Big Chief Trail
The Big Chief trail in the Dead Horse Park trail system is just outside Moab UT. This is a cross country desert style trail where a rider can hold a good pace.
We started and ended trial as a loop just beyond the gatehouse into the Dead Horse state park. FYI – The paved area around the gatehouse is for emergency vehicles only. We accessed the Big Chief trail by riding a short section of the Crossroads trail to the east. On the return trip we rode a small section of single track (name?) that tied back into Crossroads and back to highway #313.
Most of Big Chief trail is desert sand with technical rock features intermixed along the way. The majority of the trail has you undulating with a mesmerizing feel to as it twists and turns through the desert landscape (adaptive level 7). Midway in the trail there is a 1/4 mile segment that has rocky technical features the will require a spotter in sections (adaptive level 9). I have been flipped in this section and from experience, these particular Moab rocks are not very soft!
Portions of the Big Chief trail follow along the canyon rim and provide quite impressive scenic views!
Ares of the trail have a lot of cactus. Keep an eye out and have some spare slimed tubes as a precaution.
More Information
Trail Name: Big Chief Trail
Type: Narrow trail (< 30"), Start and end at the same point (Loop)
Rating: Adaptive Level 07
Length: 3.6
Steepest Section: Moderate – between 10-30º
Most Off-Camber Section: Moderate – between 10-30º
Terrain: Mostly hardpack, lengthy loose sections
Obstacles: Deep ruts and erosion, Brush and/or other growth, Drops, ledges, jumps, Sand traps
Help Needed? Yes, a little
Even more info: discover moab
Directions to Trailhead
About 10 miles north of Moab, turn west off Highway 191 towards Canyonlands National Park on Highway 313. Drive 14 miles and turn left toward Dead Horse Point. Four miles later, pay your entry fee ($10 per car in 2014) at the gate house and drive another two miles to the visitors center. The trailhead is at the north end of the parking lot.
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