Utah San Rafael Swell, Van II

Thousands of mountain bikers from the Salt Lake Valley and beyond, in their determined quest to get to the mountain biking mecca of Moab, zip past and scarcely notice the San Rafael Swell as they drive south toward Green River. Little do they know what an amazing abundance of riding lies hidden in that rugged expanse of country. This is your chance to discover what they’ve been missing!

The swell’s sloping eastern flank, the San Rafael Reef, is a virtual wall of rock broken up only by the occasional slot canyon. The term “reef,” also applied to the Capital Reef and other folds on the Colorado Plateau, was used by early travelers who found expanses of stone like these to be serious hindrances to getting from point A to point B.

Though we’ll camp every night on this adventure, and share in the cooking and other group duties, the Adventure Cycling van will be there to carry our gear from place to place, allowing us to tackle the desert flats and gulches load-free.