Note: this originally ran in Australian Adventure Bike Issue #36 print edition. Tickets are now on sale for Dusty Lizard Moab, happening April 23rd - 26th, 2026.

Just a few years ago, in 2023, Mosko kicked off the first Dusty Lizard events. We saw it as a way to explore epic locations and hang out with friends while enjoying good food, music, and drinks. It's also served to meet like-minded adventure riders, discover new routes, and demo the latest Mosko gear.

The beginnings of the Dusty Lizard were humble. The first event had 50 people camping in the backyard of Mosko's cofounder and riding our local trails. The gathering felt special and personal, and we wanted to replicate that vibe in other areas we wanted to ride. Since then, the focus has been on creating memorable, quality experiences, rather than making the event as big as possible.

The 2025 Dusty Lizard season saw a return to two beloved previous riding locations, along with the addition of two new locations. We kicked off the year by heading back to Area BFE in Moab, Utah, in April, followed by our first-ever European Dusty Lizard in Palantis, Romania. From there, we headed back to the San Juan mountains of Colorado to a new venue in Ouray, and we closed the season out in September in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho. 

Dusty Lizard Moab - Red Desert Riding Mecca

Photos by Jay Riley

Moab is a legendary riding location. Trails like White Rim, Slick Rock, Lockhart Basin offer stunning views of stratified red rock, with dusty routes flowing through the landscapes, and highly technical crux moves. People from all over the world dream of coming to Moab to experience everything it has to offer.

The massive riding area at Moab has lots to offer, from the easier and scenic Kane Creek Road, to the mellow vibes and Green River vistas at Slick Rock, to the very difficult technical rock steps of Steel Bender. It’s also big enough to spread out, and it’s our biggest Dusty Lizard of the year at nearly 500 riders. Our venue at Area BFE offers dry camping, views of the La Sal Mountains, and two-track routes right out of camp into the Moab landscape.

This year, the evenings offered sunsets, local music, beverages, and local catering in the lounge. We enjoy the opportunity to unwind, share war stories, talk about routes, and plan for the next day of riding. 

It’s hard to beat Moab as a complete experience, and we’re already looking forward to 2026.

Ouray, Colorado - The Gorgeous and Unpredictable San Juans

Photos by Scott Rounds

We’ve been to the San Juan Mountains three years in a row for the Dusty Lizard, swapping locations from Ridgeway to Silverton, and now Ouray, Colorado. This is another location with legendary status amongst riders and outdoor explorers looking for challenging routes and expansive vistas of alpine mountains. But this area also has a reputation for harsh, rapidly changing weather, short but intense storm fronts, and very rugged terrain at high altitude.

The routes in the Alpine Loop cross historic routes used by miners and prospectors for over 100 years. Cliff faces feature roads that are no more than dynamited and excavated rock ledges, providing riders with exposed traverses that climb to the mountain ridgelines above 12,000 feet / 3600 meters. High-alpine lakes sit tucked away on two-track passes, lined with rocky steps. It’s some of the most scenic and rugged routes of our riding season.

We brought in some great local bands to play in the evenings. The Ouray camp sat at the base of a sheer rock cliff, providing a unique setting to eat BBQ and listen to Black Sabbath covers in the lounge.

For 2026, we're changing it up and heading to Taylor Park, Colorado, north of the 2025 riding in the San Juans, to explore the vast expanse of high altitude routes in the Sawatch Range.

The Dusty Lizard Heads To Europe - Palantis, Romania

Photos by Jeremy Stephan, Sophie Libion, and Andrius Česnauskas

The Mosko Europe staff has joined us in the US for some of our Dusty Lizard events over the years, and they have been itching to create an event in Europe. In 2025, they launched the inaugural European Dusty Lizard in Palantis, Romania.

Romania is home to some of Europe’s best off-road riding, hosting legendary events such as the Red Bull Romaniacs and the Xross Hard Enduro Rally. 

Riders were treated to scenic roads and double track rolling through the rural Romanian landscape, and a camp setting replete with mountain views. The event also featured some of the best food of the entire Dusty Lizard series, with local Romanian catering for breakfast each morning and dinner each night.

We’re pretty stoked about the potential for European Dusty Lizard campouts and look forward to seeing how this event develops.

Season Closer - Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho

Photos by Scott Rounds and Ryan McCasland

Since the early days of Mosko, we’ve been dreaming about getting out to Idaho. The Sawtooth Mountains are one of the last frontiers of mixed-use backcountry exploration, with world-class singletrack and mountain roads.

With the potential comes a lot of challenges: the area is very remote, which means longer travel time; it’s rugged and has limited access for bike or rider rescues; the riding easily can get too difficult; and there aren’t quite as many amenities nearby.

Despite that, we put together an event that many regular attendees and staff agreed was the best Dusty Lizard to date. The riding was epic–there’s plenty of remote, rugged, technical singletrack right out of the venue in Clayton; plus lots of two-track, gravel roads, and old mining access routes that work their way through the steep Sawtooth mountains.

Our venue was a dialed-in facility with a grassy area for camping and vendors, scenic views from the lounge, excellent food-cart catering on-site, and local live music set against the mountains at sunset.

It all came together for this one and ended up being our favorite Dusty Lizard event that will likely become a mainstay on the calendar.

We ended on a pretty high note in the Sawtooth Mountains. We're stoked for the 2026 season, kicking off again this April in Moab. Hopefully we’ll see you out there!