 |
Devils Racetrack Trail
The Devils Racetrack is an awesome ATV track in the San
Rafael Swell. Overall, this trail is advanced technical and moderately
strenuous. Altitude change is 1200 feet, but some up-and-down riding makes
total climbing about 1700.
View across the Devils Racetrack.
Walls are Wingate sandstone, capped by Kayenta. The butte on the skyline
is Navajo sandstone. Photos by Bruce,
December 9, 2002. |
| As an out-and-back, the round trip is 17.6
miles. This trail features fun riding -- technical sandstone -- but also awesome views -- down into the Devils Racetrack, out
over the San Rafael, and up at the giant stone monoliths. |
| Yes, this is primarily an ATV and trials motorcycle trail.
But don't let that put you off. (After all, most of Moab's trails are used
by jeeps and ORVs.) The trail is fun to ride, with tech sections composed
of hundreds of rock ledges in Kayenta sandstone. The
trail reminds me of Golden Spike in Moab. Just get through the first yucky
mile, and you'll love it.
Could there be a more picturesque
trailhead? This is where the ride starts. If you don't see Dutchman Arch,
you went the wrong way.
|
|
 |
There are about 2 miles of advanced technical. The rock is
rough, requiring quick route-picking, sufficient speed to clear
tire-traps, and an aggressive attitude. Dirt sections are twisting and
bermed, with ledges mixed in to keep things interesting.
Here's a handlebar view of sample tech
trail, heading uphill. Look like fun? I cleaned this section, and I'm old
and feeble. Get in the middle chain ring, stand up on the pedals, and
attack!
|
| The trail flirts with the edge of the Devils Racetrack, a
sheer 300-foot chasm formed by cliffs of Wingate sandstone. As you follow
the downsloping Kayenta, you'll pass castles and spires of Navajo
Sandstone. This is a great ride if you like to look at pretty rocks. For
an overview of the geology of the San Rafael, click
here.
Here's the view into the Devils
Racetrack. The walls are Wingate sandstone. The "racetrack" are
the two bands of red in the Chinle skirts.
|
|
 |
This is a "reverse profile" ride: you'll do most
of the climbing on the way back. After an initial 200 foot climb over 2
miles, you'll drop 1200 feet, following the westward slope of the San
Rafael Swell. It's great to hit the downhill ledges with fresh legs. But
save some time and energy for the uphill trip.
Turning away from the Devils Raceway,
we enter a land of spires and castles. We'll pass by the Twin Priests.
|
| It's possible to do this ride as a downhill with shuttle. But it's not
pleasant. To reach the ATV trail in the wash bottom with your shuttle vehicle,
you need to turn off the freeway towards Moore (you can also reach Moore from
the U-10 exit). About 2 miles east of town, head north past the Mollen
Reef, through Short Canyon, turn right through Horn Silver Gulch, turn right to
Coal Wash, then take the North Fork of Coal Wash. Overall, a shuttle is going to
involve at least 40 miles on dirt roads, plus about 20 on the freeway. My
advice: just suck up and ride it out-and-back!
As we head northwest, the land slopes
steadily downward, following the tilt of the Kayenta sandstone (we're on
the west side of the "swell" here). The spires are formed of
Navajo sandstone. Many have colorful names -- you'll recognize Joe and His
Dog across the wash to the north. We're now passing by the Twin Priests.
|
|
 |
I was impressed with this trail. Uphill, it gives you a
break after making an attack, so you can recover. Then you're ready to
attack the next tech section in the middle chain ring. You hardly notice
you're climbing. The rock is challenging but not too gnarly. On easier
(dirt) sections, you have fantastic views, and frequent banked turns to
compete for the attention of your eyeballs. I've ridden over 350 Utah
trails, and this one would rank in my top 10%.
Spires and castles dominate the
landscape as we descend into North Fork Coal Wash, which is the ride's
end.
|
Riding Notes:
If riding from freeway, add 0.7 miles
0.0 Continue west from Dutchman Arch
N 38° 52.320' W 110°
48.000' alt=7000'
0.4 Keep straight as DT goes R
0.5 Veer R (north) as DT forks L
0.7 Sandy sections and short steep climb
(Hang on -- it gets LOTS
better)
2.0 Highest point, alt=7200' |
2.5 First view of Devils
Racetrack
N 38° 53.866' W 110°
48.004' alt=7030'
3.4 Trail heads westward to mesa, alt=6800'
5.4 Pass Twin Priests
N 38° 55.31' W 110°
49.21' alt=6600'
6-7 Ride past rock monoliths
8.8 Drop into North Fork Coal Wash
N 38° 57.075' W 110°
50.749' alt=5980'
Turn around and head back. |
 |
Getting there: On US-6 approaching Green River,
turn right (westbound) on I-70. Drive 25 miles and exit at Ranch Exit 131.
(If eastbound, the exit is 75 miles east of Salina. This exit was formerly
numbered 129.) Turn left under the
freeway and set your odometer. Veer right with the road. Cross a road at a
cattleguard around mile 3. At mile 3.9, turn right N 38° 50.630' W 110°
42.316' on the road to Swasey's Cabin. Keep right (over the cattleguard)
at 5.0. Keep on the main road, ignoring small doubletracks branching left.
At 8.4, fork right towards Dutchman Arch. Continue under the freeway at N 38°
52.068' W 110° 46.742'. Caution: how high are the bikes on your roof?
Immediately on exiting the drain underpass,
select the left fork of two well-traveled paths (a smaller DT may turn
hard-left along the fence). After 1/3 mile (mile 9.2), fork left N 38°
52.298' W 110° 46.870'. Now keep straight to Dutchman Arch at mile 9.6,
where you'll find space to park. Begin the ride by continuing on
the road.
Note: If the road is wet, park before the freeway and begin your ride
there. Add 0.7 miles to the above biking mileages.
|
Copyright 2002 Mad Scientist Software Inc
|
