Slickrock Bike Trail

Slickrock Bike Trail is considered the mountain biking trail in the world. Each year this trail sees at least 100,000 bikers. The trail was first developed in 1969 by motorcyclists, who occasionally use the trail today. However, it is the mountain bikers who dominate the trail today. The name Slickrock came from the metal shod horses that early settlers tried to use in the area. The rock is sandstone, therefore the horseshoes would move slickly over the rock, having a hard time gaining purchases. Today the friction with bike tires provides an option to defy gravity.

Once a rider can master the rocks it is an invigorating experience because one can tilt or angle the bike in numerous ways to make it more challenging. The rocks have a certain path, but there are also deviations from the path that one can take. These are shown by the painted on markers. The entire trail is full of these amazing sandstone cliffs, where visitors can see the Colorado River and tributaries as they move along the trail. There is even the view of La Sals, which is 12,000 feet tall. Slickrock Bike Trail is 12 miles long and takes at least 4 hours for the loop trip.