Mountain Biking Adventures
Time to think about Mountain Biking Season! Holiday River Expeditions offers a variety of rafting excursions, but also offers activities that cater to the comforts of the rugged mountain biker. Our multi-day Mountain Bike Tours cover all the bases from energetic beginner to expert. Want to experience both rafting and mountain biking? We also offer combo trips!
The White Rim Mountain Biking Trail plunges through the Canyonlands, highlighting the emergence of the Colorado and Green Rivers. Known as the “Island in the Sky,” this passage through the wilderness guides bikers passed the Mussleman Arch, Turks Head, Candlestick Tower, Monument Basin, and White Crack. Often considered the epicenter of the universe, where wild beauty merges with the horizon, this memorable trip tackles Mother Nature head-on. This three- to four-day, 90-mile excursion stretches up Murphy’s Hogback, an extremely challenging uphill stretch of terrain. Winding around the jagged labyrinths of Candlestick Tower and Soda Springs Basin, with visits to prehistoric Native American ruins and a final descent from Hardscrabble Ridge into Mineral Canyon, this once-in-a-lifetime adventure is necessary for every avid mountain biker.
The San Rafael Swell is a soaring 3,000-foot natural sandstone structure nestled amid the Colorado Plateau. A red-walled sanctuary that ascends into the sky will relax even the most overworked white-collar vacationer. Along the way, guides will highlight old mining camps, deserted ranches, Native American artwork, and even ancient dinosaur fossils that are deeply embedded within the canyon’s walls. Bikers will feel as though they are riding rugged tundra that encapsulates the heavens, as the San Rafael River flows peacefully thousands of feet below. Often considered the “Little Grand Canyon,” this scenic ride into the wilderness past buttes, Limestone Bench, Bottleneck Peak, and Buckhorn Draw, will delight bikers on this exciting 102-mile journey.
The Maze is a plunging, adrenaline-filled mountain biking adventure into the untamed Canyonlands National Park. This pristine wilderness boasts fresh, unpolluted air and is considered one of the most challenging mountain biking terrains in the world. The stark contrast of the terrain’s vertical lifts and plunging gorges make this landscape uniquely beautiful – and demanding! This four-day, 75-mile adventure includes areas untouched and unspoiled by humans.
The La Sal Mountain Loop in Moab is a premier mountain biking destination, attracting people worldwide. This adventure is offered only with our bike/raft combo trip that starts with two days of biking and follows with two days in Westwater Canyon on the Colorado River. The trail winds past massive ponderosa pine trees on an old logging road. Your first night’s camp at bull draw offers a scenic lookout over Fisher Valley. Day two begins with a plummeting 4,000-foot vertical descent into the desert. Rolling down through Onion Creek offers classic Moab red rock scenery with plenty of dips and rolls through the creek itself. You end this evening at a campsite along the Colorado River. on the morning of day 3, Our comfy vans will pick up you and your river gear and transfer you to the waiting rafts at the Westwater Canyon Ranger Station for the next two days on the water.
Multi-Sport Trips
Our White Rim Trail/ Cataract Canyon combo trip is one of Utah’s best active adventure trips. Start on the White Rim Trail which gradually descends to the Green River, where your whitewater journey begins. Enjoy a well-earned rest with four more days of wilderness adventure in the heart of Canyonlands National Park. It’s remote, rugged, and best known for powerful rapids and dramatic scenery. Holiday’s oar-powered trips (no motors!) allow you to go at the pace of the river and achieve a rare connection with nature. Travel along the calm water of the Green River to its 
confluence with the Colorado. You’ll see prehistoric ruins and rock art and splash through over 30 rapids. Experience Mile Long and the Big Drops, where the river drops 80 feet in less than four miles! Enjoy gourmet food on both the bike and raft portions.
The Moab Biking/ Westwater Canyon combo trip is perfect during the summer heat in the desert. The biking portion takes you into the La Sal Mountains, elevated oases of aspen and pine trees that tower above Moab’s red rocks. Ride with our guides along graded, dirt Forest Service roads, through lupine-studded meadows. Westwater Canyon is our next stop. Known for its punchy whitewater rapids and sleek, black canyon walls, Westwater is the perfect reward for two days of pedaling. Relax and watch great blue herons soar over the river. Or, if you haven’t had enough activity, hop in an inflatable kayak and paddle alongside our oar rafts. We’ll spend our last night together on the riverbank, resting up for the grand finale of Westwater Canyon’s rapids.
Mountain bikers that seek a vacation away from the hustle and bustle of life’s regular activities can enjoy these spectacular mountain biking excursions that plummet bikers into the raw beauty of the wilderness.