We’re heading to Crested Butte soon, a place I love to visit year after year. Planning this trip got me thinking about other rides I need to revisit soon–and it turns out they’re all in Utah. Some I’ll get to visit again this year, others will have to wait until I have more vacation time.
St. George, Utah
This is one area I will get to visit again this year and I’m so excited! Of course, our first stop will be Gooseberry Mesa. Last year we spent four hours biking there and it still wasn’t enough. The loops you can create at Gooseberry Mesa are endless and following white dots across rock makes for an interesting change of pace. The trails here go from long stretches of rock to narrow singletrack through pinyons and junipers before again popping you out onto vast stretches of gray slab. It’s a highly entertaining area!
Views from Gooseberry Mesa near Hurricane, UT
Trusting in the dots
Biking among rocks and pines at Gooseberry Mesa
On the second day of our first trip here, it snowed at Gooseberry, so we had to find some other places to ride. Thanks to Singletracks we discovered a great trail in Santa Clara, near St. George. The Barrel Roll trail was perfect for our second day. The jeep road to the parking area is steep but drivable and the trail is easy to follow. It climbs with rideable switchbacks at first and then mellows for a bit. Rolling along on sweet, fairly non-technical singletrack was a distinct change from the day before, but the views and the ripping bits of downhill made it worthwhile!
Views of Santa Clara, UT from the Barrel Roll Trail
After this ride we headed over for a little more riding on the Bear Claw Poppy trail. I wish we’d had more time in the area and I’m excited to have exactly that when we head back later this year.
Brian Head / Navajo Lakes area, UT
The six-hour drive from Grand Junction to the Te-Ah campground at Navajo Lake in Southeastern Utah put me in a “this-better-be-some-awesome-biking” frame of mind. Fortunately the scenery, even on the drive, is pretty spectacular. We stopped near Cedar Breaks along the way and, as soon as we had set up camp and eaten lunch, we were on the bikes and headed up a portion of the Virgin River Rim trail. While riding this whole trail requires a shuttle and 33 miles of riding, shorter loops can be made like the one we did.
From the campground we picked up the trail and rode up, up, up, with me collapsing and hyperventilating once in a while along the way. Once I remembered to start breathing while climbing, things smoothed out and we topped out high on a ridge.
From here we rode along the ridge until the rim trail intersected with the Dyke trail. We turned onto the Dyke Trail and headed back down toward Navajo lake, crossing the road and finding ourselves on the Navajo Lake Loop trail. This little trail took us around the lake, through lava fields and aspen groves, and back to our campsite. Fourteen miles of riding made for two tired bikers! Still, it’s a ride I can’t wait to do again!
Starting the climb up a portion of the Virgin River Rim trail – Navajo Lake in the background
Riding through the lava fields on the Navajo Lake loop
The next day we drove to Brian Head to set up a shuttle for the Bunker Creek trail. We left our car at the end of the trail and had the shuttle drive us to the top. This was the first time I’d ever been on an almost all-downhill trail and I thoroughly enjoyed it! After a short climb/hike from the parking area to the very top we cruised along a rim before descending down into the forest. We ran into a herd of sheep and even some cows. Bunker Creek was great fun. I was disappointed to see that it might be closed, but after checking with Georg’s Ski Shop on July 24 I can assure you that it is in fact, open. The right fork might be closed, but the the trail itself is not.
Overlook on the Bunker Creek trail
Coasting through the Aspens on the Bunker Creek trail
Moab, UT
Sure it’s only an hour and fifteen minutes away from where I live, but I don’t get to spend nearly as much time as I’d like biking in Moab. In 2010 we went over for a long weekend, rented a condo with a hot tub, and had a grand time on the Sovereign Trail, Brand Trails, and the Intrepid Trail at Dead Horse Point.
Riding Sovereign was my first experience following dots across stretches of rock but I really enjoyed it and the ability to tackle bigger drops or choose a slightly easier route. When we got back to the car I remember thinking that I just wanted to turn around and do it all again.
2010 was our first foray into the Brand Trails and we found loads of super technical moments interspersed with great rolling rock riding and spectacular views toward Arches National Park. The Circle O is a great trail for getting your feet wet with rock riding while the Bar B is not for the faint of heart! Most of it is fun, but it does have some very rocky spots with many stop-rocks for flipping right over your handlebars.
Again, if you’re newer to biking, the trails at Dead Horse Point are a great option. There are several options so you can either ride a 1-mile, 5-mile, or 9-mile loop. Even the 9-mile option isn’t too technical. It has a few spots where newbies might walk, but most of it is fun, scenic singletrack. We enjoy this usually as a last-day ride because it’s fairly short and on our way back to the Interstate.
Cruising back toward the finish line on the Sovereign trail
Views of the La Sals from the Sovereign Trail
Rockin’ down the Rockin’ A trail at the Moab Brand trails
Be careful not to veer from the stained path on the Rockin’ A. Patches of cryptobiotic soil dot the rocks.
Hopefully we’ll make it back to St. George and Moab this year for some riding, but I think Brian Head will have to wait. Still, I’m putting it on the calendar for next year!
