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Photo by James Adamson
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
DAY 6
DAY 7
DAY 8
Photo by James Adamson
What started in 2014 as an excuse for a few friends to ride bikes for a week on
as much trail as possible along 420 miles from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco has
grown into a bigger mission of connecting major cities with recreation
destinations through multi-use dirt infrastructure. In late September 2015,
James Adamson, Justin Schwartz and yours truly — dubbed The Commute Crew — took
on a bigger challenge of connecting Salt Lake City with Moab, Utah. This
421-mile, eight-day adventure was 95 percent dirt, almost half of it
singletrack, and according to backcountry guide Scott House of White Pine
Touring in Park City, Utah, the first time such a ride had been attempted.
Exactly what we were aiming for.
Photo by John Shafer
Day 1 33 Miles & 5,600 Feet of Climbing
From the gun our legs and lungs seared with pain on the relentlessly steep
half-mile climb up Rattlesnake Trail out of Mill Creek Canyon. After recovering,
a much more reasonable traverse along Pipeline Trail eventually delivered us to
the Big Water Trailhead where we encountered our first dilemma of the trip. This
area has an “even-odd day” use designation, and on this odd day, mountain bikes
were prohibited, hikers and dogs only. However, turning around at this point was
not an option, so we pressed on, walking our bikes up the trail. Less than a
half-mile up a woman was carrying a 75-pound dog down the trail and told us the
dog cut its belly open on a rock. James offered to carry the dog back to the car
for her and she happily obliged. Justin and I were hoping this would be the good
karma we needed to avoid receiving a ticket for being unintentional scofflaws,
and it was.
Photo by James Adamson
The Great Western Trail to the Wasatch Crest
We climbed the Great Western Trail to the Wasatch Crest and headed south toward
Park City amidst an array of aspen groves with fiery reds, yellows, and oranges.
After reaching 10,000 feet, we railed down Shadow Lake, Keystone, and Two Step
trails. For dessert, we hit the tight and technical John’s Trail to Sweeny’s
Switchbacks. Thanks to the generosity of Rhonda Sideris of Park City Lodging, we
had a beautiful four-bedroom home waiting for us only a couple hundred yards
from the trail.
Photo by James Adamson
Day 2 49 Miles & 7,800 Feet of Climbing
We climbed 10 miles out of Park City on Armstrong and Pinecone Ridge, arriving
at the top of “Puke Hill,” amazed to see dozens of mountain bikers out for a
casual Saturday ride along the famous Wasatch Crest. We dropped down Guardsman’s
Pass to Brighton Ski Resort and tackled the steep and rocky hike-a-bike up
Catherine’s Pass Trail. We pushed our way over boulder fields to another
10,000-foot precipice and were rewarded with the first big descent of the day —
Dry Fork.
Photo by Justin Schwartz
In a word, Dry Fork was rowdy
An extremely steep, sandy, loose, and rocky moto trail, Dry Fork had us surfing
our bikes more than actually riding them. The plus-size Bontrager Chupacabra
tires on my Trek Stache really came in handy on this brake-burner of a descent,
making the terrain easier to manage. Once we reached the bottom, the three of us
were ecstatic, not so much because the trail was awesome, but more because
nobody suffered a compound fracture. After a horrible hike-a-bike up the Great
Western Trail, we met Scott House, the man responsible for laying out the first
three days of trails for us. His route so far had been amazing, but he had a
real treat waiting for us on Ridge Trail.
Ridge Trail provided some of the most remarkable singletrack descents I’ve ever
experienced anywhere. Once the short, stabbing uphills ended, this moto-legal
trail absolutely let loose, sending us downhill so fast the world turned to a
blurry streak. Meanwhile, the beauty of the terrain below Mount Timpanogos was
taxing my lexicon of superlatives. And just when I didn’t think it could get
better, we rounded a corner to find a hunter with a rifle dragging a dead buck.
Never seen that before.
"the beauty of the terrain below Mount Timpanogos"
Photo by Justin Schwartz
The rip-roaring descents continued, careening down Lame Horse trail all the way
into Sundance Resort. More descending. This time down pavement, blasting down
into Provo Canyon. We climbed up to Deer Creek Lake State Park and found my
girlfriend Elisabeth waiting for us with a campground and a pasta dinner. It was
an incredibly tough yet rewarding day that could have only been better if Utah
didn’t have such weak beer.
