How Difficult Is The Whole Enchilada, Moab? I'll Tell You...

The Whole Enchilada is a world famous mountain bike trail, with many riders across the globe wondering how hard it actually is and if it’s within their skill and fitness level. This video should help you gauge if you can do it and I believe if you class yourself as an intermediate rider or higher, you should be just fine.
Equip yourself with a 140 - 160mm travel full suspension bike, some tubeless tires and (ideally) some big, 29er wheels. Pack around 2-2.5 litres of water and be prepared to consume 6 hours worth of food - maybe even more!
Here are the Trailforks links:
Whole Enchilada - www.trailforks.com/trails/who...
www.trailforks.com/trails/cap...
Burro Pass - www.trailforks.com/trails/bur...
Hazard County - www.trailforks.com/trails/haz...
Kokopelli - www.trailforks.com/trails/kok...
Upper Porcupine Singletrack - www.trailforks.com/trails/upp...
UPS Lower - www.trailforks.com/trails/ups...
LPS - www.trailforks.com/trails/lps/
Porcupine Rim - www.trailforks.com/trails/por...
The Whole Enchilada Route - www.trailforks.com/route/the-...
Here's the Strava log from the ride: / strava .
Follow me on Instagram too - @paulthepunter
/ paulthepunter
/ strava
--------------------------------------------
My Gear:
GoPro Hero4 for best audio: amzn.to/2uD8wu5
Best GoPro Chest Mount out there :amzn.to/2JqV560
A Gimbal Like Mine To Stablize Footage: amzn.to/2NWAwlx
--------------------------------------------
Script:
On the map, The Whole Enchilada trail segment is blue rated and starts off with some easy flowy turns, followed by a pretty gruelling climb up. In a second I say that the main shuttle drops you off at Burro Pass, but I was wrong. It actually drops you off here.
Burro Pass is when things get real. Black rated, this section of the enchilada was pretty technical but there wasn’t too much risk. Physically tough but you are rewarded with what I would call the gold standard of singletrack. This might be the hardest trail of the route in my eyes, especially as you are somewhat thrown right in to it.
Hazard County is where things get fun. The trail was pretty dry and rough when I rode it, but with a bit more moisture this would be incredible. Some of the best corners in the game await you, just remember to look ahead.
Kokopelli is pretty much a connecting fire road after Hazzard County, but if you’re looking for an even bigger day there’s a trail off to the side called Jimmy Keen.
Upper Porcupine Singletrack is where things get tricky and physical. It’s really important to keep your momentum going in order to avoid getting hung up on a rock. Dialling up the compression on the rear shock is a pretty good idea along here, as you won’t really need the suspension all that much.
The 4x4 road is a slog. If you were to do the half-Enchilada lap starting at Kokopelli I imagine this would actually be a lot of fun, but after a few hours in this rough trail is brutal on the entire body.
Lower porcupine Singletrack throws up a few tricky sections, some I didn’t even attempt to ride. But it doesn’t take long to pop off your bike and walk down if you don’t fancy a section.
Myself and Ralph set off at about midday on this ride, which was in hindsight quite the error, but what did do was give us was this incredible sunset to ride in to. Sometimes the early bird doesn’t get the worm.
And then you have Porcupine Rim. This trail is right up there with the best I have EVER ridden! This can be pretty intimidating when you’re blasting along the side of a cliff, but look ahead on the trail and you’ll be fine. This is where have a 160mm travel full suspension is going to come in to its own, especially the bigger wheels.
I did have a bit of a nightmare and this video doesn’t end in the best way as my gimbal ran out of battery - a true punter move! However the light really dropped out and it wouldn’t have been that good on camera. So I put the gopro back in my bag and just enjoyed the epic trail - and that’s exactly what you should do too.
The ride took us 5 ½ hours - shorter than the 6-8 predicted by most other guides - and I’d say we were cruising along rather than going for an all out sprint. Comment below with how long this ride took you!
If you enjoyed this video, check out some of my other moab videos or even hit the subscribe button! Thanks a bunch for watching and I hope you enjoyed me puntering about.
My Gear:

[@PaulThePunter]

Has anyone actually been able to start at Burro Pass? Looks like you can on the map...

[@mattvisich385]

Yes just need to time it right.

[@TrevorMay]

I've gone there 3 times and only once got to start at Burro pass, even then there was a bit of snow. Sweet descent but a steep climb to get there.

