Best ridden as a shuttled ride, Mag 7, aka Magnificent 7 combines several trails into a thrilling downhill starting from Gemini Bridges Road and ending with the white knuckle ride down the world famous exposed Portal trail.
Mag 7: Bull Run
There are several shuttle companies in Moab to get you up to the Gemini Bridges parking lot, including Poison Spider and Moab Cyclery. From there, head out onto Bull Run. Bull Run is full of rolling through the dirt and scrub brush as well as riding the ledges and edges of a canyon. In the first part of the ride the canyon is on your left, then you transition to another where it’s on your right. The views toward Moab and the La Sals are spectacular.
Mag 7: Great Escape
After Bull Run, Great Escape continues the rolling through scrub and rocks. The La Sals become more pronounced in the distance as you approach Moab. You then ride a short section of Little Canyon before the climb up Gold Bar.
Mag 7: Gold Bar Rim
After Little Canyon you begin a climb up Gold Bar to Gold Bar Rim, and from there you can ride the rim of the canyon leading into Moab.
After a long day of riding mostly downhill on Mag 7, the sudden hard climbing is a bit of a shock to the system, but stick with it – the rewards will be worth it.
The views are spectacular all around. Panorama shots were made for this route! There’s LOTS of exposure, so you have to really watch where you ride. An older, more dangerous route right along the cliff edge is marked with blue dots, but the newer, less exposed route is marked with yellow dots. You get to choose your level the exposure amount for much of the ride.
The route is full of technical ups and downs, but most of it is rideable for a skilled biker.
You might want to check out the drops before dumping into them so that you can pick the best path. As you proceed along the rim, you’ll hit a fork and can go left up to the famous Portal trail, or right onto Poison Spider.
Portal
Portal is the last segment of Mag 7, and epic. Epic in exposure (next to a 1300 foot cliff), epic in views of Moab and the valley below, and epic in technical descent down to the highway.
The initial trail is easy and flowy.
Then, the left side of the trail disappears, and the cliff is just a few inches off the trail.
The trail is difficult enough, and then my friend Brian endoed.
Brian was fine – he got up and dusted himself off. At that point, we all got a little more conservative and off the bikes. There are two BLM signs on the trail that warn you to “Dismount now, bikers have died here” and we heeded the warnings.
After the exposure, the drop down to the highway is hugely technical and lots of hike-a-bike unless you are a rock hopping expert.
Check out the video to see Brian’s endo.