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Navajo Rocks - West
Big Mesa, Big Lonely, Coney Island
The western half of the Navajo Rocks riding area consists of three
connected trails: Big Mesa, The Big Lonely, and Coney Island. Taken
together, they form a 10-mile route that can be ridden as an 11-mile loop
(by including Middle Earth, a trail that cuts across the loop), or as part of
a big 18-mile loop with the addition of Rocky
Tops and Ramblin from the eastern half of Navajo Rocks.
Ramblin and Big Mesa are combined here
at the western trailhead along Highway 313. Photos and review by Bruce
on December 9, 2014. |
| Big Mesa
The Big Mesa trail shares a common start with the west end of Ramblin.
From the western parking area on the north side of Highway 313, it's 1/4
mile to where Big Mesa forks westbound as Ramblin heads east.
I like riding Big Mesa from east to west (counterclockwise), so I can finish downhill on Coney
Island, but many riders prefer the clockwise direction.
Bruce's bike leans against the sign
marking the split where Big Mesa leaves Ramblin.
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Big Mesa is a very scenic ride, as the trail meanders
alongside cliffs of Entrada sandstone. Ridden east-to-west, there's about
200 vertical feet of total elevation gain, with up-and-down riding
bringing the climbing total for Big Mesa to 500 feet. Overall climbing for
all three trails of west Navajo Rocks will be 1000 feet when done as an
11-mile loop.
Heading east toward the edge of Big
Mesa, we see spires of Entrada sandstone, with the Merrimac butte sticking
out behind. |
| The riding is intermediate overall in technical requirement,
with only a couple of tricky spots. The first two miles hug the shoulder
along the cliffs, then the trail heads out onto an open area of low
rolling hills and flat expanses of Navajo sandstone.
We've reached the cliffs of the mesa.
This is the view back to the east (as I'm pedaling west).
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On the rock, the path is marked with purple paint stripes. A
couple of times, the trail crosses an ATV route. There are posts and
cables in these areas to keep the paths separate. Just aim for the narrow
opening that looks like a bike trail. Other than the ATV path, the only
trail fork is the split between Ramblin and Big Mesa near the western
trailhead.
A helper-bridge crosses a cleft in the
sandstone. It's possible (but difficult) to ride through the dip just to
the right of the bridge. |
| When the trail drops away from the Entrada sandstone
shoulder, the surface is hardpacked dirt. The central riding line is
usually very firm.
The trail meanders past the mouths of
two side canyons.
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Compared to elsewhere on Navajo Rocks, there's a bit more
sand here. It's probably caused by sand runoff from the Navajo sandstone
higher on the mesa. (Navajo erodes to ugly loose sand.) Depending on
traffic and storms, you may bog down once or twice, especially in
washbottoms. Consider the soft stuff a riding challenge, just like
hills or ledges. Or the price you pay to ride the nice rock.
Looking back at a challenging ramp.
The dirt sucks your momentum right as you need to hit the slope. |
| After the second mile, the character of the ride changes. You drop off
the orange Entrada shoulder to a base of white Navajo sandstone. There are
expansive views to the north and west.
We're about to leave the mesa. The
posts below mark the ATV route that crosses the trail twice.
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As you circle around the north slope of a small hill, Big Mesa will end on the
dirt road to Mineral Bottom and Dubinky Well (BLM 137) at mile 3.5 from the western parking area. If you're due to return, you can turn left and
follow the dirt road back to Highway 313 and turn left to coast back to
parking.
Straight across is The Big Lonely.
The blue mountains in the distance are
the Book Cliffs, 30 miles away. |
| The Big Lonely
The Big Lonely looks relatively non-inviting from the trail's beginning
on
Mineral Bottom Road, but rapidly leaves the sandy brush to cruise on white
Navajo sandstone. The trail meanders west , then back a bit east, before
heading south and crossing Highway 313 to join Coney Island.
Looking west as The Big Lonely heads
away from Mineral Bottom Road.
