Moab Utah Adventures

The Fisher Towers trail in Moab, UT has officially been added to the National Recreation Trails system. Fisher Towers Trail is a semi-popular point in Moab, going through the Colorado Plateau and overlooking the Colorado River in Moab.

A picture to the right actually shows Fisher Towers in the background, where some of the day trips from the Moab Adventure Center launch their rafts.

The Moab trail is about 2.2 miles long, a decent hike (worse in the heat) with some amazing scenery. By receiving entry into this national trail system, the trail will now receive trail markers from the government agency and the national park service.

If running isn’t your thing, we understand. Even if it is your thing, you can't deny that river rafting takes the “fun-ometer” up a few notches. The first annual Raft for the Cure in Moab, UT takes place June 30. Be part of the same great cause, but try something a little different. The water you will see here is not coming from your own sweat...

No disrespect intended for the Race for the Cure events. We love them. In fact, everything about the Race for the Cure inspired our Raft for the Cure. Heck, we were at the Race for the Cure. Working with and for the benefit of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, Raft for the Cure is something that everyone will enjoy.

Saturday, June 30, 2007 marks a fun-filled Saturday of river rafting, food and live music. Participants will be able to choose from half-day or full-day rafting trips through the magnificent red rock cliffs and canyons of Southern Utah on the Colorado River. In efforts to raise money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, the Moab Adventure Center will be donating 50% of all the day’s proceeds to the local affiliate. You can take a day trip down the Colorado River, have a BBQ Dinner and listen to live bands play the night away, all while donating to the Susan G. Komen foundation.

All the information, registration and details are on the official Raft for the Cure website www.raftforthecure.com.

Last month a group of UVSC student volunteers traveled down to Moab is effort to help clean up the Fisher Towers (Fisher Tower picture on the right) trail. It is great that group have begun to take interest in maintenance and up keeping of the Moab area.

I know in the past that a lot of the management and trail preservation has been done by local guides and those who are truly care about maintaining a good environment.

High-five to the UVSC group for bettering the trails and local environment in Moab, UT.

I think everyone remembers last year's Primal Quest Adventure race in Moab. Teams were pushed to their physical and emotional limits, and it was perhaps the most grueling adventure race yet. It was entertaining to watch and fun to follow.
But things are not looking so hot this year for the adventure racing teams. Primal Quest event coordinators have officially put 2007 on hold, not know if they can get everything in line fore this year's race. Competitor Magazine is hoping that this race will not fall wayside as others have in the past (Eco Challenge, Raid Galoises).



I hope the race continues. From the sounds of the apology and news brief from Primal Quest, it is more a function of getting funding and sponsorship together more than anything. Those of us that have tried to get sponsorship for related events understand this frustration.

I hope the race continues, and hope to see it come back to Moab eventually.

When is the best time to visit Moab, UT? Spring is the time to visit Moab. The fall is another wonderful time, but the water levels for whitewater rafting die down a bit by late fall.

That's why I name Spring as the #1 time to visit Moab.

I am not the only one who recognizes the wisdom of an early visit. Smarter Travel also points out that spring is the ideal time to visit the National Parks of the Southwest U.S. The "Southwest Park's Best Season" article readily points out Moab as the top destination. Visiting during the spring is not only ideal weather and water levels, but you avoid the tourist crowd altogether.

During the summer months, large groups always congregate and take trips through Moab. Lodging and eating becomes a little harder with large crowds. April and May (other than are ideal months for a quick visit. Most Moab tour outfitters are open by April, so you can still run any activity you want.

April is almost over, so get on the early bus and check it out.

Moab becomes a hot destination this week with the annual Jeep Safari hitting town over the weekend. It also is still Spring Break time for many as well, which makes for a crazy busy downtown. Don't even try to find a nice hotel or lodging place if you haven't already. Everything will be full. You have to fill out a registration form if you want(ed) to participate in the Jeep Safari. Theya re probably full with registrants by now, so you might be watching from the sidelines if you didnt get ahead of the game.

Although, some of the greatest seats for the Jeep Safari are actually the ones outside of the Jeep- just sitting on the Moab red rock hills and watching the slews of Jeep try to navigate some of the tricky spots on the hills.

Red Rock 4-Wheelers has all the information you need for the annual event.

Jim Styles has come out again attacking the adventure recreation seekers stating that they are ruining Moab, UT. The Slat Lake Tribune article (as journalism goes) of course plugs in a few "interesting" facts of their own as well- on of which stating that: " recreation has the potential to be as destructive as oil and gas drilling, mining and cattle ranching."

