Crossing A Pterodactyl With A Mountain Bike

By Monique Beeley

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area has long been a popular destination for, boaters, fishermen and hikers, but the area surrounding Flaming Gorge is an undiscovered gem for mountain biking. Red Canyon Lodge, a thousand feet above the sparkling water, is the site of Dinotrax, a mountain bike festival.

Dinotrax is a weekend filled with new friends, first-rate hosts and magnificent rides. Mark Wilson of Red Canyon Lodge and Troy Lupcho of Altitude Cycle team together to host the festival.

p. Monique Beeley

Arriving at Red Canyon, I immediately took in the stunning vistas that surround the lodge. I was looking forward to exploring this beautiful landscape, new to me. My first ride was on the Red Canyon Rim trail just outside my cabin, a great intermediate singletrack that winds its way through campgrounds, riverbeds and high mountain forests. The views from trailhead overlooks are magnificent.

 Continuing, I cruised down the colorful Canyon Rim, leading me to the Swett Ranch Trail. In the distance, I spied the historic pioneer ranch nestled down in the verdant valley below. The climb back up to the trailhead connected to the Canyon Rim trail and back to my weekend home, a well-equipped, comfortable cabin.

  Friday evening was a get-to-know-everybody party at the event tent, set up next to the lodge, where we all received our bag of goodies and Dinotrax T-shirt. At dusk the movies rolled and the beer flowed! Later, everyone headed to tents or cabins to rest up for the next day ride. My anticipation level was understandably high!

  Saturday morning, novice riders began with a mountain bike skills clinic conducted by Troy. My friend Melissa, who had recently started riding, felt this clinic was a great confidence builder for adventures yet to come. Intermediates ride the 15-mile Red Canyon Rim-Swett Ranch trail. Advanced riders were offered the challenging, 19-mile Elk Park-Spirit Lake Loop.

With some trepidation, I decided to try the advanced ride. Our guides prepped us for the upcoming rides with info on trail conditions, technical and terrain changes, scenery. At the trailhead, I sensed plenty of nervous energy. Lots of chatter, lots of water gulping. The ride started out with a steady uphill section to the Ute Mountain Fire Tower, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Next, we headed down a killer singletrack, over the river and through the woods. No Grand-mother’s House here!  Wet riverbeds, speedy switchbacks and rocky sections got the best of us at some point, but everyone was very determined to keep the rubber side down. No ride would be complete without a flat tire. Naturally, my tire changing tools were in my cabin, a fine place!  Luckily, one of the guys from the group (was he ever cute!) was nice enough to lend me a hand. We rode back to the parking lot where the others were enjoying a well-deserved beer, exchanging stories of the day. Some true, some not so true, I’m sure.

p. Monique Beeley

That evening, festivities began with  a “Poker Run”, followed by “Troy’s Funky Crit”. The “Poker Run” is pretty much what it sounds like. Each player starts with a single card, races around the trail collecting four more at designated stations. Best hand wins. An amazing five eights took first prize!

The “Funky Crit” is a hoot. Chug a warm beer, ride three times around a tree, pitch two horseshoes from ten feet away (ringers count for 10 second time deductions), change a flat, finish by sitting in a lounge chair. The competition was fierce, but one guy won with an incredible one minute, fifteen seconds!

 Next on the agenda were dozens of great prizes, trips, gear, free schwag and the traditional pasta load dinner accompanied by a great bluegrass band. Never short on energy, Troy joins
in with a mean harmonica. Oh, and of course, more beer.

 Sunday was the day for the popular bike/boat tour. A great ride on the Dowd Mountain Trail culminates with a boat float on the reservoir. The ride heads up to yet another ho-hum overlook of stunning Flaming Gorge, followed by yet another ho-hum photo-op. The ride down to the lake and a waiting pontoon boat was a rocky one and I managed to get my second flat. This time the tools were in my pack. All I could think about was how cool and refreshing a dip in the water was going to feel after a warm day on the trail. When I got to the boat, most of my companion riders were already in the water. I quickly dropped off my bike and jumped in. Ahhhh!  What a great way to end a great ride! After our dip, more new stories with more new friends. At the marina, we were shuttled back to our cars, and all good things must come to an end. What a great weekend it was. Dinotrax. See you again next year!

Monique Beeley lives to mountain bike, hike and ski in and around her hometown of Kamas.