Slickrock Trail Moab
In Moab, mountainbiking is vastly more popular than hiking. Yet biking is prohibited or impossible on many Moab hiking trails, which means hikers don't have to share them with legions of bikers. Plus you're welcome to hike Moab bike trails, including the most famous of all: the Slickrock Trail Moab.
Actually "Slickrock Trail Moab" is an odd term. You'll most often see and hear it referred to as the "Moab Slickrock Trail." We will, however, continue using the term "Slickrock Trail Moab" in case, for whatever reason, you searched those specific words.
Advanced biking skills are necessary to safely, enjoyably ride the Slickrock Trail Moab. On foot, anyone in reasonable physical condition will find it manageable yet thrilling.
Yes, a mere walk can be thrilling. That's certainly true on slickrock. With no vegetation to shunt you this way or that, you can follow your bliss. And the rock's gritty surface ("slick" is actually a misnomer) grants extraordinary traction, enabling you to negotiate steep pitches with gecko-like aplomb.
A slickwalk, where much of the way is on sandstone, inspires a rapturous sense of freedom. And the colorful, sensuous, monolithic terrain underfoot, coupled with the constant, unhindered views, make it a beautiful experience.
On the Slickrock Trail Moab, the distant scenery includes the towering, often snow-covered La Sal Mountains, the immense Moab Rim, the deep, sinuous Colorado River Canyon, and the rarely visited nether regions of Arches National Park.
Of course you'll also see mountainbikers on the Slickrock Trail Moab. They can be an entertaining diversion. But you don't want to see too many, or you'll be constantly scuttling out of their way. Nor should you impede their progress since this is, by dint of majority rule, their trail, not yours. So hike here only when fat-tire season is at low ebb: late November to early March.
Go to http://www.hikingcamping.com/hike-utah.php to read about Hiking From Here To Wow: Utah Canyon Country. That's the book you need if you're a hiker, you're visiting Utah, and you want to hike the Slickrock Trail Moab.