Please. Let's get serious here. Me taking my mountain bike down Slickrock is not more destructive (not even in a hundred year) than any one of the above. But it is the voice of just one lone activist. With statements like, "The search for solitude, beauty, and all things remote and mysterious must be random. To be more organized is to risk commodifying beauty itself"- I am not sure how seriously I can take the criticism anyway.

The article does show both sides of the story, interviewing Sheri Griffith among others for commentary on their complaints.

Moab's own mayor has admitted that Jim is "literally stuck" in the 1950's when he could have all of Moab to himself.

The fact of the matter is that Adventure Sports and Recreation in the Moab area is actually relying on maintaining the integrity and beauty of the back country. Otherwise, where would the adventure be if we are riding through skyscrapers and buildings? Why would we go hiking if we didn't have a beautiful view at the end? Adventure seekers and guides alike share the same respect for the back country in Moab. They (we) are perhaps more interested in keeping the natural landscape than any other commercial group involved in the town!

Nice try Stiles.

Gravity play has the scoop on the AdventureXstream race in Moab on March 24. I guess this event can either be a solo race (which some will use for training for the larger adventure races later this year) or even a team race in Moab.

Bike, trek, paddle, rappel, and navigation. Not as huge or as brutal as the Primal Quest race last year in Moab, but a great adventure race nonetheless.
Gravity play also has a nice fundraiser going for fellow adventure racer Danielle who got injured earlier this year in Moab.

This weekend is the Skinny Tire Bike Festival in Moab, UT. The weekend of the 16th, Moab is also hosting the annual Canyonlands Half Marathon. Lodging and things are filling up fast for the marathon weekend. March officially starts the outdoor activities in Moab I guess. Moab has the luxury of being in the very southern end of Utah, which means warmer weather and good outdoor adventure environment.

I will be heading down to Moab next week to take advantage of the weather and early season activity. In my opinion, the best time to visit Moab is during the spring and the fall. Summer is great for vacations, but the heat is killer sometimes. The spring weather is perfect for mountain biking, street racing, off-road trips and hiking. Rafting is still best done during the hotter months.

But once again, the nation's outdoor playground Moab is off to an early start with the outdoor activities.

One of the first bike events is set to go early this year. The Moab Skinny Tire Festival ride is scheduled for the weekend of March 2-5. The date is coming soon, so make sure to get out for your first ride of the spring.

This road cycling event hosted by the Lance Armstrong Foundation will go through the red rock wonderland of Moab, through Dead Horse Point State Park, Arches National Park and the banks of the Colorado River. The event will host multiple speakers, a silent auction, demo bikes and more. You can read more about the event and detail on Pro Cycling News.

“In the world of cycling, Moab is legendary,” says Chris Brewer, Grassroots Events Coordinator. “As a long time rider it has been on my life’s checklist of places to ride. Now I will not only be riding in Moab at a great Festival, but I will also be helping in the fight against cancer, and it just doesn’t get any better than that.”

Dirtworld.com, a great mountain biking and adventure sport website, recently published an article titled "Epic Rides in teh West" where Moab's Porcupine Trail was top rated. Next to the Slickrock Trail, Porcupine is the second most popular run in the area. It is a 31 mile loop if you take the whole trail, and has some great destinations and sceninc outlooks across the way.

Trails aren't ideal now, but once the weather starts warming up, spring is a great time to get a few runs in down in Moab. Usually people bring their own bikes (if they are serious about biking), but Moab also has plenty of bike rental stores and guided trips down the most popular trails. This could be the best option for vacationers who dont want to drag their own bikes down there.

A trek that started in July has now landed three young men in Moab, Utah. Thompson, Monterastelli and Goat, three graduates from UC Santa Cruz, started in Alaska at the Arctic Circle, and made it down to Moab just this month.

Now 24 Hours of Moab and other bike races are intense, but this is a whole new level of crazy. They reported that temperatures at time dropeed to -10 degrees, and "survival" is what keeps them alive. Nice. They saw everything from wolves, to car crashes, to frozen wheels and broken brakes. Heck, I bet they saw more in those months than most of us have seen in years. Hats off guys.. hats off..

Danelle Ballengee is an adventure racer. Adventure racers go through some of the most intense training and competitions in the world (just ask those who raced in Moab Primal Quest this year). The adventure training probably saved Dennelle's life.

While training in Moab this week, she fell 60-feet breaking her pelvis. She crawled 1/2 mile and survided two sub-freezing nights in Moab, UT. That is quite the feat being healthy! The ABC 7 Denver news has a video news report on the ordeal. Fortunantly, her dog assisted rescuers to finding her and she is recovering in the hospital. Normally, injuries are second nature to adventure racers. But the pelvis bone is one of those vital and extremely painful breaks that you can't do much about. Arms, hands, ribs and shoulders are one thing. Pelvis is on its own level. Southern Utah in the winter is no treat either.

