The best thing about these 23 miles of trail north of Moab, Utah, is they are so much fun for every skill set. For the seasoned singletrack expert, to the first time trail rider, the Klonzo trails offer a variety of riding.
When Moab’s trail builders recognized a need for diversity, they put shovels in the hands of their most talented visionaries, and made something special with Klonzo.
The singletrack spreads out a few sandy miles from the highway into a gentle desert landscape that sets itself apart from the jagged sandstone terrain of many of the region’s other rides. Most of the Klonzo trails are beginner to intermediate, and even that is pushing their difficulty. This impressive web finds the most enjoyable path, meandering agreeably about rolling hills and slickrock, throughout arroyos and washes. And with the exception of the 4-mile Zephyr trail, not one segment is longer than 1.8 miles.
In Moab and other areas, trail builders have borrowed from downhill skiing to convey trail difficulty, using green circles, blue squares and black diamonds to provide a sense of what to expect. Greens means little, to no significant climbing and few technical difficulties, while blues offer more inclines and trail challenges but in short duration. Black diamonds are both aerobically and technically more difficult.
At Klonzo, even the two black diamond trails, Vertigo and Gravitron, lean toward the upper end of intermediate. While they have some climbing, their true character is what many mountain bikers would call “flow” - sensational and winding trails with bending descents that harness the natural fall lines of the landscape and rely on gravity to carry riders over it. For intermediate riders and even some spirited novices, these two trails are well worth the extra effort.
Klonzo is perched high, giving a commanding view of its surroundings: Klondike Bluffs to the north, Arches National Park to the east, the La Sal Mountains to the southeast, and Mill Canyon to the west. You may spot skydivers floating across the sky – there could be more people jumping out of planes than boarding them at the nearby Moab airport. And wandering eyes might find evidence of life from millions of years ago. The place is littered with dinosaur fossils.
Klonzo is a prize for every skill level. Families, couples, new riders and old ones – everyone can enjoy these desert paths. They can introduce the joys of trail riding, and remind the rest of us why we’re here.
bmathis@bcimedia.com
