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Little Salty Trail
Little Salty is part of the Klondike Bluffs area trail complex. It's a 1.7 mile up-down route. Altitude is 5000 feet at the ridge. At the top, it begins on Baby Steps on a saddle of the ridge. The EKG Trail transects it about 0.7 miles from the bottom, where it ends on the Copper Ridge Road. From the top of the ridge, we're looking west from Baby Steps at the upper end of Little Salty. In the distance are the Blue Hills. Photos and ride description November 3, 2011 by Bruce. |
| Most riders will do Little Salty as a downhill. After
reaching the saddle 8.7 miles into the Baby Steps Loop, riders will think
about the ugly continuing climb to the top of Baby Steps. Then they'll
decide that Little Salty is a very attractive trail.
The upper trail is a flattish flood zone. Note the water channels. As you might guess, this may not the best way dowhill in a cloudburst. |
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The downhill starts with an in-and-out ride down a wash and
flood area. The first half-mile isn't exciting. Depending on recent
weather, it can also be a boulder and gully dodge. It's also a little
harder to be sure you're on the trail in this area.
Once you get out of the flood area and onto the slanted sandstone, it gets very nice. The trail is well-marked with stripes of yellow paint. Shortly after reaching the slickrock, the trail has meandered south and we're looking across the ridge toward the La Sal Mountains. |
| The trail descends at about 300 feet per mile (6% grade). It
meanders around the tabletop, with some uphill spots during the descent.
A trail called UFO is planned for the future, and it will hit Little Salty from the left at around mile 0.3 to 0.4 from the top. The trail slopes down toward the Copper Ridge road. |
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The riding isn't too technical. It's easily within the
abilities of the typical intermediate rider. But if you like, there are
plenty of spots where you can take a more aggressive line. Ledge drops and
some trickier uphill attacks.
We interrupt the downhill to meander up and around. The trail is well-marked with yellow paint stripes and rock cairns. |
| At mile 1.0, you'll cross the EKG Trail. Many riders choose
to skip the last 0.7 miles of downhill and head east (left) on EKG. This
is a significantly more technical way to do it, and gives you a little
more workout. This route will take you over to Baby Steps south, where you
can turn downhill to complete your loop.
We've just crossed the EKG trail and are on the last section of the downhill. |
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| Climbing Little Salty |
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As an uphill, Little Salty forks off the Copper Ridge dirt
road 2.6 miles from the cattleguard and parking area of Klondike Bluffs
Road. It starts with about 1/10 mile of dirt and sage, then it hits the
slickrock ramp and starts climbing.
From Copper Ridge Road, the trail is marked by this sign. |
| The climbing grade is reasonable, mostly middle chainring
stuff. It meanders a bit to give you an occasional break from the slope.
The altitude change is 400 feet over 1.7 miles. There will be an
occasional ledge with a rock ramp -- nothing tricky.
The grade is sustainable, and the pedaling is easy. |
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| Sample ride Baby Salty Loop, counterclockwise: 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 uphill on Baby Steps N38 47.545 W109 43.603 Follow rock cairns up slickrock 2.1 Straight uphill (L = EKG) N38 47.741 W109 43.285 2.6 Trail veers R N38 48.02 W109 42.88 3.5 Fork L (R= to Klondike) N38 47.958 W109 42.584 3.9 L on ST N38 48.28 W109 42.69 5.1 Back at DT, fork L N38 48.41 W109 42.77 6.1 Fork L to join Klondike trail N38 48.578 W109 42.373 |
6.2 Keep straight N38 48.656 W109 42.260 6.6 Keep R and descend N38 48.817 W109 42.085 6.8 Fork L in valley N38 48.811 W109 41.871 8.2 Fork L and climb hill N38 49.310 W109 43.045 8.8 Top of hill, L on ST Little Salty N38 49.102 W109 43.371 9.0 Future UFO Trail, keep L if fork 9.8 R on EKG Trail N38 48.589 W109 43.922 11.5 R downhill on Baby Steps South N38 47.741 W109 43.285 11.9 L on Copper Ridge Rd N38 47.548 W109 43.605 12.9 Keep R at road fork 13.6 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: Trails are color-coded to show individual named trails. The Baby Steps route in red does not correspond to the loop ride above. |
| Riding resources for this trail: Single-page riding guide GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."): GPX Klondike area trails Little Salty only Baby Salty Loop High-res topo for printing (500 KB): View Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Moab area resources |
Your bike will thank you. |
