Rodeo is one of my favorite Moab trails. I usually ride it twice each spring. If you have the legs left to do a bit more after the Rodeo loop, head up Chisolm, cross the highway, and do the Mustang Loop.
Thanks for the beta, as always great info for future trips to Moab. I was there in early october but missed this one. When looking at Trailforks i saw that you can put togheter a great long flowy ride if you start with Rodeo, then Chisholm down to Big Lonely to Big Mesa to Rambling. That would be a a-some over 30km ride with lots of nice trails in the mix. I rode the 3 last and that mix was amazingly flowy with a bit of tech.
Yes, Rodeo is a great trail by itself, but also offers the starting point on the longer ride you mention. That was actually the plan, but I was depending upon coordinating a shuttle that didn’t work out. I was trying to avoid the long climb back up the highway to the campground at the top. But it’s definitely a worthy ride if you’ve got friends to help shuttle! Thanks for watching!!
Looks great! Love the area and can't wait to get back and ride again. Thanks for showing us this trail! Looks like you are riding an ebike cause you are flying in some of those shots😄. Great ride Ron!
Thanks! Binge away! Will you do the White Rim with a tour company or on your own? I have done it both ways and unless you’ve got the capacity to self support, a tour company is probably the better way…but it’s an awesome experience. Thanks for your continued support!
Also, make sure to check out my two Top 10 MTB ride lists for Moab: one includes all the trails and the other is limited to only intermediate trails. Just look up my playlists on my channel.
This looks like a great trail and I look forward to riding it next time I'm in Moab. I've stayed at the Horsethief campground several times and even hiked the trails around the campground, but I didn't realize the trail there would be so nice! BTW, I see in another answer you mention dispersed camping (boondocking) on BLM land, with some of the disadvantages, but I've had great luck boondocking just down the road from the Horsethief campground. There are a fair number of spots and most are quite isolated (as well as being free), so I prefer them to the campground. Unless it's raining! Then I choose the campground so I don't have to worry about getting stuck in the mud.
Yes it’s a great trail and so convenient to the campground. I’ve wandered down the road past the campground but didn’t see anything dispersed. I will have to drive further next time. But I also agree about the rain…I don’t want to be off pavement if it might rain, even though I’ve got an AWD. That’s the main drawback of dispersed camping but I’ve also discovered some great dispersed spots but they are a little too far from town. Thanks for watching!
Further to my earlier comment, how far down the road is the dispersed camping area.? Because I notice that the Horsethief campground now has a third loop, with this new area across the gravel road from the two other loops and just a little down the road from these two loops. I wondered if this new third loop was where the former dispersed area was. Can you confirm yes or no?
My kinda riding. Intermediate + for sure. You've got the setup with your camper van. Moab is definitely gotten pretty pricey to stay in town. I remember the old days when it wasn't so. Tell me Ron, do you every have difficulty finding a place to park and camp with the camper? Ever get chased out? Guess it depends on where you are at. Lots of activity in Moab these days.
Those are all good questions. And I have been thinking about producing a video to answer these questions - with suitable illustrations. But briefly, you are right, Moab has gotten much more busy and expensive than even 5 years ago, let along 10 or more years ago. And the camping has also got very busy, but fortunately BLM has paid attention and added new sites to existing campgrounds and built some new campgrounds too. I find you have to be very strategic if you plan to camp on weekends, which these days start on Thursdays and run through Sunday night. So, if I plan to camp on the weekend, I look for reservable sites that will secure my spot. And I will try to book these weekend sites months in advance of my trip. In Moab, there are both BLM sites which you can find on Recreation.gov and Utah State campgrounds on their website. On weekdays, I will be more comfortable just "winging it" since there is usually lots of sites in every campground. But, I want to secure these "first come" sites early in the day, then do my ride from the same campsite. But even these "first come" sites with BLM are secured once you pay their fee and set up camp on the site. So, I never get chased out. There are also a number of dispersed BLM campgrounds where you can pretty much camp anywhere. These are usually free, but you never know who will show up next to you and they sometimes look a little sketchy. So, I occasionally use these sites but am very selective in choosing a suitable site. One of the big factors when camping at dispersed sites, is that the roads are very poor and can get extremely muddy if it rains - you might need a 4x4 high clearance vehicle. So, if I expect incoming rain, I never camp at the dispersed sites and only look for ones just off paved highways or properly graveled roads. I find that there are a lot of suitable sites along the Colorado River just east of town which are right off the main highway #128. There are 5 or 6 BLM campgrounds along the river, each with 10+sites. But, sometimes you have to drive a fair distance (maybe 15-20 miles) if Moab is busy. So, even though Moab has become much more expensive and busy, this shouldn't be a deterrent to ride these fabulous trails...just choose weekdays if you can.