[@PaulThePunter]

I was pretty sure you could start on Burro Pass according to Trailforks, but not sure how it would even start...

[@TheDavidjakeson]

It looks like you actually did start at Burro, right? The shuttle drops you off at Geyser Pass, then you ride the Burro Pass trail to the Pass, then down into the aspen grove.

[@PaulThePunter]

No we did do the Whole Enchilada start, we parked at the Google Maps approved car park and rode in from there. You then come up the saddle and over the top of it into Burro Pass.

[@Stoo61]

Gooood video mate, looking around for must do trails in BC and the US and I'm always wondering if I'll have enough to get the most out of them. I like this approach!

[@albertoscycles]

Excellent video. Done it 3 times, I generally take the 10:00 shuttle and finish 3/4:00pm. I have also ridden up from town to LPS, that makes for a full day too.

[@PaulThePunter]

Nice work!

[@unclebizket4834]

That trail looks amazing just you your bike no more noise from daily life just being able to truly enjoy riding your bike I bet you had one Hell of a time there I know I would

[@aidandawn2717]

I did this trail when i was 15 so very doable. Hands down best ride of my life, there's nothing else like it. 29er Spesh Enduro was perfect!

[@DailyMTBRider]

The beginning of your video is what I think every time I ride my bike 😂

[@PaulThePunter]

Haha!

[@jasoncapecod]

very enjoyable video..great commentary too

[@PaulThePunter]

Jason thanks Jason!

[@bikedibley]

LOVING your videos Paul.

[@PaulThePunter]

BikeDibley thanks Thomas! I’m pretty sure you were one of the first people to talk to me about riding there. Such a good trip!

[@ryanwood7112]

I loved it you just got another subscriber!

[@PaulThePunter]

Ryan Wood thanks Ryan! Looking forward to your next comment :)

[@BzAdt]

Gives a really good sense of the trail and how to ride it. Allows the rest of us to not be as big of a punter!

[@mountainbikerjordan584]

I second the recommendation for running tubeless tires on this ride. 2014 was my first go, and I ran tubes back then; had four flats total. Last year was my second time, running tubeless for a rematch. Zero flats.

[@PaulThePunter]

Yeah I have no idea how someone could get through with inner tubes! There's so many square edges you're almost guaranteed to get taken down. How long did it take you to get from top to bottom?

[@mountainbikerjordan584]

Exactly! Lots of locations to get a good ol' snakebite on a tube. I think the first time I went was 5 hours, last year was about 4 including some stops to admire the views.

[@PaulThePunter]

Yeah that sounds about right. I forgot to put more pressure in my shock to account for the extra weight from my bag (don't normally wear one) and it rode in such a weird way! Such a classic punter move....

[@mountainbikerjordan584]

Hahaha! Sounds like some mistakes I've made on my two-wheeled adventures, so you're not alone. :)

[@dsm156]

Good video. Self described "intermediate riders" will figure out how true that is on this trail. We did it with 5 of us and we would probably all describe ourselves as "intermediate riders." Myself and another had a great time. The other three struggled greatly. "Intermediate" in the context of this trail means you can comfortably decend steep rocky terrain and can handle 12"-18" drops. Otherwise, you'll be walking... A LOT. The one guy in our group with tubes went through 6 of them on this ride...

[@PaulThePunter]

I hope he got on the tubeless program! I'd probably say that's an accurate account of an intermediate rider, maybe not so much the size of the drop but the confidence to get that lunge going with little speed. Hope you had a good time.

[@roccodeltoro5889]

dsm156 How does this compare to Captain Ahab in Moab so I can get a gauge. Thank you!

[@joshtp1234]

Travis Lambert the whole enchilada has tougher sections than captain ahab. I consider mysel an intermediate/advance rider, and i rode captain ahab without having to walk any sections (of the downhil) On WE i had to walk about 5 sections, there are a lot of larger drops and rocky technical sections.

[@chriskojali4527]

What kind of wheels were you on, Nukeproof horizon? Great vid mate!

[@georgesoukup4058]

Is it weird that I feel like I can smell the fresh air in the beginning

[@andrewrivera4029]

We rode 3 days, took a day off to rest, went and did some shooting, then did TWA. We took the 7:30 am shuttle and with the 5 mile ride back into town we finished at 2:30 pm, I was totally exhausted! I ran short of water and there are no opportunities except the streams off the top of burrow pass to fill back up also we were lucky our hotel had a jacuzzi and pool! What a life saver! Get massages in town too, got one early in the week and hit the local yoga studio so I was ready for the rigors of TWA! Great fun, a must do!

