Panorama of four stitched frames looking
across Salt Valley from the highest spot on Alaska. This view extends from
north to the southeast. From left to right, rock layers change from Entrada
(dark cliff-line mid-left) to Navajo (white band mid-photo) to Kayenta
(darker layered rock below Navajo) to Wingate. (brown cliffs above valley
floor mid-right).
Alaska Trail
with Homer and Nome
The Alaska Trail was added to the Klondike
Bluffs trail system in 2013 as the northernmost trail. This group of mountain bike trails is located about 15
miles north of Moab, with a traditional trailhead on the south end and a
cluster of newer trailheads at the north end. The best access to the Alaska
Trail is either the Dinosaur Trackway trailhead or the Northern Klondike
trailhead. (See below.)
View northeast as we skirt a long
patch of open rock on the Alaska Trail. Review by Bruce September 4, 2013.
Latest update May 2018.
The riding is on singletrack and slickrock of the Morrison
Formation from the late Jurassic era. You'll briefly descend to the upper
border of the Entrada, but most of the riding will be on Salt Wash
sandstone. The Alaska trail is upper-intermediate in tech requirement.
Depending on which route you take, there will be some hard climbing.
Riders do Alaska in either direction, about 50:50. You might prefer to
climb all the way to the top on Mega Steps (or another climbing route) and
hit Alaska in the counterclockwise (downhill) direction.
Trail view low on Alaska as we climb
east uphill. Rolling sandstone with plenty of small ledges, and bits of
dirt singletrack in between.
The Alaska trail itself is 4 miles long, but you have to
ride other trails to get to it. The smallest ride is 6.5 miles. This
simple loop climbs Mega Steps to Alaska, then
makes a loop (either direction) around Alaska and Mega Steps. See the map.
This route should be within the capability of an experienced intermediate
rider.
Mega Steps trail. From the Northern
Klondike parking area, this is the route uphill to Alaska.
The 2013 completion of the Dino Flow
trail extension to the Dinosaur Trackway trailhead allows you to reach
Alaska via Dino Flow. This is a great option if the Mega Steps trailhead
access is muddy. After starting on Dino Flow, you can climb to Alaska
via Homer, Nome or Mega Steps as you ride south on Dino Flow.
Kiosk at the Dinosaur Trackway. If you
parked here, you can take Dino Flow south then take one of three
connecting trails uphill to Alaska.
Two other trails are intimately tied to Alaska. The Homer
Trail starts uphill from Dino Flow just south of the Dinosaur Trackway
trailhead and climbs uphill 250 vertical feet in 0.8 miles. It reaches
Alaska just as that trail begins to get serious about heading uphill. That
route is the fastest way uphill.
The Alaska Trail twists through a
field of Salt Wash sandstone boulders.
The Nome Trail also starts on Dino Flow, about half-way from
the trackway to Mega Steps. It also climbs quickly to Alaska, but crosses
and keeps going uphill for a little loop of technical rock riding. Most
riders would probably choose to use upper Nome as a side trip while doing
the main Alaska loop. See the ride description below.
(You do know that Homer and Nome are towns in Alaska, right? Just
checking.)
Second intersection with Nome when
riding clockwise. Nome joins from uphill, then forks away downhill 100
feet later.
The Alaska Trail offers a lot of reasons to ride it. There's
a lot of tight swooping desert singletrack. There's miles of slickrock.
With the other trails in the area -- Mega Steps,
EKG, Dino Flow, Baby
Steps, and Little Salty -- you can put
together a monster ride. Thirty, forty miles? No problem.
The trail curves around a bluff above
the exposed top of the Entrada sandstone layer.
Alaska provides solid intermediate riding. It's not as
technical and bumpy as, for example, EKG. The slickrock flows well with
few tech challenges. The trail is marked with teal-colored paint stripes.
Every intersection is well-marked and easy to figure out.
Interesting spot. The trail climbs a
narrow corridor of tiger-striped sandstone with cliff on both sides. See
the video!
