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EKG Trail
The EKG Trail is a 4.1 mile slickrock ride located north of Moab. It's part of a trail complex (Klondike Area) that includes Baby Steps, Little Salty, and Mega Steps in addition to the Klondike Bluffs trail. View north from the spot where EKG starts on Baby Steps South. Photos and ride description November 2, 2011 by Bruce. |
| The EKG Trail is an expert-level tech trail, but can be
managed by strong intermediates. To get to the trail, you need to ride out
from the trailhead and incorporate portions of other trails, so the
minimum ride will be 11 miles. The trail can be done either direction. I
think it flows a little smoother in the north-to-south direction -- but I
suggest you do it both ways and decide for yourself.
The trail is dropping west. The skirts of the mesas are the Brushy Basin member of the Morrison Formation, while we're riding on the layer below it -- the Salt Wash sandstone. Dino tracks are extra credit. This is the era of the allosaurus and long-necked sauropods. |
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Your riding time for this trail will depend on your appetite
for tech challenges, and on the time you spend shooting photos, talking,
and watching other riders. Allow about 90 minutes for your first time
(just for the EKG portion of your ride). But if you're in a hurry, well, I
rode north-to-south in 41 minutes and I wasn't pushing it.
The trail has turned through a wash and is now heading straight up the slope again. You will spend a little time riding "across" but most of the time you're going uphill or downhill. |
| You won't have to spend time scouting the trail and trying
to find your way. The trail is well-marked with orange paint stripes on
the rock. Many sections also have trailside logs and rocks to make the
riding line obvious.
A rider drops toward a wash crossing. From the wash bottom, he'll climb to the camera viewpoint. |
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Every ledge I encountered had "helper" rocks
strategically placed. There was only one spot that I thought an
intermediate would be unable to ride. I found myself deliberately missing
the helper rocks so I could make ledge attacks uphill and ledge drops
downhill.
Riding two days after a snowstorm. The runoff is over but there's still water in the washes. If you look closely, you can see snow in the shadow of the rock on the right. |
| The general course of the trail traverses a tilted layer of
sandstone. From north to south, it's only 50 feet of absolute elevation
change (average 4800 feet). But the trail does NOT make a straight
traverse. It's constantly going uphill, then downhill, as it navigates the
many arroyos that gouge the rock.
Here the trail is crossing Little Salty. Little Salty is marked with yellow paint, while EKG is orange. The trail intersections are clearly marked, with signs showing where you are on the trail system. Well done! |
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So you'll head straight downhill to hit a wash crossing
where it opens up. Then you'll turn and head straight uphill to go around
the uphill head of the next wash.
We've pedaled up and around the head of an arroyo. Now we're headed straight down the slope. We'll be going through the bottom of the next wash after it opens up. Then it will be back uphill again! But the climbs are short enough that I never tired. |
| That's why it's called the "EKG" trail. Yes, it
does make your heart pitter-patter with excitement. But the name EKG is
based on the shape of the trail. It looks like a particularly nasty case
of ventricular fibrillation. (Not that there's any "good"
v-fib.)
Following the orange brick road uphill. |
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The course of the trail swings regularly uphill and
downhill, and the riding line goes up and down as you roll over ledges and
humps of rock. According to my GPS, this "50 feet of elevation
change" trail had a total of over 1000 vertical feet of climbing --
each way.
Not as hard as it looks. It's an easy roll downhill (riding south to north). There's a long run-in to build speed for the uphill (north to south) trip. |
| For riders who aren't up to a huge ride, but want to play on
the rock, I suggest riding Copper Ridge Road north. When you reach Mega
Steps, climb 1/3 mile to the EKG trail and head south. If you're
struggling, there are bailouts at Baby Steps and Little Salty. This ride
is 11 miles.
Behind this tree is an off-camber steep uphill spot. Get some speed by swinging wide, following the orange stripes. If you chicken out, hike up and around (mid-left in the photo) -- the side-slope has too much pitch to hold bike shoes very well. |
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For those who want real fun, you can retrace the ride I
made. (See the second ride guide below.) Head straight for EKG and take it
northbound. Then turn and ride up Mega Steps. Descend either Baby Steps or
Little Salty (I used Little Salty). Then take Copper Ridge Road north to
the bottom of Mega Steps. Climb to EKG and take it southbound. This ride
is 20.4 miles, and will have about 2800 vertical feet of climbing overall.
