The Maze MTB Tour

The Canyonlands provided a spectacular backdrop for our adventure in the Maze.  And at the end of each day, Eric and Dan cooked up delicious, healthy meals that were sure to re-energise us for the next day. Working hard/playing hard during the day, wonderful meals and sleeping under the stars,….. does it get any better?

My husband and I participated in the [tour operator's] Maze tour in Utah in October this year, and it became one of my favourite and most memorable trips. The canyon view throughout the trip was so beautiful and breathtaking. I also loved star gazing I did myself in the middle of the night. Living in New Jersey and working in Manhattan, I have never seen such a beautiful view of tons of stars!I was initially concerned with my fitness level to join the tour. I'm a middle-aged female working long hours during the week and pretty much weekend warrior. I also have not had much experience in the out west. However, the tour guides watched us regularly and set the pace to ensure our safety first.

Although we did a lot of hiking and biking throughout the trip, I enjoyed the entire activities without being overwhelmed. The difficulty level for the trip is rated as 2-3 designed for all the level, and I think it is true. And talking about the ad description for the company's trip, they definitely provide First-Class Camping! The guides' cooking skills were superb, and I enjoyed every meal, including appetizers and desserts! In addition, the tour guides were always nice and friendly all the time, even though they must have been so tired. I appreciate their high professionalism and south-west hospitality. I highly recommend this trip for anyone of all the levels. I will definitely plan to join another trip from [the tour operator] for my next vacation!

This was my third multi-day mountain bike tour with [the tour operator], as always it was an amazing experience all round. Our guides Troy, Dan, and Pierce were cool, knowledgeable, and great to hang out with. Troy was head chef and served us restaurant quality meals in one of the most remote locations in the US - maple-glazed duck! We slept out under an amazing blanket of stars each night, had fun biking, and hiked through the maze - which is now in my top 5 hikes of all time. There's simply no better way to see this part of Canyonlands, which is magical due to the spectacular scenery and the isolation. Would recommend this trip to anyone in a heartbeat.

We recently returned from an early April adventure trip to The Maze region of Canyonlands National Park organised by [the tour operator]. This is one of several adventure trips organised by [the tour operator]. Our trip consisted of 5 days and 4 nights of mountain biking, hiking and camping, departing from [the tour operator’s] base at Moab Cycles. The firm has been running this particular trip for many years and is apparently the only expedition company capable of reaching certain more remote areas of The Maze, which was a big attraction for us.

We are a reasonably fit couple—60 and 58 and our sons are in their early 20’s. We were hoping for a challenging and enjoyable family trip to one of the most remote and rarely visited areas of the lower 48 states. And we were not disappointed—this was an outstanding adventure that will remain in our memories for a long time to come! Early April is a good time to visit, as the days are comfortable and the nights cool (40-45 degrees)--and that was our experience save one night of torrential rain and wind when we were all safely nestled in our tents! Kevin, [the tour operator's] Tour Co-coordinator at HQ, competently handled advance planning for the logistics. Thank you Kevin for being patient with all of our questions about gear, etc.!

We were coming to Moab from various long-distance destinations and were able to rent pretty much all of our equipment directly through [the tour operator] with Moab Cycles, including bikes (quality dual suspension Specialised Stumpjumpers), tents, sleeping bags and other elements of camp kit which made the logistics much easier. Our gear was transported throughout the journey by [the tour operator's] 4WD truck, which fully-supported our route on 3 days and met us at camp every night.

After driving a couple of hours from Moab to our starting point on day 1, we set off for some challenging and exhilarating riding on the bikes—think red dirt, downhill and lots of rocks to keep you focused! Day 2 was all on foot and included a 10 mile hike down into the remote canyons which featured some spine-tingling (at least for the parents!) rock scrambling, a hike through the canyons (our reward was a visit to some beautiful Puebloan petroglyphs on the canyon floor) and a steep trek back up to camp. Subsequent adventures included a hike to the enchanting “Dollhouse” rock formations, a descent from there down to the mighty Colorado, a super (and lung-busting) 20+ mile ride over slickrock and, on the final day, a brilliant free-wheeling 25 mile cruise down to Lake Powell followed by a scenic flight back to Moab on a private plane looking down on all we had accomplished!

This tour exposed us to the most magnificent and varied scenery, and the areas that we were able to access were so remote that we felt like we had the place all to ourselves. [The tour operator] rated the trip a “6” on a 1-10 scale of difficulty. My wife and I thought it was perhaps an “8” and in any event you need to be reasonably fit to get the most out of it (though if you completely poop out or want a break it is possible to catch a ride in the truck!).

