By Reid Delman
Lockhart Basin is an incredible mtb ride across the Colorado River from the famous White Rim Trail.
Location: Canyonlands National Park to Moab UT
Distance: 60+ miles
Permit: Not required
Level: Intermediate
Scenery: Stunning!
Gemini Adventures Race Director, Reid, rode this epic mtb ride in one day in 2017. Here’s his report:
The ride starts with a 2.5 hour drive from Moab to Canyonlands National Park and we had a shuttle pick us up at 3:30am. If there is a better way to wake up than in the very early morning hours in Moab to packed bags of adventure gear, I don’t know it. Using the Gaia app helped us navigate the trail for the first 40+ miles. Officially, Lockhart Basin trail ends at Hurrah Pass around 20 miles from Moab. The scenery was so extremely beautiful.
We rode the trail in late October and the weather was threatening all day and at times spat on us enough that we needed to put on jackets. It was never miserable though and is a great time of year for a long endurance ride. Temps are cooler and the sand is more packed.
We went about 6 extra miles each way to visit Chicken Corner, a place we had never been before. As the road narrowed and eventually became a trail we kept looking for a butte that was in the shape of a chicken to indicate Chicken Corner. While skirting around the last butte carrying our bikes on a small ledge with a 1000 foot drop to our right, my wife Michele asked for help with her bike because she was too “chicken’ to make the move. And that’s when we realized we had reached our destination and how it was named!
I’ve ridden the famous White Rim trail and I found this trail to be just as beautiful and every bit as exciting. It’s just across the Colorado River and not quite as long. Since it’s not in the park there’s also plenty of camping and no need for a permit. We got to Hurrah Pass as the sun was setting and rode the last few miles in the dark and cold. It’s around 62 miles but it took us 72 with the extra miles. Stunning buttes, canyons, extremely remote, highly recommend!