Amasa Back trail, a classic ride of Moab
Amasa Back trail is a 4,3 miles trail located in Moab, in eastern Utah, in the western United States. It’s one of the classic rides of Moab. The altitude change is 1,050 feet, with about 1,300 vertical feet of tough and rough climbing.
This wild trail, also known as Cliffhanger Safari Route, ascends from Kane Creek on the Colorado River just west of Moab, climbing up onto an outcropping of rock surrounded on three sides by the Colorado. Real challenges with incredible scenery, especially at the end. Aggressive driving can result in rollovers. One high ledge road is very intimidating. Heavy bike traffic. Be courteous; pull over and let bikers pass. This trail is full of rock obstacles from start to finish. The trail is a rocky jeep trail with ledges and drop-offs. There are technical challenges that will stop all but the most advanced riders. Strong intermediates can manage this ride, but will walk most of the rougher climbs. The road rises steadily and there are some difficult sections. The jeeps driving this trail create slippery undercut ledges with chunky cobble complicating the approach. This trail was filled in with dirt for maintenance recently, but the dirt is quickly washing away. Make no mistake, this trail is strictly hardcore with many big ledges and challenging obstacles.
Most of the road surface is rock. The road has some difficult sections, but there's only one really challenging feature at the narrowest, most restricted point: a 3-foot drop into a loose, bouldery runout. There are some petroglyphs and other evidence of early visitation. It crosses various sandstone layers that create difficult stair-step ledges. There is some sand, some dirt amid the rock layers, and some fairly level slickrock.
Pic: alex petitdemange