Looking east. Gemini Bridges Trail

The Gemini Bridges ride is one of the more famous mountain bike routes in Utah but it's also a popular 4-wheel drive route. On peak weekends (such as during several festivals for off-roaders), the Gemini Bridges road will be crowded with 4-wheelers. We recommend you save this ride for a weekday or an off-season weekend. 

The Mad Scientist on his bike "Banana Thunder" on the way towards the bridges. Behind, the ridges are formed of Entrada Sandstone, a common cap-rock in the area northwest of Maob.
October 15, 1999. Photo by Mike Engberson

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The trail is a broad rocky gravel road, with some steep sections and one stretch of ledgy slickrock. As an out-and-back from the highway, it's 16 miles round trip. Total climbing is about 1500 feet, in 3 sections of 500 feet each (two on the way out, one on the way back).

The trail isn't tough, but it's long. Experienced beginners can make the ride, but consider the length of the ride and the long uphill climbs before deciding whether this ride is right for you.

Matt Flygare, Dominic, and Mike cruise the road near the "Gooney Bird." The sheer cliffs are of Wingate Sandstone, found below the Entrada, Navajo, and Kayenta. The ledge near the valley floor is the Chinle formation.  These formations date to the late Triassic to early Jurassic Era, 200 to 170 million years ago. October 15, 1999.

Matt leads the pack along the road.
Mike catches air! There's one section of steep loose rocky dirt that requires advanced skills, but it's short enough to walk. The slickrock ledges may stop inexperienced riders, but there are only a few of these spots, all in the last 1/2 mile near the bridges.

Mike (Mad Scientist Software's "Boss") grabs some air off a Navajo sandstone ledge. October 15, 1999.
The final descent to the arch has a few tricky spots, well within the abilities of an intermediate rider. You may want to stay and play around on the slickrock part of the ride.

Dominic Bria (who you may recognize as the respiratory tech in the multimedia Cardiac Arrest) rolls down the slickrock towards Gemini Bridges.
Photo October 15, 1999.

The DOMinator on the slope!
View of the arches, looking north. The end of the ride puts you on top of the bridges at GPS N 38° 35.123' W 109° 42.456'. Approach them with caution. You could easily ride right off a 200-foot cliff. The capstone of Kayenta forms a ledge that protects the underlying Wingate sandstone from erosion. The Wingate fractures away in large vertical columns as the soft Chinle Formation underbeneath it erodes, forming breath-taking vertical cliffs.

Mike and Dominic approach the outer of the two bridges while Chad stands on top.
October 15, 1999.
Getting there: Drive south on US-191 for 16 miles south of I-70 (about 15 miles north of Moab). Spot the parking area on the west (right as you head toward Moab) side of the road. GPS N 38° 39.381' W 109° 40.672'. Park in front of the railroad tracks, and head out west on the road.

Gemini Bridges Trail Map
Riding Resources for Gemini Bridges:
  Topo map:  Low Res     High Res
  Single-page riding guide for printing.		  
GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
     Garmin     GPX      National Geographic    Google Earth
Jeep on a ledge of the cliff.

If you need a reminder to be careful, look over the edge at this jeep, 200 feet below the arch. This was a fatality just one week before our ride.

 

Ride smart. But if you didn't...
Learn about care of biking injuries on-line at UtahMountainBiking.com!

For additional information, including nearby lodging, rentals, camping, and current conditions, may we suggest:
Comprehensive info on visiting Moab:  http://www.moab-utah.com/ 
More stuff, activities:  http://www.discovermoab.com/  Another source:  http://www.moab.net 
BLM information (OHV info, hiking, camping): http://www.blm.gov/utah/moab/rec-frame.html 
Arches National Park Information:  http://www.arches.national-park.com/
Canyonlands National Park:  http://www.canyonlands.national-park.com/

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