Poison Spider Mesa &
Portal Trails Poison Spider Mesa &
Portal Trails
GETTING TO
THE TRAILHEAD:
(from the intersection of Main and Center Streets)
Head north on Main Street out of town. After crossing the river, (on your left before you reach Arches Park), turn left on Potash Road. This road takes back towards town, along the river, through the Portal, and along Wall Street rock-climbing area. The trailhead comes up just after a sign saying "Dinosaur Tracks". Take a sharp right turn (a little ways past mile marker 10).
CAMPING:
Free camping abounds all along the recesses of Wall Street, (the cliff face you’re driving past the whole way). First come first serve. A little loud sometimes, but hey, you get what you pay for… Also, all along the Colorado River and Highway 128, are multiple riverside camping areas. These are some nice spots, but they fill fast! They’re also close to a lot of the trailheads/ tails outside Moab. Please help keep the areas clean, as they do see heavy usage, and are still free and open, for now.
TRAIL DESCRIPTION:
Difficulty: advanced to gonzo abusive, (physically and technically). Elevation: 3,965 ft.(low)-5,040 ft.(high) Best Season: Spring and Fall Land Agency: B.L.M. Length: ~11.4miles (or 12.0 including at least 1.4 miles on pavement) Attractions: Poison Spider combines purist Slickrock with blast and blow surfaces like cobble, sand, and off-camber ledgy rock. Its view of Behind the Rocks Wilderness Study Area, crowned by the La Sals, is one of the most beautiful sights anywhere. The arch overlook, before going to the Portal or returning is also quite nice for a brake. Trail Conditions: Cobble and rock studded sediment, drift sand and slickrock on jeep trails. Singletrack and overland routes across slickrock. Exposed ledge (Portal trail).
Mile 0.0 is the old gate just as the trail heads up away from the road. The first 'Jeep Stencil' can be seen on a boulder at mile 0.4. These while paint markers will be your trail blazes through most of this ride- Head up a couple of short. steep, loose hills at mile 0.7. The trail levels off a bit and straightens at mile 1.6. You encounter your first sand pit (of many) at mile 2.1 as the trail swings right toward a cleft in the rock. You ride out of the sand and up a series of blasted technical climbs at mile 2.5. At mile 2.9, the trail splits; either way is fine (left is steeper, right is sandier). The trail splits again at mile 3.0; this time, unless you have four huge tires and a V-8, you should definitely steer toward the left. Top out of the technical climbing (for the moment) at mile 3.4, as you reach a four-way intersection. Head straight through, following (as usual) the white jeep stencils. At mile 4.7 you will pass a spur on the right that heads to a river overlook. The easy, flat stretch ends at mile 5.1 as the trail drops down to gain the slickrock. Stop here for a moment. See the four domes as you look northeast across the slickrock? You are shooting for the left side of the far right dome. There are many potential routes across the slickrock to reach that point, but the surefire way is to once again follow the jeep stencils. So head down the hill and turn left at the bottom. Go right at the 'Y' (mile 5.4), heading toward "the" dome. Turn right again at mile 5.6 at a confusing intersection there should be a carsonite trail post and a stenciled white bike showing the way). The arch and river overlook come at mile 6.1, about forty yards riverward. This is the usual turnaround point for those who are doing Poison Spider as an out-and-back. If that's you, simply turn around a retrace your route (after a nice long rest at the arch of course).
Those wishing to continue on to the Portal Trail should be thinking "gonzo abusive", and possess at least advanced biking skills. If you're looking for a confusing sand slog, followed by a death-defying (seriously), ledge traversing, single-track, ending with an extremely technical downhill, then read on for the scoop on the Portal Trail. Head straight away from the river, (following the jeep stencils), up and over a few slickrock domes until you drop into a nasty sand pit at mile 6.6. Head left at a confusing intersection at mile 7.1, then right at another confusing intersection to gain the slickrock again. This section is strange so take time to get it right. At the " T " (mile 8.1), turn right to climb a steep rocky hill towards the rim. Reach the top, overlooking Moab, at mile 8.7 and the intersection of Gold Bar Rim and the Portal singletrack. Head to the right and prepare for a bit of scary exposure. The Portal Overlook is at mile 9.8 and the trail turns right away from the edge and starts to get really technical. Turn left on a little spur at mile 11.1 to gain access to the road. Turn right and ride the road back to the trailhead at mile 13.3. Parts check !!! (Body & bike).