We're at the Baby Steps North crossing, looking back at the La Sal Mountains to the southwest. Baby Steps North is marked in baby blue paint. |
| Bottom Line: EKG is destined to become a popular Moab trail. Because it connects to Baby Steps South, Little Salty, Baby Steps North, and Mega Steps, it can be part of many different ride combinations. Ride a little of it, or a lot of it. Or ride it twice. It's worth it. We've reached Mega Steps and the end of EKG. Mega Steps is marked light green. |
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| Riding guide, Copper Ridge to EKG loop: 0.0 East across cattle guard N38 46.417 W109 42.735 0.8 Veer L on Copper Ridge Rd N38 46.997 W109 43.072 1.7 Straight (R = Baby Steps) N38 47.545 W109 43.603 2.6 Straight (R = Little Salty) N38 48.184 W109 44.194 3.6 Straight (R = Baby Steps North) N38 48.810 W109 44.847 4.4 R on Mega Steps N38 49.196 W109 45.404 4.8 R on EKG Trail N38 49.420 W109 45.029 |
5.8 Baby Steps joins from the
left Veer L (southeast) to stay on EKG N38 48.964 W109 44.611 7.2 Straight (cross Little Salty) N38 48.591 W109 43.916 8.9 R downhill on Baby Steps N38 47.750 W109 43.292 9.3 L on Copper Ridge Rd N38 47.546 W109 43.604 10.2 R (L=Klondike Bluffs) N38 46.982 W109 43.070 11.0 Back at parking |
| EKG both ways! w Mega Steps up and Little Salty down: 0.0 East across cattle guard N38 46.417 W109 42.735 0.8 Veer L on Copper Ridge Rd N38 46.997 W109 43.072 1.7 R to Baby Steps South N38 47.545 W109 43.603 2.1 L onto EKG N38 47.742 W109 43.284 3.8 Cross Little Salty, keep straight N38 48.598 W109 43.912 5.2 R uphill joining Baby Steps North 100 ft then veer L to stay on EKG N38 48.960 W109 44.614 6.2 R uphill on Mega Steps N38 49.420 W109 45.034 7.8 Top of ridge, veer south 8.9 Reach DT N38 49.480 W109 43.799 Keep straight on Baby Steps southbound 10.3 Fork R on Little Salty N38 49.129 W109 43.379 |
11.3 Cross EKG, keep straight N38 48.598 W109 43.912 12.0 R on Copper Ridge DT N38 48.179 W109 44.193 13.0 Keep straight (R = Baby Steps N) N38 48.802 W109 44.840 13.8 R uphill on Mega Steps N38 49.196 W109 45.404 14.2 R on EKG N38 49.420 W109 45.034 15.2 Cross Baby Steps, stay on EKG N38 48.960 W109 44.614 16.6 Cross Little Salty, stay on EKG N38 48.598 W109 43.912 18.3 R downhill on Baby Steps South N38 47.742 W109 43.284 18.7 L on Copper Ridge Rd N38 47.545 W109 43.603 19.7 Fork R (L = Klondike) N38 46.997 W109 43.072 20.4 Back at parking |
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Getting there: Starting at the Colorado River, drive
15 miles north from Moab. Look for a turnout with parking on the right and
a sign for Klondike Bluffs Road. There will
usually be cars parked there (GPS N 38° 44.452' W 109°
44.037'). For a longer ride, park here and ride up the road. Most cyclists will choose to go through the gate and drive 2.7 miles. Keep left at
the fork. At 2.8 miles, park your car in the broad parking area by the
fence. Go eastbound across the cattleguard through the fence and begin your ride.
Note: Map color-coded to show named trails individually. Does not correspond to described loops above.
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| Riding resources for this trail: Single-page riding guide Riding guide, EKG both ways - Mega Salty GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."): GPX Klondike area trails EKG only EKG via Copper Ridge Loop EKG both ways w Mega Little Salty High-res topo for printing (500 KB): View Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Moab area resources |
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