On the way up, you'll be treated to views to the west toward
the Blue Hills. But once you reach the ridgeline... Wow.
We're near the top of the mountain,
looking west. We started in the little gray stripe of valley.
At the ridge, the trail overlooks Salt Valley to the
northeast. The trail undulates along the ridge, returning to the view
again and again. The ridgeline ride is fun stuff on superbly well-built
trail.
The trail ends where Mega Steps reaches the ridgeline. You can turn and
descend Mega Steps, or keep riding the
ridgeline toward Baby Steps or Little
Salty. Lots of possibilities.
View northeast from the ridgeline. The
reddish-brown top layer in mid-photo is Entrada. Navajo is the white layer
underneath. Next are layers within the Kayenta formation.
Clockwise from Dino Flow:
Alaska with Nome then Mega Steps down
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Sample Ride: Alaska
Loop
The basic Alaska Loop starts from Mega Steps at the Northern
Klondike trailhead. It's 6.5 miles long with 1100 vertical feet of
climbing. Top altitude is 5300 feet. It's upper-intermediate in technical
requirement.
Climb Mega Steps. As you reach slickrock, keep straight
uphill as Dino Flow joins on your left then
leaves on your right. Climb another 1/4 mile. At the next intersection, EKG
ends on your right as Mega Steps continues straight ahead. (For a
counter-clockwise loop, keep straight.) Fork to the right on Alaska for a
clockwise loop.
The trail is marked with teal-green
stripes. (The paint color varies a little, and is darker on the higher
mountain).
Stay on Alaska as Nome forks away uphill on your right. A
bit later, Nome will rejoin on your right for 100 feet, then split
downhill to your left. Keep on Alaska. The trail will meander, gaining and
losing altitude before you reach the Homer fork. Keep right and begin some
serious climbing.
Often after completing a climb, the
trail will descend into a valley and head back west to catch the next
finger of the escarpment.
The trail will climb a narrow band of slickrock. Stop to
take in the view. Now keep climbing as you again hit dirt and Salt Wash
sandstone. At the rim, the trail will turn to the right. Again, take a
break as you admire the cliffs across Salt Valley.
Looking back to the northwest from a
long slickrock ramp near the top.
There's some fun riding along the ridge until, all too soon,
you reach the junction with Mega Steps.
Just a cool spot along the ridge. The
trail makes an S turn through these boulders. In the background are the
cliffs above Salt Valley.
Mega Steps is a fast and fun downhill, interrupted by a
brief climb up and over a dirt ridgeline. You'll skirt another broad
expanse of Entrada sandstone peeking up through the red dirt. (There are
three of these exposed spots, which all tend to look alike. But you're not
in the same valley you crossed before.) Now fly back to the trailhead.
And we're heading downhill on Mega
Steps.
Riding notes for Alaska Loop:
0.0 N. Klondike TH, east on Mega Steps
N38 49.179 W109 45.422
0.3 Keep L, then R uphill on Mega Steps
(Cross Dino Flow) N38 49.351 W109 45.184
0.5 L on Alaska N38 49.421 W109 45.037
0.7 Keep L on Alaska (R=Nome)
N38 49.581 W109 45.013
0.9 Stay on Alaska N38 49.730 W109 45.101
Keep L, 100 feet, then R
2.2 R on Alaska (L=Homer)
N38 50.147 W109 45.369
3.3 Top of ridge
4.4 R downhill on Mega Steps
N38 50.098 W109 44.216
6.1 Keep straight N38 49.420 W109 45.037
Cross EKG/Alaska
6.3 Keep straight (cross Dino Flow)
N38 49.353 W109 45.171
6.6 Back at parking
Sample Ride: Alaska
with visit to Nome
This loop follows the basic Alaska Loop, but detours onto
Nome. This adds over a mile of technical riding, bringing the distance to
7.7 miles and the climbing total to 1400. The addition of Nome puts the
tech level into the advanced level.
You can do the loop either direction. I rode
counterclockwise my first ride, then clockwise the next time. I think Nome
rides better in the clockwise direction, as it puts some very big rock
stunts on the downhill side.
