Over 21 miles of singletrack in the brand-new Cliffrose Trail System have already been completed, with another ~22 miles slated for construction soon.
Cliffrose features professionally-built mountain bike trails that are actually true singletrack. The trails are dug into the mountainside, with the best offerings providing superb swoop and flow, with berms, rollers, and plenty of features winding their way through a forest of juniper trees.
The dirt at Cliffrose boasts a higher clay content, thanks to the zone's elevation. The trails begin at about 4,900 feet above sea level and will eventually climb to about 7,200 feet. These high elevations also effectively extend the comfortable riding season in St. George, since the city sits at 2,861 feet.
Today, there are two main downhill lines in the network: PJ Party, and Rooster Ridge to Juniper on the Rocks. Both of these masterfully sculpted downhill lines were built by Ptarmigan Ptrails.
Rooster Ridge
Today, Rooster Ridge provides an intermediate-friendly descent with delightful rollers, berms, and optional rock kickers strewn throughout. The trail follows an elevated ridgeline, providing spectacular views of the nearby mountains... that is, if you can pull your eyes off the singletrack.
At the time of this writing, Ptarmigan is finishing construction on an upper section of Rooster Ridge, which will earn a black diamond rating. "It starts out with a very, very steep, like, eight-foot roll in with a significant amount of exposure," said Wilson, who designed the phase two trails. "It's definitely a trail that should make you feel just a little tiny cringe, like, 'Oh, wow. I think I really need to be committed.'”
PJ Party
PJ Party (standing for "pinyon-juniper") offers a riotous top-to-bottom descent. The trail character changes dramatically throughout the downhill, throwing a little bit of everything at you. The top begins fairly mellow but quickly funnels into endless rock gardens filled with sharp, volcanic boulders.
The boulders continue cascading down the mountain, with optional drops and advanced line options available, including a few in the double black range. The main line down upper PJ Party gets a light black rating, with some debate about whether the trail should be a blue or a black.
In the middle section, the trail speed picks up, with more berms becoming evident between the rock features. To finish, PJ Party transitions to a flow trail with extended berms, rollers, and jumps thrown in.
"It's a challenge. It's basically a descending challenge," said Eddie Kessler, Owner of Ptarmigan Ptrails.
"It's interesting that you picked up on the different builders in there as well," said Kessler when I spoke with him about my ride experience. "So it's got a really unique flavor to it, I think.”
