Moab Trail Mix is a volunteer organization that has been extremely busy lately constructing new single track around the destination town. Trail Mix is responsible for legendary trails such as Hymasa. Known as the Blue Dot trail, but illegal to ride, this trials-trail like area has now been legally opened, and will be called the Gold Bar Rim Trail. They have also been busy in the Navajo Rocks area, building two new trails, BLT and Coney Islands.
Very recently, the Moab BLM has decided that electric bikes are motorized vehicles, and banned them from Moab bike trails on BLM land. Things are changing very fast in Moab, get the details after the break…
From Discover Moab: Moab Trail Mix has completed 2 more segments of the Navajo Rocks loop today–The Big Lonely Trail, (BLT), and Coney Islands. This adds another 6 miles to the big loop.Â
Access to the Big Lonely Trail: Head up Hwy 313, turn right on the Dubinky Well Road- northwest,(unmarked), or where the sign says Lone Mesa Camp. Once on the dirt road, go past the camp turn off, and look to the left , (west) for a sign marking the trail head. There is a small parking area here….You will see a Map sign…..lime green paint. There is a lot of slickrock on this trail segment with some soil. The BLT crosses Hwy 313 and becomes a dirt singletrack for one mile. At this point the trail name changes to Coney Islands, yellow paint.. The singletrack joins a seldom used 4×4 road for 2 miles, (bighorn sheep territory). A yellow sign marks the exit off the road and the start of some fun slickrock riding on and around rock domes…..eventually you reach the Rocky Tops Trail. Great views all around.
Big Lonely
Length – 3 miles
Difficulty –
Intermediate ride over a sandstone ridge, then cross-country travel on dirt with intermittent sandstone outcrops. Average 3% grade. Several short stretches exceed 15% and one 30 ft long slickrock has a 45 degree climb. Highest point is 5600 ft and lowest is about 5350 ft.
Coney Islands
Length – 3 miles
Difficulty – Intermediate ride with some technical difficulty. Average 6% grade with some short 20% descents and climbs. High point 5610 ft and low point is 5230 ft.
In the Magnificent 7 area, there was always a trail that remained illegal, but right in the middle of the action. Commonly referred to as Blue Dot, it has now been opened up, and is officially called the Gold Bar Rim Trail. One of the best long rides in town, Little Canyon to Golden Bar Rim, following Gold Bar Rim Singletrack and down Poison Spider is now completely legal, including the majestic overlooks from the rim.
![Click the picture to link to the BLM's full size PDF](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/MountainBikeTrailsMoabAreaLarge-514x600.jpg)
The small quote was recently added to the mountain biking page of the Moab BLM Field Office, but it creates a huge impact for the Moab trails, and starts to set further precedent for mountain bike trails around the country.
From the Moab BLM: Motor Assisted Bicycles: The Moab BLM has determined that motor assisted bicycles (electric, gas or diesel) are motorized vehicles. Use of motor assisted bicycles is only allowed on motorized trails. Please visit the motorized recreation pages for trail information. The use of motor assisted bicycles is NOT allowed on mountain bike trails.
A statement this large is sure to stir up people’s opinions. Tell us what you think in the comments.