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There's no overall elevation change, but up-and-down riding
adds around 200 vertical to your climbing total. I don't recall any steep
pitches or tricky stuff. It's fairly straightforward pedaling. Green paint stripes mark the route up
the dome of Navajo sandstone. This short climb is the only one on The Big
Lonely that made me push hard. |
| To the north, views extend all the way to the Book Cliffs
north of Interstate 70. For the first mile, the trail tracks along the
northern edge of a gentle mound of white sandstone, broken up by juniper
crawling upward through pockets in the rock.
Another look to the north as we cruise
west.
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To the west, you're looking toward the gorge of the Green
River. On a clear day, you can also spot the slopes of the San Rafael
swell. The riding here is mellow. It's beginner-level biking on the
rock.
The cleft near the skyline, just to
the left of midline, is the canyon of the Green River. |
| As the trail turns back eastward, it follows the green paint
stripes as you get a distance view of Big Mesa, where you were riding a
few miles ago. Just pedal and look around. You don't have to pay much
attention to the bike on the open sandstone.
Heading back east toward Big Mesa.
Navajo under the tires, Entrada forming the mesa.
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To the east are the peaks of the La Sal Mountains,
as the trail turns south and follows the sandstone outcrop. Enjoy this while you can. You're about to drop down to dirt.
As the trail drops down toward Highway 313, you'll reach a fork with
the Chisholm trail, which connects uphill to
the Horsethief area trails. Keep left.
Fall snow coats the La Sal Mountains. |
| Pedal on hard-pack dirt singletrack through sage brush as you cross Highway 313 and climb up toward
Coney Island. (Although it might seem intuitive that the trails would
change at the highway, Coney Island starts when you hit the doubletrack
long after crossing the road.)
Following the edge of the sandstone
southeast.
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Pedal slightly uphill from the road. It will be 0.6 miles
before you reach Coney Island.
Dirt ribbon as we approach Coney
Island. |
| Coney Island
Coney Island begins as a continuation of an old jeep road. After about
1/4 mile, it turns to the left along the mesa edge and narrows to fast
singletrack. There are occasional bits of rock to roll over.
This is the junction between The Big
Lonely and Coney Island. The route follows the dirt road. a little ways
before it narrows to singletrack on the mesa's edge.
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The slope here is gradual as Coney Island heads northeast
along the edge of the mesa.
Looking southwest uphill. Many riders
like doing Coney Island in the uphill (clockwise) direction. |
| You'll have almost constant views of the eastern end of Big
Mesa, and of Monitor and Merrimac straight ahead.
Looking northeast toward the Monitor
and Merrimac buttes.
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Once you reach the sandstone, Coney Island changes character
dramatically. I found it great fun. But new-intermediates will struggle. You'll
be dropping 400 vertical feet over this last 1-1/2 miles -- but you'll
climb 200 vertical of it again. The sandstone is mostly Navajo of the
snow-white variety.
Yellow paint markes the route as we
mercifully reach sandstone. This appears to be a thin mound of Entrada on
top of the Navajo. |
| There are frequent stretches of dirt singletrack here as well, but the rock
is a welcome change after the dirt stretches of the upper mesa. The route is marked
with yellow paint stripes.
Eastbound.
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The most technical spot comes in the final push up and over
a sandstone dome at the east end. This is the only stretch that makes me
hesitate to recommend a fat bike for the whole ride.
Cuz I'm not that good on a fatty yet. Maybe you are.
Looking west, downhill, at the slope
we just climbed. The trail does a rim-around on the rock above the
juniper. |
| The trail ends after a long descent down the sandstone slope.
There's a trail fork just before the valley. To the left is Middle Earth,
which returns to the west trailhead. If you're doing a half-loop, turn
left on Middle Earth.
If you continue straight on Coney Island, you'll hit
the doubletrack at the bottom in 1/10th mile. You'll note that the spots on the rock have
changed from yellow to turquoise. Cross cross over and head for Rocky Tops. You'll see
the Rocky Tops trail sign to the east.
You can also finish up a half-loop by turning left on the dirt
road and heading toward the highway, where a left turn will take you up to
the trailhead.
The final ramp down to the doubletrack
and Ramblin.
