Mountain Biking in Utah

There are excellent mountain biking opportunities throughout Utah. In the southern and eastern areas of the state are rugged tracts through the canyons and red rock desert landscape of the Colorado Plateau (orange area on maps below). In the mountainous areas (green on maps) are challenging rides among beautiful alpine scenery.

Destinations to consider are grouped below by region. For detailed information, follow the links to any biking destination that interests you. Alternatively, visit our powerful Utah Biking Search Page and input search criteria to locate rides that interest you.

NORTHERN UTAH

Flaming Gorge holds beautiful clear blue Flaming Gorge Lake, surrounded by brightly colored canyon walls set amidst hundreds of thousands of acres of pretty, forested highlands. Around the lake and in the mountainous areas nearby are several good mountain biking routes.

Logan is an attractive small city set between the verdant Cache Valley and the Wasatch Mountains. There are several good tracts in the mountains as well as some pretty touring opportunities through the valley.

Salt Lake City is Utah's cultural, political and population center. It sits in a valley beneath the Wasatch Mountains. Lots of good mountain biking routes through the mountains are available nearby. A bit further away (32 miles) in the resort town of Park City are additional rides and plenty of outfitters.

There are also some opportunities in the Wasatch Mountains near Ogden and Provo.

CENTRAL UTAH

Tushar Mountains -- The Tushar Mountains are a pretty range with a number of mountain biking opportunities. Though the Tushars exceed the height of the Wasatch Mountains in Northern Utah, they remain under appreciated and relatively uncrowded. Beaver is the main city in the area.

Fish Lake is a large natural lake 8,800 feet up in the heavily forested Fishlake Mountains. In the surrounding area are some good mountain biking trails.

SOUTHEASTERN UTAH

Southeastern Utah offers great desert mountain biking. Routes offer terrific scenery and many traverse "slickrock," a sandstone surface that (contrary to its name) offers terrific traction. By far the most popular destination is Moab, from which one can tackle renowned trails near town and in Canyonlands National Park and the La Sal Mountains.

Canyonlands National Park is a spectacularly wild area of immense orange-red canyons and superlative red rock formations. Mountain biking is permitted on the many miles of 4wd routes through the park. The White Rim Road in the Island in the Sky District of the park is a 110 mile loop that traverses a mesa above the massive canyons carved by the Colorado and Green rivers. The 4wd routes in the Needles and Maze districts offer numerous shorter options.

The La Sal Mountains, Utah's second highest range, rise impressively above the surrounding red rock desert landscape of southeast Utah. They offer some difficult, but cool single-track routes through pretty alpine terrain.

Moab is the desert mountain biking capital of the country. Near this small town are dozens of good trails, including the renowned Slickrock Bike Trail. There are lots of outfitters renting bikes and leading tours. Both beginners and hardcore riders will find routes to fit their desires.

SOUTHWESTERN UTAH

The Markagunt Plateau is an attractive, heavily forested, highland just east of Cedar City. It contains Cedar Breaks National Monument, an area of colorful, eroded rock forms, and the ski resort town of Brian Head. There are numerous good mountain biking rides amidst the pretty mountain scenery of the plateau.

Bryce Canyon National Park offers a spectacularly beautiful series of amphitheaters filled with colorful, eroded rock forms. Though riding in the park is limited, there are several good rides available through the pretty forested highlands of the surrounding area.