Mountain Bike Trails Trail Maps Mountain Bike Reviews Bike Forums Bike GPS MTB Photos Videos Bike Races Training Shop MTB Blog

Portal Trail Mountain Bike Trail

Moab, Utah

Trail Info Map Photos (5) Video (2) Races (0) Travel (0) More

VIEW
TRAIL MAP

MTB TRAIL STATS

Avg Rating:	3 trail reviews
Status: Open updated 5/7/09 by david_darling	Difficulty: Expert
Length: 4 miles	Global Rank: 578
Tread: Singletrack	Configuration: Out & Back
Ridden: 22	Wishlist: 12
Avg. Speed: 2.67 mph	Avg. Time: 0hr 45min
Elevation Gain/Loss: +55/-369 ft

Directions: To view directions to Portal Trail mountain bike trail, please login. If you don't have an account, sign up now: it's free, only takes a minute, and gives you access to tons of other rad features.

Description: Very technical with extreme exposure. There are signs that say riders were killed on the trail - likely by falling over the cliff. Do not ride this from the bottom up, but use this route to finish riding Gold Bar Rim or Poison Spider (for a loop). Bring a camera and pay attention.

added on March 14, 2007 by dauw

Map

Videos

Photos

Bike Shops

SIMILAR TRAILS

Riders who liked this mountain bike trail also liked:

Poison Spider Mesa in Moab

NEARBY TRAILS

Arches NP Main Road in Moab (2.6 miles away)
Amasa Back Trail in Moab (3.9 miles away)
Slickrock in Moab (4.1 miles away)
Circle O Trail in Moab (6.4 miles away)
Sovereign Single Track in Moab (8.6 miles away)

TRAIL REVIEWS review this trail

reviewed by david_darling on May 7, 2009

Death defying descent. Super Sketchy. Thrillseekers only. I love it. Not recommended.

Similar Trail: Moab Rim

reviewed by frking on April 17, 2008

This trail prevents the Poison Spider Mesa trail from being an out-and-back, and has a fierce reputation as a man-eater. It is hard to find, and the one section where people died is clearly marked - although most people's common sense will be screaming out warnings without needing a sign to tell you to dismount. The spot marked as the falling point for the fatalities is a perfect storm of a high rock obstacle ready to catch chain rings or bash guards, a protruding rock leaning into the trail at rider height, and exposure to a short, steeply pitched slope falling off hundreds of feet to the river. The rest of the trail is technically challenging and not especially death-defying. There are some gonzo moments, though with rock ledges and limited exposure, as well as some dips that will exert g-forces on the fast moving rider. At the bottom it is just a short ride up the road back to the parking lot for Poison Spider Mesa trail.

Similar Trail: Porcupine Rim Trail

reviewed by BobinConifer on September 5, 2007

Portal is sort of a necessary evil after Gold Bar or Poison Spider. Great views over Moab but the riding is pretty sketchy since there are many places that you will die if you fall. Once you get around the corner and face the canyon instead of Moab the descent is a lot more fun with some very tight and technical drops and little flumes. I think a lot of people might opt to ride this because of its reputation as a killer but it's not a great ride-- it's just a great short cut.

Similar Trail: base jumping