First, get to the Mega Steps/Alaska intersection. You can take Dino
Flow to Mega Steps from the Trackway trailhead, or go up Mega Steps from
the North Klondike parking. For the clockwise ride, turn left on Alaska.
Typical trail view early on Alaska.
Watch for a sign "Nome Exit" with blue paint
stripes on the rock. If you're doing Nome counterclockwise, turn to the right and follow those blue stripes. The
trail will climb up a little dead-end escarpment.
If your plan is to do Nome clockwise, continue up Alaska another half
mile, then fork right on Nome. You'll repeat this (relatively easy)
half-mile when you finish Nome.
We're beginning the climb on Nome. The
trail is marked with dark blue paint stripes.
There are some stretches of advanced technical riding here,
but nothing too hairy. Plenty of time to see what's coming up and get
ready for your move.
Spinning into a rock ramp. When going
south-to-north, there are a couple of bumps that are steep enough to stop
intermediates.
After flirting with the cliff edge, Nome turns back downhill
and gets easier. After 1.4 miles on Nome, you're back to Alaska, not too
far from where you left. Fork to the right, then keep right on Alaska in
100 feet as Nome drops down to Dino Flow.
Nome approaches the edge of the cliff
so it can hit the sweet spot of a ramp.
You're now back on the standard Alaska loop as described
above. The trail will meander a bit before it reaches the Homer fork. Keep
to the right and begin climbing.
Back on Alaska, heading uphill around
the westernmost exposed slickrock patch.
There's some fun stuff on the ridgeline. Some excellent
rock-work allows you to ride right along the top with great views in all
directions.
A sweet climbing spot on the
southbound ridgeline, converted to a rock ramp by the trailbuilders. Still
a bit of a challenge to clean.
When you reach the Mega Steps intersection, turn to the
right downhill to complete the loop. Or if your ride was just too short,
keep left and ride on.
Heading downhill on Mega Steps, which
is marked with pale green paint.
Riding notes for Alaska with Nome:
0.0 N. Klondike TH, east on Mega Steps
N38 49.179 W109 45.422
0.3 Keep L, then R uphill on Mega Steps
(Cross Dino Flow) N38 49.351 W109 45.184
0.5 L on Alaska N38 49.421 W109 45.037
0.7 Fork R to Nome
N38 49.581 W109 45.013
2.1 R on Alaska N38 49.730 W109 45.101
100 feet, then R to stay on
Alaska
3.4 R on Alaska (L=Homer)
N38 50.147 W109 45.369
4.5 Top of ridge
5.6 R downhill on Mega Steps
N38 50.098 W109 44.216
7.3 Keep straight N38 49.420 W109 45.037
Cross EKG/Alaska
7.5 Keep straight (cross Dino Flow)
N38 49.353 W109 45.171
7.7 Back at parking
Sample Ride: North
Alaska with Homer and Nome
This ride starts from the Dinosaur Trackway parking. From
Dino Flow, it quickly starts uphill on Homer, then connects to Alaska just
as it begins its serious climbing. You'll go straight up the mountain in
less than two miles. Then on the descent down Mega Steps, you'll veer back
onto Alaska, then detour onto Nome to climb back uphill then drop down to
Dino Flow. Total distance is 7.7 miles, but it will feel like a
significantly harder ride. Total climbing will be 1450 feet.
From the kiosk at the Dinosaur Trackway, look south toward
the pit toilet. Dino Flow starts at the far left corner of the gravel area
at the trail post. You might not notice the trail if you don't approach
the toilet area.
Look for this post to the east (uphill
side) of the pit toilet. Only 100 yards to the slickrock.
After only 1/10 mile, turn left uphill on Homer. The trail
is marked with yellow paint stripes. The route is a fairly steady climb
without much meandering.
We're heading uphill (east) on Homer.
This trail is marked with yellow-orange paint.
Homer is almost all slickrock. You'll hit a bit of dirt just
before the junction with Alaska. Turn left on Alaska. The trail will curve
around to an escarpment, which is your route to the top.
