Moab Bogleyfest - May 1st-3rd 09

[blueeyes]

Weather is going to be fantastic in Moab. I have everything packed except a few food items I don't want to buy until Tues night.

So a friend was telling me that a good trail to ride with the kids would be Monitor Mitmac, and a swimming hole Joe's Reservoir.

What other trails would be good for kids?

[cachehiker]

I've ridden the Monitor and Merrimac trail a few times. There's a both bike loop around Courthouse Rock and a jeep trail out to the actual buttes. The bike loop is OK but the playground around the buttes is much better. Unfortunately, the jeep trail is like riding through a 2 mile long sand trap to get there and then again to get back out. I won't usually consider it unless it's a weekday, it has rained recently, and we're likely to beat most of the ATV's and motorcycles out there.

I like the Left Fork of Tusher Canyon better. It isn't a difficult trail but it involves some improvisational route finding and a few portages up to the next ledge before you're on top at the playground. Here's the view from there with Courthouse Rock on the left, Monitor Butte dead center, and Merrimac Butte just to the right of Monitor. You can see the giant sand trap of a jeep trail winding its way out there.

I hope you've got beefy tires and good sand skills.

[moab mark]

Weather is going to be fantastic in Moab. I have everything packed except a few food items I don't want to buy until Tues night.

So a friend was telling me that a good trail to ride with the kids would be Monitor Mitmac, and a swimming hole Joe's Reservoir.

What other trails would be good for kids?

I would not recommend taking kids out around monitor biking. There is a ton of sand out there. Not familiar with Joe's Reservoir for swimming?

If your kids want to do a fun climbing activity. Head down the kane creek road side of the colorado. When you come to the first campground on the left pull in by the anazasi ruins. There is a cool slot right there with logs jammed in it that you and your kids can climb.

For a fun kid hike that is off the beaten path start at the bridge crossing courthouse wash coming into town. There is a parking lot there. It's easier to start if you cross the bridge and then walk up stream for as far as you want to go. In 100 yards you go from civilization to pristine red rocks. If they have teva's they can walk in the stream. Kids love it. Another great kid hike is start at the bottom of negro bill canyon and hike up until they get bored. That one can be a little crowded.
One more is go down the kane creek road to hunter wash and head up it. Fun and easy. There is a arch up there you can climb up into. Climb-Utah has a couple of family hikes on that same road I think they are called birthing stone and funnel arch?
I haven't done this one in years but if you go down from where you guys are camping there is a canyon (day canyon) that has a gate across it. Whether you are tresspassing I do not know, but the hike up the botttom use to be awesome. Climbers head up that drainage to climb all over the walls.
Wish I was going.
Mark

[moab mark]

I've ridden the Monitor and Merrimac trail a few times. There's a both bike loop around Courthouse Rock and a jeep trail out to the actual buttes. The bike loop is OK but the playground around the buttes is much better. Unfortunately, the jeep trail is like riding through a 2 mile long sand trap to get there and then again to get back out. I won't usually consider it unless it's a weekday, it has rained recently, and we're likely to beat most of the ATV's and motorcycles out there.

I like the Left Fork of Tusher Canyon better. It isn't a difficult trail but it involves some improvisational route finding and a few portages up to the next ledge before you're on top at the playground. Here's the view from there with Courthouse Rock on the left, Monitor Butte dead center, and Merrimac Butte just to the right of Monitor. You can see the giant sand trap of a jeep trail winding its way out there.

I hope you've got beefy tires and good sand skills.

I am pretty sure that road is the one the blm closed recently. What people use to due with kids. If you had a fourwheel drive they would drive out to that big slick rock patch in the picture and then let there kids ride around. But I think there is a gate now.

From the dead horse road you can go along the spring canyon road and then head towards dubinky well, when you come to the intersection where bartlet wash road goes north there is a bunch of flat slick rock there that people ride with kids.
The actual bartlet wash slickrock is fun to, kind of a pain to get up on it but it's good.
Cashehiker, did you notice if motorcycles had been riding on the tusher slick rock dome?

