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Red Mountain DH Trails Red
Mountain, just north of Vernal, has two DT trails that are usually ridden
separately as advanced-technical shuttled downhills. You can, however,
combine the trails to ride Red Mountain as a brutal loop. Another riding
option is to substitute the Rojo Trail for a
portion of Red Mountain West, either uphill or downhill.
View west from DH West, about 2/3
down. Photos June 15,
2010 by Bruce. |
| For the shuttled downhill, you'll leave a car at the bottom
of either DH West or DH East, then park below the top of the mountain.
Yes, below. You'll push your bike 500 vertical feet in 1/2 mile to reach
the top.
Then you'll plunge downhill over countless ledges for 1700
vertical feet of elevation change. DH West is 5 miles long, DH East is 4.5.
View southeast on DH West, just above
the top of Rojo. Lots of rock ledges. |
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Most of the riding surface is within the Chinle formation,
including sandstone, clay, and the awesome Shinarump conglomerate. On the
DH East, you'll also hit Carmel formation and white Navajo sandstone.
Desert trumpet (scarlet gilia) blooms
along the trail. |
| Because ATVs use this trail, you'll need good loose-rock surfing
skills. There are occasional stretches of ATV churn.
An XC bike is fine. I rode my 23-pound race bike, and didn't
encounter anything where I wished for more suspension. Bigger tires,
maybe.
Handlebar view on DH West, as we
prepare to drop down a few rock ramps and ledges. |
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There are countless ledges and rock ramps. Mostly, you just
roll on down. Some riding lines may require a short launch, but alternate
riding lines are always available for those who don't want air.
Near the bottom of DH West, the trail
comes close to Rojo. Far left is Rojo; at right is the Red Mountain Trail. |
| IMHO, if you have to pick only one route, the DH East is more fun and
more varied than DH West. So if you have a shuttle vehicle (or can ride a
loop), I recommend you descend Red Mountain East. If you're considering
the loop ride (see below), DH West is
more suited to climbing, but is still a bugger.
For the Killer Loop, you'll have to
climb DH West, aka, Red Mountain. This climb is Not Easy. |
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If you don't have a shuttle vehicle, you'd probably want to
do Red Mountain West. It's four miles on road from the bottom of the DH
West back to the starting point. And you can insert the Rojo Trail as part
of the ride.
To descend the West DH, you'll first
have a mile of slight uphill (after completing the push-a-bike from the
upper parking). This view is looking west from the ridgeline near the
start of the trail. Photo courtesy of Jared Payne, May 2005. |
| As you descend, there are frequent views south of Steinaker
Lake and the valley surrounding Vernal. For the top two miles, the surface
is sandy soil interrupted by frequent Shinarump outcrops. Tall longleaf
pines surround the trail. At the bottom of DH East, you enter a world of
steep white Navajo sandstone. Stay and play a bit. If you get lost, just
go downhill anywhere and head toward the highway.
Cabin on DH East near the top of the
mountain. Photo by Jared. |
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For the Killer XC-out-of-yer-league Loop, park at the bottom
of DH West. Ride up 1/2 mile, then pop onto Rojo for 2.5 miles of rockin'
rock. Then struggle up the last couple of miles on the Red Mountain DT at
500 vertical per mile. You'll reach the top around mile 6. Continue
straight into DH East and enjoy your downhill.
How to get back to the west side after your bike arrives at the flats
at the bottom of the East DH? You can either do the ugly road return (10 miles) or
catch ATV track at the northwest corner of Steinaker and climb to DH West
a mile from the bottom.
View northeast from the ridge, shortly
after starting the descent down Red Mountain East. Photo by Jared. |
Riding notes, Killer clockwise loop for XC
riders:
0.0 Ride north on dirt road N40 32.678 W109 35.275
0.5 Find Rojo on your left across small wash
just as you hit the edge of the
mountain
N40 33.024 W109 35.059
3.6 Left uphill on DT N40 34.263 W109 34.013
DT forks and rejoins
multiple times
6.0 Top of mountain
6.1 Pass ST for shuttle ride, enter DH East
N40 35.619 W109 33.189
9.0 Fork R for classic, L = harder
N40 33.896 W109 31.958 |
10.0 If you kept L, keep straight here N40 33.294 W109 31.484
If you went R, fork L N40 33.321 W109 31.759
then R at bigger dirt
road N40 33.294 W109 31.484
10.5 At highway, head south (R) N40 32.867 W109 31.554
11.5 Stay on highway for roadie return N40 32.028 W109 31.337
(R = Steinaker, find ATV
track for return
N40 31.930 W109 32.001)
13.7 R on 3300 North N40 30.256 W109 31.743
15.5 Follow road L
15.6 R on 2500 North N40 29.484 W109 33.463
16.7 R on 2500 West N40 29.505 W109 34.622
20.5 Back at car |
Camping: On SR 44, Steinaker is just a mile from the bottom of
the eastern DH; Red Fleet is about 6 miles north of Steinaker.
Bathroom: None at the trailheads.
Water:
Bring your own.
Bike services, maps, trail conditions:
Altitude Cycle, 580 East Main, Vernal. 435-781-2595
These mushroom rocks are about a mile
down the Red Mountain DH East trail. Photo courtesy Jared. |
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Downhill navigation Red Mountain West
DH:
0.0 First, get your bike up the steep ST from
the upper parking area
Turn hard right (west) on
the DT
N40 35.619 W109 33.189
1.0 Alternate paths fork and rejoin
Up-and-down gives way to
descent
1.9 Optional ST route on R
2.4 Option Rojo on your right (adds 1/2 mile)
N40 34.263 W109 34.013
3.9 Keep R (L = connector to Steinaker)
4.4 Rojo joins DT from right N40 33.024 W109 35.059
4.9 At bottom parking N40 32.678 W109 35.275 |
Downhill navigation Red Mountain East
DH:
0.0 First, get your bike up the steep ST from
the upper parking area
Keep left (eastbound) on
the DT
N40 35.619 W109 33.189
2.9 Route splits, R is classic, slightly easier
Straight (L) optional.
2.3 Head toward highway after dropping off slickrock
4.0 If you kept L, keep straight here N40 33.294 W109 31.484
If you went R, fork L N40 33.321 W109 31.759
then R at bigger dirt
road N40 33.294 W109 31.484
4.4 At bottom parking N40 32.867 W109 31.554
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Getting there:
While driving toward Vernal on US-40, crest the hill and pass the rest
area just before town. As you encounter buildings, watch for 2500 West on
your left. As of 2010, it's the 3rd street, but it depends on what you
count as a street. Turn left on 2500 West.
Shuttle West or parking for Killer Loop: Keep going north for 8 miles.
At N40 32.678 W109 35.275, there's a parking area on your right. The trail
is the doubletrack heading north.
Shuttle to Top: Continue north on 2500 West to around mile 13 from US-40.
(The road
turns to gravel around mile 12.) Spot dirt road on the right at N40 36.447 W109 33.865.
Keep right at the fork and park at the end of the road. Start "riding" south
on ST at N40 35.896 W109 33.293. The top of both trails is 0.4 miles and
500 vertical feet uphill. Good luck.
Shuttle East: Go north a couple of miles on 2500 West as above, but
turn right at 2500 North (just as it seems you're about to leave town). At
the T intersection a mile later, turn left, then veer right. When the road
intersects SR 44 two miles from 2500 West, turn left and drive 3.3 miles
north. Turn left into a dirt road with an adjacent small parking spot at N40 32.867 W109 31.554.
Now take your Top vehicle back to 2500 West and continue north as
described above. |
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