have more and more non-motorized trails to escape the jeep madness and let everyone have a good time.

Moab Art Walk – April 11th – Smack dab at the climax of Jeep Safari is the dash of culture called art walk. Stroll downtown streets and check out great work from local artists. Town should be packed for this.

Coming Soon!

MTA and the State Parks have a surprise for you this spring! Coming soon, and for the first time, Moab will have a brand new network of singletrack for your enjoyment at world famous Dead Horse Point State Park. I personally rank Dead Horse Point as one of my favorite spots around Moab, so being able to ride desert singletrack there will be absolutely incredible.

A sneak peak:

Singletrack above the vastness of Canyonlands

Winter in Moab

A few pictures from this winter with a beautiful dusting of snow on the La Sal Mountains. Spring is in the air however, with the first signs of green present around town. Looking forward to seeing everyone out on our incredible trails soon!

River Bridge Pictures