Photo by James Adamson
Day 3 51 Miles and 7,100 Feet of Climbing
After ascending toward Strawberry Ridge from Wallsburg, the final pitch to the
top turned into a punishing rock-strewn hike-a-bike about as fun as a spike in
the eye. Upon reaching the summit we encountered a hunter on an ATV who
exclaimed, “Are them push bikes? Thunder and lightning! You legs must be harder
than rocks.” Not sure about our legs, but our heads definitely were, as most
sane riders would have turned around. The commanding views of Strawberry
Reservoir and Spanish Fork Canyon on either side of the ridge were stunning
though, making the slog worthwhile.
The terrain coming off the ridge was treacherous, a mix of jeep and ATV roads
riddled with rocks, man-eating ruts, and powdery dirt that covered us all in a
layer of red silt. The trails were so dusty that after following Justin and me
downhill, James proclaimed, “I think I just swallowed a sandcastle.”
The highlight of the day by far was the last 10 miles of downhill on 5th Water
Ridge Trail, a singletrack that flowed with remarkable speed and fun hip jumps,
descending 3,000 feet into a canyon lined with maple trees showing off vibrant
red colors. With only two miles left in the ride, we stopped at the beautiful
5th Water Hot Spring for a quick soak.
Photo by John Shafer
Day 4 50 Miles & 8,300 Feet of Climbing
There are times where words and photos fail to capture the true power of a life
experience. It began early when Tyler Cloward of Fezzari Bikes selflessly drove
to our campground at 8:00 a.m. to fix a serious mechanical Justin suffered the
day before that would have otherwise ended our trip. Tyler’s generosity enabled
us to continue our journey as a trio, as we wouldn’t complete CommUtah without
Justin.
Photo by James Adamson
"the true magic came on Skyline Drive after a soul-crushing 3,000-foot ascent"
After climbing nearly 3,500 vertical feet from 5th Water up Cottonwood Creek on
a scorching hot morning, we regained the ridge and rallied an absolutely
world-class 2,500-foot singletrack descent on Great Western Trail to Tie Fork.
The trail was fast and buffed out for miles with perfect corners and hip jumps.
The trail eventually opened up into double track, with numerous stream crossings
as deep as three feet, cooling us off as we blasted straight through them.


But the true magic came on Skyline Drive after a soul-crushing 3,000-foot
ascent, running us along a ridge at nearly 10,000 feet far above the world.
While we sat taking in the beauty of Skyline Drive, a sheep dog ambled over and
sat down next to us. I looked out over the valley far below and said to the dog,
“so this is heaven, eh?” A stunning red sunset accented by lightning far off in
the distance intensified the experience, as we put our heads down and hammered
well into the darkness. Day 4 was a spiritual journey by bike, the most powerful
of my life.
Day 5 64 Miles & 5,200 Feet of Climbing
The change in terrain from start to finish on Day 5 was among the most varied in
North America. The first 25 miles on Skyline Drive were punishing. The
combination of thin air above 10,000 feet and weary legs slowed our pace to a
crawl on the constantly undulating terrain. After passing numerous rifle-toting
hunters on ATVs, we dropped 3,500 vertical feet in nine miles down Reeder
Canyon, a ludicrous-speed ATV doubletrack with dozens of whoops and one of the
most perfectly arced left hand sweepers I’ve ever ridden in my life.
Photo by John Shafer
After a lunch break at Joe’s Valley Reservoir, we climbed up to the top of Rock
Canyon, another ATV trail that only a handful of mountain bikers have ever
ridden. Unlike the relatively tame Reeder Canyon, Rock Canyon was absolutely
rowdy, dropping us nearly 3,000 vertical feet into the desert along a
boulder-strewn wash requiring every last bit of energy and skill to keep our
bikes upright. We rolled into the tiny town of Castle Dale and were greeted by
retired Emery County sheriff, Lamar Guyon and the mayor, Danny VanWagoner, who
let us camp at a city park for the night.
Photo by John Shafer
Day 6 53 Miles & 2,200 Feet of Climbing
Lamar guided us out to The Wedge where Good Water Rim Trail is located, a
17-mile singletrack that he hand-built over the course of 10 years, winding
around the Little Grand Canyon with breathtaking red rock bluffs at virtually
every turn. Good Water Rim Trail is one of Utah’s best-kept secrets and is great
for riders of all skill levels. And unlike trails in Moab, we didn’t see a
single human. Having Lamar give us a personal tour was very special, and his 40
years as sheriff made for some fascinating stories, including his harrowing tale
of falling 300 feet off the edge of the Little Grand Canyon, breaking his pelvis
in two places and requiring a titanium plate to repair his face.
