The Sand Flats Recreation Area is a swathe of protected public land in the middle of the Colorado Plateau in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. The recreation era is home to no-frills camping sites, hiking trails, and daredevil mountain bike and 4-wheel-drive trails. While the protected area is easily accessible from Moab, it feels miles away from civilization.
The 9,000-acre (3,600-hectare) Sand Flats Recreation Area is a world-renowned destination for adventure sports enthusiasts. If you like mountain biking, take to the popular Porcupine Rim and Slickrock bike trails, the latter of which has challenging level 4 descents and highly technical terrain. For those looking to go four-wheel driving, the Hell’s Revenge and Fins & Things off-road trails offer incredible views, but you have to work for them. Hikers, meanwhile, will enjoy a set of easy-to-moderate trails, including the 3-mile (4.8-kilometer) Pinyon Trail Interpretive Hiking Loop and the 6.3-mile (10.1-kilometer) Juniper Trail Primitive Hiking Loop.
Campgrounds have tent and RV sites, restrooms, picnic tables, and fire rings.
To visit, travelers need a day-use pass or a campsite reservation. Day-use passes can be purchased from the Grand County Sand Flats Recreation website or at the entrance. For campers, the recreation area offers 140 campsites on a first-come, first-served basis; six additional group campsites are available for reservation on Recreation.gov.
Travelers entering on motorcycles, bikes, or a shuttle from Moab have a lower entrance fee. Sand Flats charges an additional fee for vehicle trailers.
It's recommended that mountain bikers and off-roaders stock up on water, food, and fuel in Moab.
The Sand Flats Recreation Area is about 10 minutes east of downtown Moab by car. It is easily accessible by bike and motorcycle via Sand Flats Road. Private shuttle services take mountain biking groups from Moab and the surrounding area straight to the recreation area, but these require advance booking.
Campsites are available year-round. To beat the heat, visit in spring, fall, and winter, or start your hike or bike ride early in the morning—even before dawn—to finish by midday, when the temperatures can easily top 100°F (38°C). The biking season typically runs from mid-February through November, skipping over the icy winter; but the most popular times for riding are in spring and fall.
Slickrock is among the most popular mountain bike trails in the world, and draws an estimated 100,000 bikers every year. Both beautiful and challenging, the trail rumbles past petrified dunes and ancient sea beds via steep, technical routes in the heart of the Colorado Plateau. Travelers who would like to try their hand at this world-famous, roughly 12-mile (19-kilometer) trail should brace themselves for quite a challenge—and consider trying the shorter practice loop first.