The 3 campsites (2 nights in one site was a nice respite from the need to “break camp” every night) had clearly been chosen to offer varied and magnificent views of the stunning and remote wilderness landscape. So remote, in fact, that we only saw 6 other people over the course of 5 days. But perhaps the highlight of this great adventure was our 2 tour leaders—Troy and Dan. And a BIG shout out to each of them. They were literally responsible for everything (including, pretty importantly, our safety) and had all aspects of this trip totally under control. Troy is an expert mountain biker, bike repairman and hiking guide but also a professionally trained chef. Some combination for a trip like this! All of the food was brought in fresh and the meals cooked from scratch. Think blueberry pancakes, french toast, bacon and fresh fruit for breakfast, taco salad on the trail for lunch and freshly-made spring rolls (yes, you read that correctly!), lamb burgers topped with fried crispy kale, pork chops and even risotto for dinner. BYOB is an option and we chose to pack some beer and wine on the truck. The culinary aspect of this trip was really quite extraordinary given how far off the beaten track we were and [the tour operator's] (commendable) “leave no trace” environmental policy.

Meanwhile our other tour leader, “Dan Dan the Llama Man” (his nickname is a whole other story!) delivered our gear to camp every day over some of the most treacherous terrain we’ve ever seen. The term “jeep tracks” is a joke for what he had to negotiate in that truck. Incredible diving skills, a super hiking and biking companion and a great cook too. In addition to looking after us so well, both Troy and Dan were incredibly interesting, clever and engaging people who each had an impressive array of life experiences and can relate to anyone. Putting all the highlights of this memorable trip aside, you’d still relish the chance to spend time with these guys.

As a family, we have travelled together on many great trips to destinations around the world and we all agree that the [tour operator's] Tour to The Maze qualifies as one of our best ever. Five stars all the way…thanks to the [tour operator] team and especially to Dan and Troy!!!

Fantastic trip to take in some adventure & amazing scenery, with great support, fantastic food & very experienced guides. This is a trip that gets you back to nature but also challenges you to step out of your comfort zone, every day is a new experience with a different outlook, Make sure you have a good camera as you will never run out of views that blow you away.

Fantastic multi-day trip to Canyonlands National Park and the Maze District! The itinerary constructed by our guides was diverse and challenging. I loved the mix of hiking, climbing, and riding.

Our guides Eric and llama Dan were unbelievably nice and incredibly competant. They made the trip fun and safe. You won't believe how good the meals are while camping out!

I love the mountain biking trips by [the tour operator]!

I've gone on several trips with [the tour operator] and went on their 'Maze' trip for a second time in April 2017. The day by day itinerary: 30 mile bike, 10 mile hike, bike and hike 10 miles, 25 mile bike, 30 mile bike, plane ride back to the start. The exercise is not too demanding and the mountain biking is just a bit of a challenge for a novice like me. The scenery is spectacular, reaching way into the back of the park and visiting Anasazi ruins and pictographs, the Colorado River at Spanish Bottom, and passing park landmarks such as the Chocolate Drops.

Transport is on ranch roads that pre-existed the park. [The tour operator] transports camping gear and the two guides provided direction, cooked excellent food, and maintained the bikes (you can bring your own or rent one of their full suspension Stump Jumpers). This is not glamping: google 'your guide to the groover', you sleep in a tent (your own or rented), a solar shower is offered mid-trip, the exercise is not optional. The guides, who work their butts off, depend on your tip to make ends meet, so bring some extra cash. We brought our own wine, and the group of 7 drank a case+. Just an amazing experience, and something completely different from most every other vacation option.

I and 6 friends spent 5 days in Canyonlands NP, with 2 guides (Dan and Ryan) from [the tour operator]. This was a great trip to see a portion of southern Utah that is difficult to access on one's own. We biked about 120 miles over the trip, and hiked about 10 miles through the Maze one day. The scenery was spectacular, the biking had some technical challenges (sand, slickrock), but was definitely doable as the prevailing gradient was downhill. The services provided by Ryan and Dan were excellent. They were knowledgable about the area, took good care of our bikes (and ourselves) when assistance was needed. There was plenty of food, that was varied but also catered to dietary preferences. If you want a wilderness experience, this is an exceptional one.

Did a 5-day mountain biking trip with [the tour operator] in the Maze section of Canyonlands, which is stunningly beautiful. [The tour operator] made it perfect...high-quality rental equipment, top-flight guides, delicious food prepared, and a varied and well-planned itinerary that included challenging and cruising biking, as well as great hikes and time to just chill while taking in the breathtaking scenery. The flight at the end of the trip from Lake Powell back to Moab was an added bonus. Fellow guests were like-minded and fun to be with. I would definitely do another trip with [the tour operator!

Our trip was a 5 day overnight bike and hike to the Maze region in Canyonlands National Park for our group of 7. It was fully supported with trucks transporting our camp gear each night. I have done a couple prior tours and this was by far my favourite! I loved everything about this tour including the scenery, gear provided, guides, food, camp locations and logistics. The food they cooked was incredible, and always exceeded my expectations! The split between biking and hiking was perfect. The return even included a small plane flight where we could view all of the places we had just rode/hiked. This trip was a great value.