[@PaulThePunter]

Andrew Rivera that’s quite the adventure! How much water did you set off with? Can’t wait to try it again...but faster.

[@bznbrian]

TWA?

[@tomfisher8256]

nice paul good video

[@PaulThePunter]

Tom Fisher thanks a bunch Tom!

[@danielcrescenzo354]

"with a bit more moisture..." -Ancient Ute mantra

[@groovegoon88]

Best day ever on a bike!

[@andrewrivera4029]

I had the 3 liter camelback full, a protein drink and a Gatorade. Big mistake I dumped out some water at the top because my back was hurting. Looking back that might have been enough if had just drank it quickly. Can’t wait to do it again this year!

[@PaulThePunter]

Ooooosh that's a lot! Did you try some electrolytes in the water? I find that the powdered gatorade stuff really helps and then you don't need to drink as much. But I'd have probably done the same thing with the water had my back been hurting haha.

[@davepcb]

I did it in 6.5 hours, I stopped several times for snacks and had a couple spills that slowed me down. BRING LOTS OF FOOD AND SNACKS as well as water. Need to keep your energy up. My Garmin battery gave warnings right after Burro Pass due to the cold. October and 25 degrees F at Burro. I put it in the sun at every stop and it lasted. After the temp rose above 40 it stopped giving warnings and lasted to the end. Also, 8000 feet down but 2000 feet climbing.

[@GoatRidesBikes]

The Whole "Enchilatter"? I love you guys are your wonky pronunciations!

[@PaulThePunter]

Haha I wondered if anyone would pick up on this...

[@Azazel518]

The Early bird doesn't always get the worm but the second mouse always gets the cheese...great vid

[@PaulThePunter]

👌

[@davepcb]

I have ridden WE 3 times, usually 4.5 hours of riding and 6 to 8 to complete. 3 to 5 hours of breaks, fixing flats and bicycle repair, add in 1.5 hours for the shuttle, start at 7 am and complete around 3 to 6 pm. Would do it again, 3rd week in September, lots of light and the aspen are at max color. Unless you can sprint the entire way, get the early shuttle. Did it on a Specialized Stumpjumper twice and Niner Jet 9 RDO once. RDO definitely better. But a 160 to 180 mm travel bike would make it smoother.

[@romand123]

So sick! I'm heading out to UT for a ski trip mid March. Anyone know if the whole thing is ridable that time of year?

[@jasonsenior5601]

I went in June and anything higher than where we started in the La Sal's was still closed off. We did 24 miles and that 4x4 road nearly killed me. I agree with you, everything besides that is pure awesome.

[@crankytrails3503]

I need to wrangle some MTB buddies to meet up in Moab. Thanks for the inspiration Paul!

[@Mike_s_mtb]

I will just say. I finally rode the trail yesterday… and Id say bump up the amount of water to at LEAST 3L. I did 4L and a water bottle on my bike and still almost ran out of water.

[@joshbraman4227]

6.3 hours was one hell of a ride, towards the bottom of porcupine rim, I cramped up lol Good times

[@BlacqueJacqueShellacque_]

I think this trail is somewhat over-rated (mainly because it get's TOO MUCH hype so some people go in expecting too much), but that's not to say it isn't awesome and should be on everyone's list to do at least once. Book a shuttle (don't forget to tip your driver) and get an early start (most shuttles leave around 9 am). Don't forget a good breakfast, and bring a sandwich. You can't bring too much water. Also I prefer to park at the bottom of the trail (P-Rim trail head) and ride from there to town in the morning (down the bike path) to catch the shuttle. Make sure there are cold beers waiting for you in the car and enjoy it next to the river at the end of your ride.

[@PaulThePunter]

That's some good advice! I reckon if you cut out that 4x4 track bit you'd have a golden lap, it really did just go on for a bit too long. Burro Pass and Hazard County are definitely worth hyping up.

[@Motorep146]

Yeah, when I did it a few years back we took the road back into town. We had one guy that ran out of water and was suffering the last few miles of trail. Thankfully they were running sprinklers at one of the pullouts in the canyon and he was able to refill before the ride back into town. I don’t think you can have too much water on this ride! If you have a weaker rider or are concerned the trail is too long I definitely recommend your advice of having a car at the end. Oh, and beers!

