ϳԹ

Image

Biking Moab in the August heat

Published:  Updated: 

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! .

Week of June 12-18, 1997

Biking Moab in the August heat
Question: I am trying to plan a mountain-biking trip to Moab in August. Do you have any advice on how to get six bikes from the Salt Lake airport to Moab? I am currently thinking about renting two minivans. And what about the temperature during that time of year?

Joe Digiovanni
Mountain View, CA
joe.digiovanni@autodesk.com

ϳԹ Adviser: Biking Moab in August is the equivalent to jumping into a Minnesota lake in January — self-induced torture. The average temperature is 95-100 degrees, which doesn’t sound hot until you’re 6 miles into a slickrock trail with the sun beating mercilessly down and nothing but treeless, dusty mesas ahead for miles. In fact,
most bike outfitters in town discourage biking Moab in August and point you toward the nearby LaSal Mountains where higher altitude, mountain streams, and friendly trees shade you from the heat. Granted, you will beat the people problem, and have plenty of BLM camping land at your disposal, but I’d recommend holding off until September when the threat of being baked to death
is reduced tenfold.

For a fee (approximately $20, plus shipping), Kaibab Mountain Bike Tours in Moab receives UPS shipments. The shop/outfitter will let you ship your bikes to their address and then they will reassemble them before you even get to town. So forget about the minivan-rental worries, or the headache from lugging your bike on an airline, and instead give Kaibab a call at
800-451-1133.


|


©2000, Mariah Media Inc.

Popular on ϳԹ Online