Bears Ears National Monument MTB/Gravel

Bears Ears is a national treasure every bit as amazing as its sister parks immediately to the north, Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. Bears Ears contains (and protects) hundreds of ancient stone and earth dwellings and rock art panels, and scores of intricate wilderness-quality canyons cutting down through the sandstone to the Colorado River. If you want to visit Bears Ears, the most intimate method is by mountain bike.

Our route begins below Bears Ears Pass, surrounded by ponderosa pine, and follows Elk Ridge, the backbone between the Abajo Mountains and the Colorado River. We’ll explore secluded canyons, rich in the cultural history of the ancestral Puebloans, searching for ancient rock art and cliff dwellings. The landscape changes from cool alpine to colorful desert after our dramatic descent to the boundary of Canyonlands National Park. Our final night is spent at this area’s most beautiful campsite, Cathedral Butte.

On this charitable event, all of the biking takes place on gravel roads and trails. Local guides and our Climate Ride team will take care of all the details, allowing us to ride, connect, and see the national monument under threat of losing protected status and being opened to oil and gas drilling and mining.

On this charitable biking event, we travel where few tourists go. We stay in beautiful backcountry camps.

This trip is well-suited to road cyclists who can get comfortable on a mountain bike.  The terrain is gravel roads and trails. You should train to ride 30 miles per day on gravel roads. There are shorter options each day if you choose to ride in the support van. Or if you wish for extra mileage, there will be options on most days. For very fit road cyclists who are also good mountain bikers, this is a moderate trip. For road cyclists who are not experienced with mountain bikes, this will be an intermediate trip.

This tour was operated in conjunction with the outfitter, Rim Tours which is permitted to operate in the areas we rode. Climate Ride charitable events bring together bright minds, breathtaking routes for all cycling abilities, and an unforgettable combination of passion and purpose. On this trip, we’ll get a first-hand look at the environmental issues affecting Bears Ears. You can choose from our full list of beneficiaries and proceeds will be distributed to the Climate Ride grants program based on your beneficiary selection. You will have access to our superb personal fundraising software and the full support of our team. Participants may select their beneficiaries from our list of more than 100 extraordinary non-profit organizations.