Description:
Tusher Canyon like it’s nearby neighbor Bartlett Wash, contains some of the best off-the-beaten path slickrock riding in the Moab area. There are two Tushers - “Tusher Left” and “Tusher Right.” This guide describes Tusher Left which refers to the side of the canyon the route ascends from out of Tusher Canyon (as you are riding south). However when looking at a map with north oriented on the top of the map, this is the right side of Tusher Canyon.
Tusher is another slickrock playground definitely worth visiting. This slickrock playground is similar to Bartlett Wash and is reddish-orange, sticky and expansive. It’s an awesome area to explore. It’s more off the beaten track than Bartlett and thus does require a bit more route finding and navigational skills to locate without wasted effort. It is geographically very close to Bartlett though and can be combined with Bartlett for an afternoon or morning full of both areas. Or one could spend a day doing both, depending upon how much exploring and playing one desires.
Depending upon how far up Tusher Canyon you can drive this ride will have varying amounts of sandy fire road that you must ride (grind) through before getting to the fun stuff. You will exit the road to your left slowly climbing up a sloping grooved rock spit that resembles a road and then after a steep bike portage you will travel south ledging up as you go, gaining elevation. Eventually you will get to the slickrock playground. Don’t ever exit the reddish orange slickrock onto the whitish top layer as that is an environmentally sensitive area and not as fun to ride on as the red rock is anyway.
Since the parking spot varies greatly depending upon vehicle clearance the mileage below starts when the ascent up the rocky spit (rocky road) begins. From wherever you park start riding south (slightly uphill) through the sandy wash. However if it has rained recently or is raining this wash could be wet and running with water.
Look for what looks like a upward-slanting roadbed made of mostly grooved rock that leaves the sandy road at about a 30 degree angle to the left. Exit the wash and head up this rock spit “rocky road”. This is where the mileage below begins.
Note: mileage starts from “rocky road” spit not parking area in wash.
0.00 Begin riding up “rocky road”
0.20 Look to the left for rock cairns and portage your bike up a slide area. It looks promising to continue further on this elevation ledge, but it will eventually run out or “rim out”
0.25 Once above the slide follow a short singletrack back onto the slickrock. Follow that ledge as it snakes around to the south.
0.40 Keep following the ledges trying to gain elevation where you can but staying below the white layer of sandstone. Look for cairns although there are alot of routes that will work.
0.75 Eventually the ledge turns and you are heading more easterly. Look for a bowl with two large “hoodoos” or rock towers above it.
0.78 Ride just below the hoodoos and continue as the red rock ledge flattens out and widens.
0.90 You reach the “playground” area. Explore at your leisure but beware of the edges of the plateau where they may drop away steeply and turn into a cliff!
Trailhead:
The “trailhead” for this ride is somewhat open to interpretation. Some people suggest entering from Mill Canyon Road and parking in a parking lot miles from the riding area. That then entails miles of riding sandy washes and dirt roads. We entered using the directions to Bartlett Wash and continued east from there to park for Tusher in the wash close to the prime riding area. A good long afternoon or morning combination ride is to do Bartlett Wash first and then drive the 10 minutes to the east and ride Tusher. Be careful about parking in the wash if it’s raining or threatening rain.
Drive about 17.6 miles north of the center of Moab on Highway 191 and turn left onto Blue Hills Road (about a mile before the airport turn-off) and go 2.4 miles then turn left. Go .8 more miles to a fork where you stay straight. After .5 miles pass the right-hand turnoff to Bartlett Wash, continue straight. As the road curves more southerly (and changes from a greenish color to reddish color) and heads toward Tusher Canyon stay straight at the left hand junction (this is the continuation of Mill Canyon Road). Continue driving up the wash until it becomes too narrow to drive further and look for a spot to park.
Alternate directions:
From the center of Moab travel noth on US 191 for 15.5 miles. Turn left onto Mill Canyon Road. At .6 miles turn right following the “Tusher Canyon” sign. At 2.7 miles from the highway the road drops into the wash. Keep left at the next two forks, staying in the wash. Continue driving up the wash until it becomes too narrow to drive further and look for a spot to park.
Notes:
Be careful if you are climbing up the ledges portaging your bike. There may be a rattlesnake sunning itself where you put your hands. Don’t forget your camera. A GPS could prove useful to help you re-trace your route off the ledges and back to the portage point. For the best prevention of cramping and bonking take a look at my riding nutrition page.