Trail Stats & Information

Nearby City: Moab
Length: about 14.8 miles
Trail Type: Loop,  Out & Back, but most people shuttle
Skill Level: Technically very difficult to abusive. Physically difficult.
Duration: 2-5  hours
Trailhead Elev: 6,000 feet
Top Elev: 6,800 feet

Book Description

Vertical exposure and increasingly difficult rock gardens with undulating and sheared bedrock shelves jutting out at every angle make this trail a bone snapper, a heart breaker, and a hell of a great ride. For those of us who love to abuse our bodies and equipment, this trail is perfect and includes one of the very few singletracks in the area. This trail is not only technical and kills people, it is stunningly beautiful. Overlooks of Castle Valley, La Sal Mountains, Jackass Canyon, the Colorado River Gorge, and Moab Rim come and go as the trail bobs and weaves and punches you repeatedly. Trail Surface: Technical 4WD road and singletrack. Jackhammer bedrock, ledges, loose rock sediments, sand, and cliffs.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

My Experience

I am all too familiar with the Porcupine Rim Trail, the first time I did this trail, I was “stoked” for a whole week. The Porcupine Rim was also nominated as last years “Mountain Madness 2008 “  Best Trail in the USA.
This trail is Fantastic, Brutal and Mental, if you or your bike is not 100% in top form, you should give this trail a wide berth!! Highly technical, physically very demanding. Numerous mountain bikers have died on the Porcupine, and when riding it, it’s easy to see why. But, it is definitely a trail that every serious mountain biker should have on his/ her list of “Must Do’s”

Conclusion

Up at 7 am, and was on the trail by 8.am.  Just like the first time, I love this trail, this time around I felt I was in top form, and I was darting around like a greased whippet with a flea up his arse, then my derailleur hanger broke, and my world came tumbling down. I always carry spares, but by now I was a bit more cautious.
The trail is very demanding for both bike and rider, carpets of 15 inch “Dragons Teeth” pointing in every direction, just waiting to rip you and your bike to pieces.
The singletrack section of the Porcupine is where most people get hurt, on this section there is no room for error, and any form of hesitation or last minute change of mind and you will definitely pay the price.
Do not attempt the Porcupine Trail if you and your bike is not in Top Shape. But if you and your bike are up for it, you are gonna have one of the best rides you will ever have.

Other Info:

Traffic on Trail : no one
Wild Life : who needs wildlife on a ride like this!?
Scenery : Absolutely Fantastic 360 degree 3D Scenery
Other : Start early, make sure you and your bike are in top shape. People have died on this trail, DO NOT become a statistic.

My Trail Rating : 9.5 / 10

.

.

Trail Stats & Information

Nearby City: Crested Butte
Length: 14.1 total miles
Trail Type: Loop
Skill Level: Aerobically: moderate to strenuous, with a fair amount of climbing at altitude. Technically: easiest-difficult
Duration: 2 to 4 hours
Trailhead Elev: 9000 feet
Top Elev: 10500 feet

Guide Book Description

A lot of road riding to get to some singletrack, but once you hit the singletrack all that road riding will seem worth it. This ride has one of the finest sections of singletrack in the Crested Butte area. There are incredible views, meadows, and hillsides filled with wildflowers; stream crossings; and tight, twisting singletrack that will put a huge smile on your face. Do this ride. Tread: Dirt road, 8.6 miles on doubletrack, and 5.5 miles on singletrack.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

My Experience

First of all, if I had not had so many recommendation for this trail, I probably would have given it a miss, for just one reason, almost 9 MILES!! on a dirt road for 5.5 miles of singletrack. The first thing that came to my mind was.. Why not a total 11 miles “Out & Back”?
It had rained pretty hard last night, and up in Crested Butte that meant snow, I started the ride pretty late for my doing, at noon. Within the first 30 min. I knew I should not have started this ride. I know I could have turned around and gone back, but I carried on. Although it was dry, and not really cold, the wind was ferocious. The 9 miles from Horse Ranch Trail head to the top of Irwin Lake Campground was horrible, and I hated every second of it, so lets jump to the start of the actual singletrack.