Photo by James Adamson
After stopping to show us some beautiful petroglyphs in Buckhorn Wash, Lamar led
us down to the San Rafael River where we camped for the night beneath bluffs
that shot up more than 1,000 feet in every direction.
Day 7 51 Miles & 2,300 Feet of Climbing
Day 7 was another “recovery” day for the legs, and after a mellow 10-mile climb
up Cottonwood Draw, we got our first glimpse of the La Sal Mountains, signifying
our proximity to our final destination – Moab. The highlight of the ride was
Black Dragon Wash, a remarkable red rock canyon with walls more than 800 feet
high on either side of a trail barely 30 feet wide.

After marveling at a set of petroglyphs, we hit a series of dirt roads across a
barren, uninhabitable desert landscape toward Green River. There wasn’t much
talking between the three of us; we simply put our heads down and ground out the
miles in 90-degree heat, finishing with a swim in the Green River.
Photo by John Shafer
Day 8 70 Miles & 6,100 Feet of Climbing
It was inevitable. Up until Day 8, we’d had amazing weather, so when a 30 mph
headwind blasted us for the first 45 miles, we tried to take it all in stride.
By the time we hit the junction of Dubinky Well Road and Highway 313, we were
completely encrusted in salt and dirt — and totally out of water.
To complicate matters, there was a miscommunication with our support crew, and
they weren’t at our expected meeting spot. By the time we hit the top of 7-Up
trail at Bull Run, we were delirious. It was 4:00 p.m. and we still had all of
the Magnificent 7 trail network to ride, more than 20 miles of extremely rocky
terrain, finishing with the notorious cliffside run down Portal Trail.
Photo by James Adamson
After refueling at the top of Bull Run we followed our friend Dennis Jones who
guided us along Mag 7, a much-appreciated effort considering he was the only
sane human in the group. After eight days of riding, James, Justin, and I were
completely spun, chanting incoherent babble and screaming out “CommUtah!” as we
could see the finish line of Moab 1,500-feet straight off a cliff below us.
Photo by Justin Schwartz
The Gold Bar Rim singletrack is one of the rockiest and most technical trails in
Moab, a hell of a way to finish CommUtah. Our bodies, brains, and bikes were
growing weary, and as a bonus, the sun was setting. Thankfully we anticipated a
long day and put our Light & Motion Solite 250s on our helmets that morning.
That little light saved our asses, as we finished the 421-mile odyssey by
descending the treacherous Portal Trail in darkness.
Photo by Dennis Jones
CommUtah was simply magical. We went the hard way and it paid off with terrain
that few mountain bikers have ever seen. CommUtah couldn’t have been possible
without the daily efforts of my girlfriend and “camp mom” Elisabeth Johnson and
our photographer, John Shafer. They were there for us every day, making sure we
stayed fed and hydrated. And the fact that we had no injuries is a testament to
the skill and fitness of my riding mates James and Justin. Where to next? It
looks like we’ll be setting our sights eastward in 2016 to sample what the
mighty Appalachians have in store for The Commute Crew. Stay tuned!

Better known in cycling circles as The Angry Singlespeeder, KURT GENSHEIMER is
really a pretty mellow guy, especially when he's on a geared bike. To fund his
adventures, Kurt writes professionally both inside and outside the bike industry
and will be sharing his experiences daily throughout the CommUtah adventure.
Always looking to take the adventure one step further, JAMES ADAMSON is mostly
found in the mountains on his bike or behind a camera. He grew up in the
mountains and foothills where the commute will start out, and lived in the bay
for years before moving back up to “his happy place” to ride and work.
JOHN SHAFER helped document CommUtah by setting up shots along the entire route.
Although “Photo John” is a professional photographer based in Salt Lake City,
there were still parts of Utah he never experienced before this adventure,
including the secret gem Good Water Rim Trail on the rim of the Little Grand
Canyon east of Castle Dale.
Learn more about the Commute Crew at thecommutecrew.com.
FURTHER READING
● Along the Canol
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This feature appeared in Adventure Cyclist magazine. To have Adventure Cyclist
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