In mountain biking, there are old-school trails, and new-school trails. New school are recently cut routes that are specifically made for mountain biking. They have banked turns, smooth, flowing lines, and fun, technical drops. Old-school trails are pretty much jeep roads and hiking trails. Amasa Back in Moab totally falls into the latter category, but that doesn’t mean the ride isn’t still fun, despite all the new stuff people are riding in southeastern Utah these days.
The Amasa Back Trail really is a classic. It rises from the banks of Kane Creek outside Moab and climbs over 1,000 feet to the top of a high plateau overlooking the Colorado River. The ride throws a little bit of everything at mountain bikers who attempt to tick the trail off their Moab list, including ledges, large drop-offs, steps, slickrock, and sections of sandy Jeep trail.
Pedaling up Amasa Back is one hell of a workout. You better be in shape and have technical prowess to attempt an ascent without stopping. For average riders, you’ll find ledges and exposure that will encourage several dismounts if you want to save the skin on your knees. Be not deterred, however, as there are miles of sections that are rideable and really fun, especially the slickrock areas where the route is marked by dotted white lines.
Despite the slog on the up, it’s all worth it, not just for the descent, but also for the spectacular views from the top. In fact, I’d go so far as to say Amasa Back provides some of the best scenery-from-the-saddle in all of Utah. You’ll ride with a backdrop of sandstone fins, domes and ancient, petrified dunes among canyons that wind maze-like to the foot of the snow-capped La Sal Mountains to the east, followed by vertigo-inducing views of Jackson Hole and the Colorado River snaking through the Potash area to the west.
After a bite to eat on the overlook at the top and soaking in the landscape, it’s time to lower the bike seat and bomb back down the way you came. The descent is the star of the Amasa Back show with actors of rock obstacles, long sections of fast packed dirt, and the aforementioned slickrock where you can let the brakes go and fly. If you’re in Moab for a white-knuckle thrill that will make your fingers ache from braking, then Amasa Back has… ahem… your back.
To ride the Amasa Back Trail, drive from the south end of Moab’s Main Street onto Kane Creek Drive (by the McDonald’s.) Follow the road through a neighborhood into the canyon where you will pass campsites and several home built right into the sandstone cliffs. After a few miles the road becomes dirt and the Amasa Back parking area will appear on the right. Park here and ride your bike a 1/2 mile up the road to the trailhead.