The singletrack starts of nice, smooth and fast downhill, just when you want to start singing for joy, you start swearing out loud, the narrow trail suddenly takes a 70 degree angle dive into a narrow creek. Doing this prepared and slowly would be an achievement, but I approached it like a Greased Whippet on fire!!. Luckily for me and the bike, I managed to come to a standstill just inches from the point of no return!
The Dyke really is a sweet singletrack very scenic, but some sections that come completely as a surprise are very technical, and are just waiting to ruin your day. The first section is all down, and it’s fast and furious, and I did have some issues with the trail being slippery because of the wet leaves on the trail.
Once the trail bottoms out, it is followed by a pretty brutal climb, it is do-able, but I had to get off numerous times and walk, and even the walking was difficult ‘cos of the slippery leaves. The climb probably took me about 30 minutes, but the reward was well worth it, the last section was pure downhill singletrack mayhem.. dodging through the trees at high speed.. Absolutely Fantastic!!!

CONCLUSION

The Dyke is one hell of a sweet ride, BUT, take my advice, DO NOT do the loop!!.. No one wants to experience such a sweet singletrack like this with a 9 mile crap road ride.. Ride this as an “Out & Back” that means 12 miles of singletrack, that can easily be done in 3 hours, and BOTH directions offer fantastic ups and downs.
The loop I did as mentioned in the books I would rate this trail a 4,  BUT, doing an “Out & Back” as I suggest, i would rate this trail an 8

Other Info:

Traffic on Trail : None
Wild Life : Deer
Scenery : Nice Scenery
Other : Ride as an 12 mile “Out & Back” and NOT as a 14 mile road loop

My Trail Rating : 8 / 10 just the singletrack  …..   4 / 10 using road loop

.

The 4th Annual   Moab Ho-Down Bike Festival
October 30th, 31st and November 1st, 2009

Mark your calendar for the 4th Annual Moab Ho-Down Festival, happening the last weekend in October 2009.

Moab’s original fat tire festival has changed and evolved over the past few decades into what is now being presented by Chile Pepper Bike Shop in Moab.

KEEPING A 23-YEAR TRADITION ALIVE

The Moab Ho-Down is the reborn bike festival held annually for 23 years in Moab on Halloween weekend. It is best known & remembered as the following: “Moab Fat Tire Festival”, “Canyonlands Fat Tire Festival” and the “Moab Halloween Bike Fest”.

In the beginning, a variety of entities managed and promoted this Halloween tradition that was first born in 1986. The versions of this festival coincided with the rise of mountain biking worldwide, and from 1987 to 1992, the festival saw major coverage from all the major bike magazines, as well as regular attendance by industry bigwigs like Gary Fisher and Tom Ritchey.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

.

In the mid-’90s, as the whole bike festival novelty was beginning to age across the country, new promoters in Moab added some fresh angles with bigger and better events, and more racing.

From 2001 to 2004, the local Moab bike shops all got together with some bike industry sponsors and ran their version of things, including adding the famous “Test Of Metal” freeride contest at Bartlett Wash.

2005 saw the festival in danger of not returning in 2006…and that is when the Chile Pepper Bike Shop jumped in and decided to keep the tradition alive by putting together a last minute “Same, Same…But Different Ho-Down” (see flyer at right). This was refined in 2007 and 2008 to become the Moab Ho-Down that we know and love today!

Help Chile Pepper keep the Moab Ho-Down affordable! So help us out by being a sponsor or a volunteer. Please contact us for more information.

The Moab Ho-Down Bike Fest is brought to you by:

Chile Pepper Bike Shop
702 S. Main Street
Moab, UT  84532
Located next to Moab Brewery
435-259-4688
888-677-4688
E-mail them at

info@chilebikes.com

Thanks for reading…now come to Moab!