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Magnificent 7 Trail
The Magnificent 7 or "Mag 7" is a series of trails that
create a 26-mile point-to-point route. The loop is closed by shuttling Highway 191 and
313 (or
making a long pavement return). There are actually 9
or 10 trail segments, depending on how you're counting. The key players are Bull Run,
a bit of Gemini Road, Arth's Corner, Little
Canyon, Gold Bar ST and upper Gold Bar Rim, Golden Spike, the north end of
Poison Spider, and the Portal Trail. |
The 7-Up trail is a climbing
route to the top of Bull Run. After 4.1 miles on the pavement of Highway
313, there's 10 miles of alternating singletrack and doubletrack that
takes you directly to the Bull Run trailhead off the Gemini Bridges road.
(The trail isn't an official part of the Mag 7. |
Bull Run
Bull Run is a 5.4-mile route and was the first section
of the Mag 7 to be completed (2011, extended in 2015). It follows open rock along the
edge of Bull Canyon.
The trail ends on Arth's Corner to continue the Mag 7. However, riders can
turn on
the Gemini Bridges road about 1/4 mile above the parking area for a visit
to the arches. (From Bull
Run, turn right on the dirt road to the Bridges. As you hit
Gemini Bridges, you'll be at mile 6 for the descent. Pick up the Arth's
Corner about 0.1 miles below the Gemini Bridges parking area.)
[ Bull Run Trail page
] |

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Alternative Route! The Getaway Trail forks off the
Gemini Bridges road right as it leaves Highway 313 the Bull Run trailhead.
It connects directly to the uphill trailhead of Arth's Corner, right where
Bull Run ties in. Not part of
the official Mag 7, Getaway offers a less-technical descending route for
the first part of the Mag 7, and creates some loop and figure-eight riding
options. |
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Gemini Bridges
(If you followed Bull Run all the way to Arth's Corner, you've missed
the bridges. If you want to see them, you can turn right to Arth's
trailhead and backtrack uphill to the bridges.)
Park your bike in the rack at the Gemini Bridges trailhead and walk 0.2
miles to the twin arches. Hike back to your bike. Exit the parking area to the east (downhill).
Pass a couple of viewpoints. Rejoin the main road in 1/4 mile and catch
Arth's Corner singletrack on your left about 0.1 mile from the junction.
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Arth's Corner
This is a fun slickrock and singletrack ride that meanders downhill to
meet the Metal Masher 4x4 road. This is an easy segment of the trail. The
singletrack portion is only 1.5 miles long. After hanging right on Metal
Masher, you cross the road to the Little Canyon Singletrack to continue
the ride. Mile 8.5
[ Arth's Corner Trail page
] |
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Alternative Route! The Great Escape trail
across from Arth's Corner trailhead is NOT part of the Magnificent 7. But
you can ride it as an option. It ends on Little Canyon ST about 1/2 mile
from the Gold Bar ST. If you take Great Escape, you will bypass Arth's
completely and skip the first 1.6 miles of Little Canyon ST. |
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Little Canyon ST
The Little Canyon ST is 2.3 miles of very fine stuff, angling
400 vertical downhill over slickrock and singletrack. As you hit the wash at the bottom, you'll climb up
to a slickrock shelf to continue with the Gold Bar Rim singletrack. Mile
10.8!
[ Little Canyon ST
page
] |
Gold Bar Singletrack
The Gold Bar Singletrack is 2 miles of pretty fine stuff. It's
slickrock that angles steadily uphill, with a few tech spots. Then it dumps onto the Gold
Bar 4x4 jeep trail to avoid a trail-closed area. You're at mile 12.8 as
you finish the ST.
[ Gold Bar ST Trail page
] |
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2nd half of Gold Bar 4x4
Gold Bar 4x4 is the motorized route with loose cobble, lots of ledges and difficult
tech stuff. Plus jeeps, if you don't pick your riding day as well as we
did. The distance for this trail segment is 1.8 miles. As you reach the
Gold Bar Rim and stand atop the cliffs, the
total distance covered is 14.6 miles with around 1300 vertical of climbing so
far.
[ Gold Bar Rim Trail page
] |
Golden Spike The next portion
of the route is the Golden Spike jeep trail. Golden Spike has over 6 miles of up and down riding, and
is pretty strenuous. Most of the ride is only moderately technical, but there
are some challenges. As of April 2011, there are no specific Mag 7 signs
on Golden Spike. The southern end could use a few more that-a-way signs
for bikers as alternates fork off, but it's reasonably easy to pick the
right track.
[ Golden Spike Trail page
] |

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Poison Spider
The official route calls for a little jaunt onto the north end of
Poison Spider. I assume the official ride is to finish Golden Spike then
head north on Poison Spider. Add 2 or 3 miles -- we're at 23.
[ Poison Spider page
]
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Alternative Route! An alternative to Golden Spike plus Poison Spider is the
Gold Bar Rim (formerly known as
Blue Dot) trail. The connection is at the overlook at the
top of the Gold Bar Rim 4x4 climb. The Gold Bar Rim mountain bike route is a
very technical ride along
the edge of the cliffs. It's shorter than the Golden Spike / Poison Spider
route with less overall climbing, but requires advanced tech skills. |
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Portal Trail
The Portal Trail is first spooky, as you ride along the
edge of sheer cliffs, then difficult when you hit the technical portions.
Plan to hike through a few spots. Ride what you safely can. The trail will
descend to the Potash Road, where you can catch your shuttle. (Or do a
26-mile return on paved bike path and roads. That's 52 miles, if you're
counting.) As you hit the pavement, you should be around mile 25. Add a
couple of road miles if you're parked at the Poison Spider TH.
[ The Portal is included on the Poison
Spider page
] |

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Drop off:
From I-70 and Crescent Junction, drive south on US-191 for 20 miles (about
9 miles north of the Colorado River if you're driving out from Moab) to
Highway 313. Drive 13 miles on 313 to the Gemini Bridges sign and turn L
onto dirt road N38 34.390 W109 47.548. Find a spot to park. Begin riding
down the gravel road toward the start of Bull Run.
Finish:
To ride back to town, L on Potash Road about 3.5 miles, R on 191 and 1.5
miles to the Colorado River. For vehicle shuttle parking, find a wide
spot, or go to the Dinosaur Tracks parking at the Poison Spider trailhead. |
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