Visiting in November

[raeldush]

Hi,
I’m going to be in the US for work for about 2 weeks in November and am keen to get some riding in (on the weekends). I am from Sydney and ride a few times a week – combo of XC and All Mtn… nothing crazy technical though.
I’ve spent a bit of time going through this site and have my eye on Moab. It seems to offer a wide range of trails, over a terrain that is very different to Australia’s. ie: a different experience.
I will be based in LA, but my plan at the moment is fly to Salt Lake City early on a Friday morning, rent a car and drive to Moab. Then spend all day Saturday and Sunday morning exploring. Drive back Sunday afternoon/evening, spending the night in a hotel in SLC and then back to LA first thing Monday morning for work.

My questions:
1. Is Moab’s weather suitable for riding in November?
2. Are my plans unreasonable?
3. Is there somewhere closer to LA that is almost as good/unique? Bearing in mind that I will be in LA the following weekend and am planning to do some local riding then.

All other suggestions are appreciated.

Rael

[John Fisch]

Raeldush,
1. November weather in Moab is definitely suitable for riding. The high country in the LaSals will be snowed in by then, so no Whole Enchilada, but most everything else should be rideable. It can get cold, especially in the morning, but that never bothered me. Overall, you should have a pretty good go of it then.
Here’s an article I wrote about a little known Moab trail last Thanksgiving (Late November). It’ll give you a hit at the weather you may expect.
http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr … s-moab-ut/

2. Your plans seem quite doable.

3. There is one place closer and with comparable variety and fun that I would recommend. St George, Utah. You could drive there from LA (or fly). St George has all the slickrock and singletrack of Moab but with a fraction of the crowds. Plus, you can throw in a visit to the magnificent Zion National Park. Climbing Angel’s landing in the morning and riding one of the Mesa’s near Hurricane makes for an awesome day!
Here’s some St George articles:
http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr … endencies/

http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr … oken-mesa/

One other super option–instead of flying into SLC and driving all the way to Moab, fly into Phoenix and drive half that far to stunning Sedona, with a combination of slickrock, singletrack and scenery unmatched anywhere. If you fly early, you could get to Sedona with enough time to ride on your travel day–ditto if you catch a late flight out on your last day, so more riding.
Here’s some Sedona articles:
http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr … na-part-1/

http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr … na-part-2/

http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr … na-part-3/

http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr … in-sedona/

No matter what you do, you should have an epic weekend!

[raeldush]

Hi John,
Thanks for a great response. I’m going to check out all the links over the weekend and then make a plan.

[raeldush]

Hi John,

Just booked my flights to Phoenix and accommodation in Sedona. Now all I need is a bike and some company. I have two months of planning and training ahead of me. Can’t wait 🙂

[raeldush]

Hi again,

John, just wanted to thank you for the suggestion to go to Sedona. Although I was only there for a couple of days, I managed to get a significant amount of riding in. All together about 50 miles of riding and an excellent sampling of the trails in the area. My only regret is going alone so the only photos I have are scenic, with the occasional MTB in the foreground.

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