Mark
Mark

[cachehiker]

The Sevenmile Rim Trail is still listed as a jeep safari route and the BLM Travel Management Plan still shows that one as "dirt road, unmaintained". I wouldn't be surprised if it's gated off during the winter though. There's always been some muddy sections going back and forth across the streambed when I've ridden it. In any case, I've always parked and ridden it on a mountain bike. My aging Toyota 4x4 is capable enough but it is still 100% stock and I'm sure it would have its share of difficulties.

Last time I rode Monitor and Merrimac it was a Monday after a rainstorm and I was on big floaty 2.3" Specialized Roll-X tires at 35 psi and had no problem. My ex-expert class racer buddy was on some POS Hutchinson 2.0 somethings with minimal tread pumped up pretty hard for the slick rock and he wore himself to death stepping off, walking, getting back on, catching back up, stepping off, walking, getting back on, catching back up, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat.

I rode Tusher Canyon solo last time and there was no evidence of anybody anywhere up on the dome. There was no evidence of motorcycles after the initial portage either. I know I wouldn't want to hoist a downhill bike up there let alone an actual motorized version.

[moab mark]

Is that road the one past the dino tracks or up tusher wash? The dino track road is what they closed. As far as the motorcycles I had heard they had found a different route up there?

[cachehiker]

I've passed the Dino Trailhead but have never hiked it. I don't even remember on which dome in particular one was supposed to find them. The preceding pic was taken from where the red X is in the following pic so I guess that wasn't Courthouse Rock on the left after all. The playground was approached from Tusher Canyon to the west.

In any case, I'd be inclined to assume one could still find one's way to Monitor and Merrimac on a mountain bike by taking the Sevenmile Trail, after looping around to the north side of Courthouse Rock and back to the road, or by simply climbing the gate and getting back on your bike. I couldn't find anything mentioning a closure involving non-motorized vehicles and the notice I found involving motorized vehicles was somewhat indistinct about which road and what parts of it.

[moab mark]

I've passed the Dino Trailhead but have never hiked it. I don't even remember on which dome in particular one was supposed to find them. The preceding pic was taken from where the red X is in the following pic so I guess that wasn't Courthouse Rock on the left after all. The playground was approached from Tusher Canyon to the west.

In any case, I'd be inclined to assume one could still find one's way to Monitor and Merrimac on a mountain bike by taking the Sevenmile Trail, after looping around to the north side of Courthouse Rock and back to the road, or by simply climbing the gate and getting back on your bike. I couldn't find anything mentioning a closure involving non-motorized vehicles and the notice I found involving motorized vehicles was somewhat indistinct about which road and what parts of it.

Here is a link to the blms new travel plan. It shows the gate. It is only for motorized traffic. I think the map you want is page 16 or 17
http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/moab/...utes/copy.html

[DiscGo]

I have to work Friday night, so I am headed down on Saturday morning and I'll be there Saturday and come back on Sunday afternoon. Are there going to be any designated hikes or get togethers on Saturday? I saw on the first post that there was talk of doing dinner on Saturday night but I didn't see a finalized time and location.

[cachehiker]

Same set of maps I've been looking at. Not sure where I'm supposed to see a gate on page 16. The legend doesn't include a symbol for gates, just which roads are for what purpose. It doesn't show the Mill Canyon Road as being open for motorcycles or ATV's either so I wouldn't be surprised to find a gate that used to be open is now closed or an entirely new gate.

I haven't ridden that road out to Monitor and Merrimac in about 2 years. At that point, ATV's and motorcycles outnumbered bicycles by five to one.

[IntrepidXJ]

Same set of maps I've been looking at. Not sure where I'm supposed to see a gate on page 16. The legend doesn't include a symbol for gates, just which roads are for what purpose. It doesn't show the Mill Canyon Road as being open for motorcycles or ATV's either so I wouldn't be surprised to find a gate that used to be open is now closed or an entirely new gate.

