First, the good news. The views from the end of the ride are incredible. Now the bad news: until you get there, this ride is just another boring dirt road to nowhere. This 7-mile ride is fairly easy, but there's some up-and-down riding.
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Flat Iron Mesa
First, the good news. The views from the end of the ride are incredible. Now the bad news: until you get there, this ride is just another boring dirt road to nowhere. This 7-mile ride is fairly easy, but there's some up-and-down riding. |
| View of Kane Springs Canyon from the road's end. To the west, Hatch Wash. Photo by Bruce, April 2006. |
| The end of the ride is where Hatch Wash meets Kane Springs
Canyon. You're surrounded by gaping canyons, 270 degrees. In front of you
is a rincon, an island of stone left by the meandering creek. There's a second road that forks off Flat Iron Mesa road and follows Hatch Wash. I'm told this is a more visually interesting and more technical riding route. But I didn't explore it, due to (A) broken camera, (B) major dust storm, (C) no topo map of the area, and (D) sun going down. This alternate route forks off about a mile from the highway and rejoins the mesa road right at the view area. Let me know how it rides, and send a photo or two. |
| The ride averages downhill as you go toward the overlook, starting at an elevation of 5900 feet and ending at 5500. There are about six down-and-up again hills, so you'll do 800 feet of climbing -- 200 out and 600 back. |
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There are many dirt roads that intersect the Flat Iron Mesa road. Just stay on the main road. At one point about 1.5 miles from the highway, you'll hit a "Y" fork that might be confusing. The right-hand fork was gravel-covered and wide. The left (correct road) went over a cattleguard and through the fence. Fortunately, there was a "street intersection" type sign. View of the La Sal Mountains from the road. |
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UtahMountainBiking.com for bike trail info, repair instructions, feature articles, first aid, fitness, and goodies. |
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Getting there: From Moab's main street, drive 20
miles south on US 191. Enjoy the pretty red rocks. When you see a group of
industrial buildings on your right, go about 1/4 mile further, then turn
right onto the Flat Iron Mesa Road. GPS N 38° 19.425' W 109° 25.605'.
Find a smooth spot to park and start riding.
Overlook coordinates: approx N 38° 22.48' W 109° 31.00' |
| Riding Resources for Flat Iron Mesa: Large-format topo map: View Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Moab area resources |
GPS track files: Garmin National Geographic Google Earth GPX |