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Riding notes, western half-loop counterclockwise:
0.0 West trailhead, start Big Mesa/Ramblin
N38 38.260 W109 47.092
0.1 L on Big Mesa
N38 38.357 W109 47.100
3.5 Cross dirt road to Big Lonely
N38 38.085 W109 48.445
6.0 Keep L (R = Chisholm)
N38 37.257 W109 48.795 |
6.1 Cross road N38 37.210 W109 48.720
7.7 Transition to Coney Island
N38 36.919 W109 48.351
10.5 L on Middle Earth
N38 37.834 W109 47.008
11.1 Cross road to parking |
Riding notes, clockwise loop from west
trailhead:
0.0 West trailhead, start Big Mesa/Ramblin
N38 38.260 W109 47.092
0.1 R on Ramblin
N38 38.357 W109 47.100
3.4 Cross 313 from East Parking
Rocky Tops N38 37.809 W109 46.825
8.0 Cross DT to Coney Island (L = to 7-up)
N38 37.809 W109 46.825
8.2 Stay L (R = Middle Earth)
N38 37.834 W109 47.008 |
11.1 Veer R, start Big Lonely
N38 36.919 W109 48.351
11.6 Cross road N38 37.210 W109 48.720
11.7 Keep R (L = Chisholm)
N38 37.257 W109 48.795
14.2 Cross DT to Big Mesa
N38 38.085 W109 48.445
17.6 Keep L to Ramblin (R = west TH)
N38 38.357 W109 47.100
20.7 Back at parking |
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Getting there, East Parking:
From I-70 and Crescent Junction, drive south on US-191 for 20 miles. If
coming from Moab, drive about 9 miles north of the Colorado River on
Highway 191. Turn west on Highway 313. (At mile 4.1, you'll go around a
hairpin turn above the cliffs. If you're interested in connecting trails,
the unmarked bottom of Seven Up is on the slickrock just around the turn.)
At mile 5.3, turn to the right into a fenced parking area. This is where the loop crosses the highway.
Ramblin is at the west end; Rocky Tops is across the road. |
West Parking (recommended for the West End Loop
counterclockwise): Proceed on Highway 313 as above,
but at mile 6.1 keep driving straight as you pass the main parking area.
At mile 6.4 just as you reach the top of a hill, look for a gravel turn on
your right just as you pass through the cut in the hill. Turn right onto
the dirt road and drive 50 feet. As you pick your parking spot it's not
smart to block access to the ATV trail, which also starts here. (Note: If you missed the turn, you'll have another
chance 100 yards further down the highway, as the parking area is on a
little loop of dirt road.) Ignore the wide ATV path and take
the singletrack just to the left. Ramblin and Big Mesa share the first
1/4 mile of singletrack trail.
Old Trailhead and Seven-Up access: At mile 6.1 of 313,
just as the paved road begins to climb up towards the west trailhead
(above), turn
left onto dirt road. 100 yards downhill on the left side of
the dirt road is a little loop, which is the parking area. N38 38.031 W109 46.815. To reach Coney
Island's eastern end or the start of Rocky Tops, head south on the
doubletrack 0.3 miles and spot the paint-marks as they cross the road. To
continue to Seven Up, follow the doubletrack down into the valley.
Facilities:
Bathrooms and water: None at trailheads
Camping: BLM campgrounds southwest of loop via gravel road from 313
commercial campground on 191 across from 313;
state park campground at Deadhorse Point. |
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Riding resources:
Navajo Rocks East page
Riding guide, west half-loop, loop from west TH
GPS track file (right-click and select "Save Target as..."):
Big Mesa Big
Lonely Coney Island
Navajo
Rocks Loop, from East 313 TH
Full Loop, west TH
19-mile
loop, old DT TH
West end loop
(Big Mesa, Big Lonely, Coney, Middle Earth)
Area trail tracks
master file
Maps for printing: Higher-Res
Aerial View High-Res
Topo map
Lodging, camping, shops: Link to Moab area
resources
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Copyright 2014 Mad Scientist Software Inc
Updated 2016
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