The Magnificent 7 Trail Information
The Magnificent 7, known as Mag 7, is a series of trails that create up to a 21 mile point-to-point route. This trail system is located up hwy 313 and begins at the top of Gemini Bridges Road. The true Mag 7 finishes with the Goldbar and Portal trails, which dispense you into the Jaycee Campground on Potash Rd. Those looking to avoid Goldbar and Portal can exit via Gemini Bridges road ending at the Brands Trails area, this is referred to as Mag 5.
Riders have options for linking trails together to get from the Getaway Trailhead to their chosen finish point. The fan favorite route is Bull Run → Great Escape → Little Canyon. At this point those riding Mag 5 will exit to Gemini Bridges Road. This option ends at the Brands Trails area, be prepared for a 400 ft. climb while exiting. From here you can opt to add Brands Trails before getting in your car, if dropped there. Or, you can opt to ride back to town via optional singletrack and/or the paved Moab Canyon Bike path. EZ → Sidewinder → bike path.
Those riding the full Mag 7, everything is about to get a LOT harder. The Goldbar/Portal portion is the most physically demanding portion of the entire ride. At this point you are ⅔ of the total distance of your ride but only ⅓ of your total expended energy. The Goldbar trail begins with a roughly 1000 ft. climb that for most, takes about 75 to 90 minutes to summit. Gold Bar itself is described by longtime Poison Spider mechanic and most frequent shuttle user, as “extreme cross country.” There are technical down and up moves that have a lot of people repeatedly getting off their bikes. It trends downhill but not by much, and has plenty of punchy climbs. The trail is a fun technical challenge for an advanced and fit rider, but it offers very little of what most people consider “flow.” All of that is followed by The Portal, Moab’s most technical DH trail. The exposure is only in the section that accesses the DH part of the trail; obey signs for mandatory dismounts. Once you turn the corner and turn up the speed, exposure is a non-issue. The DH portion is a level up from Ahab in difficulty, which can really get tough if you are tired and thirsty.
If you are tired when reaching the bottom of Gold Bar, it is highly recommended that you exit via Gemini Bridges Road and come back to ride it again. Your health and safety is more important than checking the box, you can always try it again. This is arguably the most physically difficult trail in the Moab area, including the Whole Enchilada. The Portal trail has deadly cliff exposure with mandatory dismounts, walk your bike where instructed.
Mag 7 has full sun exposure and desert heat the entire ride, with very little to no shade. This makes Mag 7 VERY dangerous in the summer due to significant risk of heat related injuries. For this reason, we DO NOT offer Mag 7 shuttles June through mid-September. Believe us, DO NOT. self-shuttle. during. this. time.
We’ve got lots of information for riding in Moab here.
Essential Shuttle Information
We offer the option for riders to drop vehicles off at/or near the trail finishes. You will meet at our departure lot to check in and load bikes. Once everyone is loaded, we will caravan as a group to where vehicles will be left. There are two options based on where you will be finishing the trail. If you are exiting via the Portal your vehicle will be left in a roadside pull out within a mile of the trail’s finish. If you are exiting via Gemini Bridges Road, your vehicles will be left in the parking at the entrance to the Brands Area along 191. Of course you are also welcome to leave your at our lot and finish your ride there.