For every highly technical vertical drop on Slickrock, there’s a less harrowing but equally thrilling beginner’s trail. Poison Spider and Porcupine Rim are two of the most popular places to bike with each offering its own version of unique scenic trails. Bar-M-Loop is a fun, scenic trail for the whole family. Lower Monitor & Merrimac Trail is a great slickrock trail for beginners. Klondike Bluffs is a bit more challenging, but novice mountain bikers should do well. Baby Steps is a downhill lover’s dream but don’t let the name fool you —it’s not for babies. Amasa Back Trail will challenge you physically more than technically giving you an exhilarating ride top to bottom. Sovereign Singletrack is the ideal for out-and-back rides and offers descents along the ridges of Morrison Formation. Gemini Bridges Trail is moderate, but its scenery is anything but. A long downhill is your reward for ascending Little Canyon.

Cyclists also have reason to visit Moab. In addition to having some of the most revered roads in the world for cycling, there’s the Skinny Tire Events that attract bicyclists from everywhere to help raise awareness and money to fight cancer. First up is the Skinny Tire Festival in March. The four-day ride takes cyclists into Arches National Park, along the Colorado River to Dead Horse Point (State Park) and through Moab Valley before reaching the finish line at the La Sal Mountains. The three-day Moab Century Tour will appeal to riders of all levels and is held in autumn. Starting in the canyons of Moab, it continues alongside the Colorado River before rising into the La Sal Mountains then finishing with a descent back into the canyons. It’s a beauty of a ride start to finish. A third event, MoonShadows in Moab, will be christened in 2009 and will cover the Moab landscape under the star-lit skies.