@ronsanderson99 Great response Ron. Thanks for letting us know. Guess I'm somewhat concerned if not frightful of Moab these days. Heard stories I guess of the recent environment. The days of the past I guess have passed. Weekdays for are an absolute certainty if I do. Fruita is closer and some great riding. Maybe that's my best bet. Thanks again.
@@ronsanderson99 I, for one, would love to see you produce some videos with the camping and logistics side of your adventures. Nothing fancy, just tools you use for finding spots, your opinion of the camping spots, tips, tricks, etc. most of the info could be in the intro or outro of the video. Just a quick overview. We have a Sprinter van and I find any and all input from folks like yourself helpful when I plan our trips. Basically, you are my eyes and ears for developing a plan as I trust your assessment of trails already - I would trust your assessment of camping as well. While I’d like to commit more to dispersed camping, I share your assessment that it can be sketchy at times. Anyway, one vote for Ron to share strategies and logistics of camping at these awesome places! -Rob
@@RB_AdVANtures Thanks for the vote of confidence Rob! I will consider your input should I create a "camping" video. I have already started to embed brief camping comments when I am riding trails nearby to the campsite. But as you know, my thing is mostly to ride fabulous MTB trails! And thanks for watching!
It was a little tricky to find. I my big screen I went to the "Trails" tab at the top and double clicked on Rodeo and found it. A new trick for me. I enjoy watching Ron's trails and (vicariously) riding along with him. Snow in my Colorado high country. This will have to do for now.
Rodeo is one of my favorite Moab trails. I usually ride it twice each spring. If you have the legs left to do a bit more after the Rodeo loop, head up Chisolm, cross the highway, and do the Mustang Loop.
Yea I am planning to ride Chisholm on my next trip. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the beta, as always great info for future trips to Moab.
I was there in early october but missed this one. When looking at Trailforks i saw that you can put togheter a great long flowy ride if you start with Rodeo, then Chisholm down to Big Lonely to Big Mesa to Rambling. That would be a a-some over 30km ride with lots of nice trails in the mix. I rode the 3 last and that mix was amazingly flowy with a bit of tech.
Yes, Rodeo is a great trail by itself, but also offers the starting point on the longer ride you mention. That was actually the plan, but I was depending upon coordinating a shuttle that didn’t work out. I was trying to avoid the long climb back up the highway to the campground at the top. But it’s definitely a worthy ride if you’ve got friends to help shuttle! Thanks for watching!!
Looks great! Love the area and can't wait to get back and ride again. Thanks for showing us this trail! Looks like you are riding an ebike cause you are flying in some of those shots😄. Great ride Ron!
Nope, riding a pedal bike…just having a blast and enjoying the ride! Thanks for watching!
Heading to Moab in April to do white rim. Bingeing your Moab rides!
Thanks! Binge away! Will you do the White Rim with a tour company or on your own? I have done it both ways and unless you’ve got the capacity to self support, a tour company is probably the better way…but it’s an awesome experience. Thanks for your continued support!
Also, make sure to check out my two Top 10 MTB ride lists for Moab: one includes all the trails and the other is limited to only intermediate trails. Just look up my playlists on my channel.
This looks like a great trail and I look forward to riding it next time I'm in Moab. I've stayed at the Horsethief campground several times and even hiked the trails around the campground, but I didn't realize the trail there would be so nice! BTW, I see in another answer you mention dispersed camping (boondocking) on BLM land, with some of the disadvantages, but I've had great luck boondocking just down the road from the Horsethief campground. There are a fair number of spots and most are quite isolated (as well as being free), so I prefer them to the campground. Unless it's raining! Then I choose the campground so I don't have to worry about getting stuck in the mud.
Yes it’s a great trail and so convenient to the campground. I’ve wandered down the road past the campground but didn’t see anything dispersed. I will have to drive further next time. But I also agree about the rain…I don’t want to be off pavement if it might rain, even though I’ve got an AWD. That’s the main drawback of dispersed camping but I’ve also discovered some great dispersed spots but they are a little too far from town. Thanks for watching!