[@PaulThePunter]

That's a great tip! I couldn't imagine having to ride back in to town after more than 5 hours on the bike.

[@matthewlemmons7397]

Thumbs up on the P-rim trailhead tip. I can't comment on the hype-to-awesome ratio as my date with destiny is 3 weeks out. Certain it will be everything and more in most cases and less in few others.

[@luki9891]

I think of myself as a intermediate rider and am going to Moab in a couple days. I don’t have a tip of the line bike but I do have an 27.5 XC bike with tubes, do u think I could do it? Ps My dad would come and he has a diamond back overdrive, what about that?

[@PaulThePunter]

Hey! I’m sure you’ll be fine. I was just recommending my best case scenario. As long as you look after your bike well enough it’ll likely go most places, but the xc bike might be a push. Sure the diamond back could do it!

[@luki9891]

Paul The Punter Great! Thank you

[@tedzem4599]

Did this with my family last summer, to say the least, I was in pain

[@oldkayakdude]

A reminder that Porcupine rim and the rest have been ridden for nearly 30 years. Riding it on a hard tail with an 80 mm fork and canti's is a different experience than the sofa's everyone rides these days. Just a little perspective. ;)

[@PaulThePunter]

oldkayakdude I can only imagine :)

[@OffGridColoradoLiving]

True! I rode hardtail but would have appreciated a full suspension ride.

[@SoGoMTB]

Shall we do a World's group ride? 2019 perhaps.

[@SoGoMTB]

It would be my first time ride in the USA

[@OffGridColoradoLiving]

I did it on my Jamis Dragonslayer. 27.5+ No rear shock. Next time I will rent a full suspension bike ---- well maybe. LOL

[@PaulThePunter]

Haha I think a full susser is the way to go :)

[@melissaespino1526]

How do you think a 140/130 full suspension would do on this trail?

[@iangraham5320]

Probably perfect

[@mohammadishaq8120]

what bike are u using

[@PaulThePunter]

Mohammad Ishaq hey Mohammad - I used a 160mm/155mm travel transition patrol

[@mohammadishaq8120]

thanks

[@johnnyappleseed6415]

6 hours to get back into town? Should be able to *almost* beat the shuttle bus back ;)...

[@TheBikeRoom]

Don't think we have any Aspens in South Wales..we got lots of larch.

[@PaulThePunter]

Better book a trip out then :)

[@santanalor9771]

Which bikes were you guys on?

[@PaulThePunter]

Santana Lor I’m on a Transition Patrol Carbon and Ralph was on a Kona Process. A 140mm 29er would be the dream down here (if it’s size appropriate for you), the larger wheels would just roll a lot better on that middle portion of the route!

[@33cano33]

Paul The Punter How do you feel the 27.5 was? I’m on the same Patrol and planning a trip in October. Wondering if I should just rent a 29er

[@carsondunn9977]

Just did the trail. It’s a lot more loose rocks at the start and isn’t as smooth and flows which is sad. Way to many people so it doesn’t make it as peaceful.

[@GoatRidesBikes]

But...what is the Whole "Enchilatter"? Ha!

[@PaulThePunter]

Haha can’t believe you’re the first person to get me on that one!

[@51249ca]

Engineered to party

[@PaulThePunter]

Certainly.

[@OutsideWatch]

Hey Paul, we loved your content and think your videos would make a great addition to our video of the month contest! By uploading your videos to campfire.outsidetv.com/home you have the opportunity to win a wetsuit and a new surfboard and be featured on Outside TV! See you on Campfire!

[@PaulThePunter]

Hey @outsidetv - I would love to but I am not a resident of the USA. However super keen to be featured on your site - can you email paul - at - mtbpunter.com?

[@bjarbj944]

Anyone from low altitude do this route? Did you die?

[@gbowenarrow]

No reply...I think that means yes, they died.

[@rideon777]

Too easy and too far for me. Tks for the video.

[@tgo.4122]

I wouldn't want to be stuck limping, might be more fun on a well-designed e-bike to handle so much climbing.

[@tahg_7637]

First comments

[@PaulThePunter]

Holy shit - at it again!

[@tahg_7637]

What's you favorite mountain bike

[@bigmountainrider8453]

Don't need the suspension? What a dushe bag!