It looks steep, but it's not even a
granny-gear climb. Cogs to spare.
Climb Alaska all the way to the top. Follow the ridge
around to the Mega Steps intersection.
We're on the slickrock ramp of Alaska.
Note the tiger-stripe rock surface. The riding area will get a bit
narrower uphill.
Take Mega Steps downhill. The first intersection you come to
will be the EKG/Alaska crossing. Fork right on Alaska and climb back
uphill about 1/2 mile.
We're heading downhill on Mega Steps.
No, this isn't the slickrock area we crossed on the way up. We're one
valley over. And we'll cross over a ridge to a third slickrock patch.
Now fork to the right on Nome. It's climbing time again.
We're on Nome. There's a bit of this
roller-coaster stuff. If you stop, it's hard to find a smooth spot to
click into your pedals again. Moral: keep going.
After Nome curves around and returns to Alaska, fork right on
the combined route. 100 feet later, fork to the left to stay on Nome to
continue the descent.
(Or, take another lap by keeping straight on Alaska.)
Fun stuff on Nome.
Nome will descend steadily. As you see the desert
approaching, you'll hit Dino Flow. Fork to the right to return to parking.
This is the junction of Nome with Dino
Flow, viewed looking north (from a spot south of the intersection).
Riding notes for Homer to Alaska with
Nome:
0.0 Dinosaur TH, south on Dino Flow
N38 49.800 W109 45.795
0.1 L uphill on Homer
N38 49.767 W109 45.713
0.9 L on Alaska
N38 50.147 W109 45.369
2.0 Top of ridge
3.1 R downhill on Mega Steps
N38 50.098 W109 44.216
4.8 R on Alaska N38 49.420 W109 45.037
5.0 Fork R to Nome
N38 49.581 W109 45.013
6.4 R N38 49.730 W109 45.101
100 feet, then L to resume Nome
6.9 R on Dino Flow
N38 49.471 W109 45.432
7.6 Straight (L=Homer)
7.7 Back at trailhead
Northern Klondike TH: On Highway 191 8.5 miles
south of I-70 and 6.5 miles north of the southern Klondike Bluffs road
(about 5 miles north of the airport), watch for a "Northern
Klondike" sign at N38 49.504 W109 46.893. Turn east (toward the
sandstone bluff). Keep to the right as the road winds south around a small
hill. 1.2 miles from the highway as the road is heading east toward the
bluff, the Chilcoot trailhead is on the right.
Now fork right on a fainter jeep road N38 49.103 W109 46.061, as the
main road continues to the dinosaur tracks. (Park here if the road is in
bad shape.) At mile 1.6, you'll come to the small parking spot for the Jasper and Agate
loops (N38 49.087 W109 45.625) on your right. At 2.0 miles, you're at the
bottom of Mega Steps at a larger parking area N38 49.179 W109 45.417. To
reach Alaska, head uphill on Mega Steps. Dinosaur Tracks TH: At the trail fork at mile 1.2, keep left
on the main road toward the dinosaur tracks. About 1/2 mile further, turn
to the right into the parking area. The Dino Flow trail is up against the
mountain, to the left of the pit toilet. It will take you to Homer, then
to Nome, then to Mega Steps (which climbs to Alaska).
Southern Klondike TH: Starting at the Colorado River, drive
15 miles north from Moab. Look for a turnout with parking on the right and
a sign for Klondike Bluffs Road. There will
usually be cars parked there (GPS N 38° 44.452' W 109°
44.037'). For a longer ride, park here and ride up the road. Most cyclists will choose to go through the gate and drive 2.7 miles. Keep left at
the fork. At 2.8 miles, park your car in the broad parking area by the
fence. Go eastbound across the cattleguard through the fence and begin your
ride. To reach Alaska, you'll need to pedal several miles north on Copper
Ridge Road, Dino Flow, or EKG. Or, you can climb Baby Steps or Mega Steps
to reach the ridge and Alaska at the top.