About a month ago, the new television show "I Shouldnt Be Alive" and the "Nightmare Canyon" episode featured a man who broke his leg/shin while hiking in the Southern Utah area, and he too survived sub-zero temperature, freak snow storms, ice and an overnight stay. I am sure Dannelle will have her own episode soon. Check out the show's website for some great webisodes and adventure survival stories.

Red Bull is sponsoring a first-ever Top 50 Action and Adventure Sports Image contest. The contest will highlight the best action pictures and photos for the year 2006. There are some pretty crazy photos in the submissions. Although I get a lot of good action shots on Moab, UT, they don really compare to some of the shots.

Its a good idea to push forward the photography of outdoor adventure sports. I think that photography plays a big roll in getting people interested in the sports. For websites, it makes all the difference.

Some of my favorite picture from the adventure sports submissions was this sequence to the left.

Well, I had a great time at this year's America Outdoors Conference here in Salt Lake City, Utah. All the outdoor outfitters (mostly just rafting companies) go and catch up with each other and the industry. Its a pretty good source for getting information about adventure travel in general.

I know I haven't posted in a while, and the sad part is that I can't really blame it on AO, because it was here in Utah! So, with no excuses, I will blame it on being busy at work............ yah, work. It is interesting to see the other outdoor adventure companies that operate in different parts of the country. Everyone is still struggling to tap into the outdoor adventure market, and capture the rising trend of adventure travel in general.

Outdoor adventure travel is a rising trend, and more people enjoy getting outside and taking vacations that involve activity. Moab, Utah has seen significant increases in visitors and tourism over the last few years. I thinks its because Moab is a great one-stop destination for adventure. But there are plenty of place like Moab throughout the country. Anyway, lets hope that the trend continues!

Moab, Utah is a tourist town. Therefore, it relies heavily on visitors passing through and seasonal business. It is also arguably the third most popular place in Utah for tourism (Salt Lake City and Park City/ski resorts). The Moab areas has two world famous National Parks (Arches and Canyonlands) and the Colorado River. It is a popular destination for tourists. Therefore, you would think that a decent portion of the state's tourism money would be funnelled to the Moab area. Right?

For you locals and those interested in Utah tourism, I am getting on my soapbox for a second on behalf of the outdoor adventure community. Apparently the office of tourism denied an application to give more money to the Moab area. From what I hear, it was because the application was poorly written. Great. So the whole industry suffers?

Colin Fryer is fighting hard for the cause, but he is getting shut down. He is even a board member for heaven sakes. You would think that logic would be a driving force for some of the allocations. From

What better place than Moab, Utah to start the cool new t.v. show 'Man vs. Wild'? Shoot, just ask the recent Primal Quest participants about tying to brave the Moab desert and they could go on for hours. Bear Grylls will present the series opener with his episode from Moab as the show gets off to a start tonight on the Discovery Channel.

I am really looking forwad to this show. I think it will be fun to watch Bear tuff out the elements with the ultimate outdoor adventure show. A similar show 'Survivor Man' was kind of fun to watch, but kind of diapeared. I hope his new attemp for outdoor survival makes it a little further. nothing gets the desire for outdoor adventure going like watching someone almost die trying to survive in the wild, right?

Although problems ran rampant at this year's 24 Hours of Moab, Granny Gear wasted no time in getting out the 2007 schedule. Next Years Moab, Utah race will be October 14 and 15th.
The rest of the mountain bike races are scheduled as follows:

• 24 Hours of Temecula (SoCal): April 21/22, 2007
  
• 24 Hours of Conyers (Georgia): May 19/20, 2007
• 24 Hours of Big Bear (West Virginia): June 9/10, 2007
• 24 Hours of Killington (Vermont): July 21/22, 2007
  
• 24 Hours of Landahl (Missouri): September 16/17, 2007
• 24 Hours of Moab (Moab, Utah): October 14/15, 2007

The 3rd annual Moab Utah Half Marathon is getting set for the Sunday, October 22nd race date. It has picked up popularity over the last few years, and this year should have over 1,000 entrants.
RunnersWeb.com has a short report on the marathon, and according to the race director, female runners outnumber the male runners 3 to 1. The race itself is 13.1 miles long, and is originally meant to be the companion to the spring event Canyonlands Half Marathon. For you runners, a complete listing of running events across the country is on this calendar.

Hopefully the weather stays nice and we don't have a repeat of 24 Hours of Moab weather nightmare.