I haven't ridden that road out to Monitor and Merrimac in about 2 years. At that point, ATV's and motorcycles outnumbered bicycles by five to one.

There is a gate there now, just past the dino tracks parking area...I found out the hard way a few weekends ago

[moab mark]

Same set of maps I've been looking at. Not sure where I'm supposed to see a gate on page 16. The legend doesn't include a symbol for gates, just which roads are for what purpose. It doesn't show the Mill Canyon Road as being open for motorcycles or ATV's either so I wouldn't be surprised to find a gate that used to be open is now closed or an entirely new gate.

I haven't ridden that road out to Monitor and Merrimac in about 2 years. At that point, ATV's and motorcycles outnumbered bicycles by five to one.

its map 17 see where 342 ends that is where the gate is. The gate is brand new. You can go around it on a mtn bike but no motorized vehicles. I do not know if there is a gate on the south side also.

[accadacca]

A few of us will be riding the classic slick rock trail on Friday around 10 or 11 and maybe Porcupine rim later in the day? Then we'll head over to camp and see wuzz up. Maybe group hiking on Saturday would be cool? We are also planning on the pot luck on Saturday night. Fourtycal was going to give greyhair a buzz to see what he had planned. He heard from greyhair's wife that he was packing everything but the kitchen sink.

If you want to meet at the slick rock trail head and ride Friday give a holla. I will post more details later...

[fourtycal]

If you want to meet at the slick rock trail head and ride Friday give a holla. I will post more details later...

A burn around Slickrock sounds good to me. Have to see if I'm still standing after that Greyhairbiker said he would meet us there.

[abirken]

I think because this is Moab with so many different things to do, we were just kind of leaving the activities up to individuals to organize. For example, I know that Chere, Acca and Wade want to bike. I know that Kev, myself and Scout will want to run a canyon. I know that Scout, Wade and myself want to do some geocaching, Scout is bringing a canoe......etc....so we didn't get too detailed with the organized activities. The one thing we were planning is a group dinner on Saturday night at the Goldbar campsite, let's say 6? All are welcome even if you aren't camping with the group. If I hear anymore from others in the group, I will try to update the first page, first post. Can you guys firm up what everyone is wanting to do and when so we have a better idea of activities?

[abirken]

A few of us will be riding the classic slick rock trail on Friday around 10 or 11 and maybe Porcupine rim later in the day? Then we'll head over to camp and see wuzz up. Maybe group hiking on Saturday would be cool? We are also planning on the pot luck on Saturday night. Fourtycal was going to give greyhair a buzz to see what he had planned. He heard from greyhair's wife that he was packing everything but the kitchen sink.

If you want to meet at the slick rock trail head and ride Friday give a holla. I will post more details later...

HAHA!! I didn't even read this! Thanks for making some sense out of what's happening. :)

[Don]

I just moved and have a lot of unpacking and sorting and cleaning to do but I figure that shit will still need doing when I get back

[abirken]

[quote=Don]I just moved and have a lot of unpacking and sorting and cleaning to do but I figure that shit will still need doing when I get back

[blueeyes]

Leave in less the 36 hours!!

I would like to go on a good Mt Bike ride.. but that all depends. Mostly I will be doing a lot of kid friendly activities. We kind of plan things as we go or where we land. Very flexible.

I am cooking pulled pork for the big dinner on Sat. Enough to feed the masses and then some.

I am just excited to sit around a campfire and roast marshmellows and hot dogs. It has been TWO long years. I feel all giddy like a kid going to Disneyland.

[Don]

Leave in less the 36 hours!!

I would like to go on a good Mt Bike ride.. but that all depends. Mostly I will be doing a lot of kid friendly activities. We kind of plan things as we go or where we land. Very flexible.

I am cooking pulled pork for the big dinner on Sat. Enough to feed the masses and then some.

I am just excited to sit around a campfire and roast marshmellows and hot dogs. It has been TWO long years. I feel all giddy like a kid going to Disneyland.

I'll assume that anyone bothering to read this thread knows that Disneyland has nothing on Moab.