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For most riders, February is not a very desirable riding month. But it all depends on your geography. While most skiers know Utah has some of the best snow on the planet this time of year, a few of us know of another great winter activity only 250 miles from Salt Lake City. The town of Moab is well known to mountain bikers worldwide for the legendary Slickrock Trail. This incredible path traverses some of the most challenging terrain anywhere and was actually discovered by guys on motorcycles; way before a Huffy ever thought about shocks or knobbies. And even though most mountain bikers wish otherwise (selfish Johnny-come-lately’s), it remains open to two-wheelers who prefer the advantage of a motor. The term slickrock implies slippery, but nothing could be further from the truth. On the contrary, this stuff has the traction of good asphalt and in fact, the more tread on your tires, the better.

While the mountain bike folks like to monopolize this well known trail, there are about a hundred other trails just as entertaining and a lot less populated. This time of year, the climate in this part of the world can be just about perfect. While further north it’s frequently miserably cold and snow-covered, this area along the Colorado River is frequently much milder. And with summer temps working there way into triple-digits, this is the right time for those of us who like to wear a little protective gear. Since most of tourist onslaught doesn’t start for another month or so, it’s perfect for a mid-winter dirt ride.

Since this was only my second trip to the area to go off-road riding, I did some serious map-review and decided to give the White Rim Trail a try. Located along the boundary of Canyonlands National Park, the trail is named for the pale sandstone deposited in a narrow strata about a zillion years ago. It’s erosion resistance has caused it to form a ledge along the top of some seriously gorgeous red rock canyons. The trail itself is over 120 miles long and even using the most expeditious route, you need to add another 20 or so to make a full loop and get back to where you left your vehicle.

Unless you tackle this ride like a motocross race (and doing so would not only piss-off other trail users, but cause you to miss some of the most incredible scenery you’ll ever encounter), count on the whole trip taking virtually all day (it took me 8 hours). Get a relatively early start because this time of year, noon departures might spill over into darkness; not particularly desirable on a narrow, marginally marked path littered with vertical cliffs.

Since this trail is primarily contained within a National Park, all motorized vehicle must be street-licensed, so make sure you’re running a plate and working street gear. The vast majority of the other trails in the area require only off-road stickers and spark arrestors. While almost any bike capable of off-road activity could tackle this road, including the full-size GS Beemers, I enjoy this type of riding much more on a smaller, lighter machine.

While no off-road riding should be undertaken solo, I couldn’t convince any of my other buddies to accompany me. If you decide to tackle this trail without company, don’t forget to take some survival supplies: extra water and food, survival blanket, lighter, CEL phone. Have a good idea what kind of MPG you normally get and how that compares to your onboard capacity (I used about 3 gallons out of 4.5). Did I mention WATER? With humidity frequently in the single digits, I went through a gallon easily in a day.

As for the trail conditions, they are about half rock/ half course sand. Fortunately, precipitation had recently visited the area, so the normally dusty trails were nice and settled, offering good traction and only minor particulates. Don’t count on this though, as this area is very arid country.

My favorite moment of the day was when I spotted a long stretch of snow ahead on a fairly steep uphill climb. I didn’t commit very whole-heartedly and found myself spinning in one place about half-way up. I pushed the bike off to the side and out of the snow to take a photo. About the time I was ready to give it another try, a mountain biker crested the hill above me and his eyes got real BIG (I guess he wasn’t expecting anything frozen on the path either). He came to a sliding halt, stepped of his bike, threw it up on his shoulder and started tip-toeing downhill through the white stuff. I didn’t really feel like waiting the several minutes it would take him to reach me, so I dumped the clutch, stood up, kept the front wheel pointed uphill and held on to the slewing beast until I crested the top. Nice adrenaline rush …….. and a show for Mr. Self-Propelled! Sweet.

Toward the end of the ride, I’d had enough. While only few sections were what I would term difficult, the trail requires you pay constant attention. My butt was only in the saddle about 20% of the ride, but rarely for more than a minute or so. I was so tired that after I got everything loaded back up and drove a few miles back to town, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. When they finally opened 11 hours later, I felt as refreshed as a person can get. Good exercise and a long day of extreme concentration makes for great sleep!

If you want to invite some friends that aren’t into off-roading, Arches National Park is VERY close by, and will provide an entire day of entertainment for those who like the comforts of a “cage” or their exercise more hiking oriented. And there’s plenty of restaurants, hotels and entertainment in Moab for the off-saddle hours.

This was only my second time exploring the area, but I can guarantee it won’t be my last.

Rhino