Further to my earlier comment, how far down the road is the dispersed camping area.? Because I notice that the Horsethief campground now has a third loop, with this new area across the gravel road from the two other loops and just a little down the road from these two loops. I wondered if this new third loop was where the former dispersed area was. Can you confirm yes or no?
Nice variety in that loop.
Yes, it’s a great trail with lots of interesting features! Thanks for watching!
My kinda riding. Intermediate + for sure. You've got the setup with your camper van. Moab is definitely gotten pretty pricey to stay in town. I remember the old days when it wasn't so. Tell me Ron, do you every have difficulty finding a place to park and camp with the camper? Ever get chased out? Guess it depends on where you are at. Lots of activity in Moab these days.
Those are all good questions. And I have been thinking about producing a video to answer these questions - with suitable illustrations. But briefly, you are right, Moab has gotten much more busy and expensive than even 5 years ago, let along 10 or more years ago. And the camping has also got very busy, but fortunately BLM has paid attention and added new sites to existing campgrounds and built some new campgrounds too. I find you have to be very strategic if you plan to camp on weekends, which these days start on Thursdays and run through Sunday night. So, if I plan to camp on the weekend, I look for reservable sites that will secure my spot. And I will try to book these weekend sites months in advance of my trip. In Moab, there are both BLM sites which you can find on Recreation.gov and Utah State campgrounds on their website. On weekdays, I will be more comfortable just "winging it" since there is usually lots of sites in every campground. But, I want to secure these "first come" sites early in the day, then do my ride from the same campsite. But even these "first come" sites with BLM are secured once you pay their fee and set up camp on the site. So, I never get chased out. There are also a number of dispersed BLM campgrounds where you can pretty much camp anywhere. These are usually free, but you never know who will show up next to you and they sometimes look a little sketchy. So, I occasionally use these sites but am very selective in choosing a suitable site. One of the big factors when camping at dispersed sites, is that the roads are very poor and can get extremely muddy if it rains - you might need a 4x4 high clearance vehicle. So, if I expect incoming rain, I never camp at the dispersed sites and only look for ones just off paved highways or properly graveled roads. I find that there are a lot of suitable sites along the Colorado River just east of town which are right off the main highway #128. There are 5 or 6 BLM campgrounds along the river, each with 10+sites. But, sometimes you have to drive a fair distance (maybe 15-20 miles) if Moab is busy. So, even though Moab has become much more expensive and busy, this shouldn't be a deterrent to ride these fabulous trails...just choose weekdays if you can.
@ronsanderson99 Great response Ron. Thanks for letting us know. Guess I'm somewhat concerned if not frightful of Moab these days. Heard stories I guess of the recent environment. The days of the past I guess have passed. Weekdays for are an absolute certainty if I do. Fruita is closer and some great riding. Maybe that's my best bet. Thanks again.
@@ronsanderson99 I, for one, would love to see you produce some videos with the camping and logistics side of your adventures. Nothing fancy, just tools you use for finding spots, your opinion of the camping spots, tips, tricks, etc. most of the info could be in the intro or outro of the video. Just a quick overview. We have a Sprinter van and I find any and all input from folks like yourself helpful when I plan our trips. Basically, you are my eyes and ears for developing a plan as I trust your assessment of trails already - I would trust your assessment of camping as well. While I’d like to commit more to dispersed camping, I share your assessment that it can be sketchy at times. Anyway, one vote for Ron to share strategies and logistics of camping at these awesome places! -Rob
@@RB_AdVANtures Thanks for the vote of confidence Rob! I will consider your input should I create a "camping" video. I have already started to embed brief camping comments when I am riding trails nearby to the campsite. But as you know, my thing is mostly to ride fabulous MTB trails! And thanks for watching!
Hey Ron, I searched for Rodeo trail on Trail Forks in Moab but it didn't show up. Do you know if it allows ebikes?
No e-bikes. But nearby at Dead Horse State Park allows e-bikes and are very similar to the Rodeo trail.
Yea, Trailforks says no e-bikes.
@@dannonhartman259 Oh, cool. thanks so much.
@@ronsanderson99 That's what I thought. Thanks Ron.
It was a little tricky to find. I my big screen I went to the "Trails" tab at the top and double clicked on Rodeo and found it. A new trick for me. I enjoy watching Ron's trails and (vicariously) riding along with him. Snow in my Colorado high country. This will have to do for now.