Where to Ride
Santa Clara River Reserve
Recommended bike – Stumpjumper or 5010
This trail system offers some great desert riding with amazing views of Snow Canyon and Pine Valley Mountain. There are several loop options that can be combined to give you whatever length of riding you are looking for. The trails are categorized as intermediate, but there are plenty of rocks and obstacles to keep you on your toes. We recommend starting with the Barrel Roll loop and expanding out from there.
These trails are good most any time of the year. They tend to dry fairly quickly, but if it has rained hard or for longer durations, we ask you give them a few days to dry out.
Barrel/Zen/KLC
Recommended Bike – Stumpjumper EVO or Hightower
These trails are packed in St. George. They are technical, rocky and offer plenty of obstacles to keep you occupied. Zen is by far the most technical. Barrel Ride offers some jump and big drop lines and KLC is a quick rip that will keep you working for it’s almost 4 miles.
These trails are good year round. Zen can be ridden in the rain as there is only one spot that gets muddy and it has been armored (please ride over the rocks, not around). While the trails tend to be great even after a heavy rain, the areas getting up to the trails are clay and can prove to be difficult to cross when wet.
Bear Claw Poppy Reserve
Recommended Bike – Anything from a gravel bike to a longer travel full suspension.
Home to the endangered Bear Claw Poppy and the trail of the same name, this area offers a little something for everyone. The clay trails are fast and flowy. There are drops and big rollers that turn the trail into a roller coaster. With ride around for almost all trail obstacles, this is a great area to take the family.
The Bear Claw Poppy Reserve’s soil is clay. This is neither fun or easy to ride through when wet and once dried, it turns to cement. We recommend giving this area plenty of time to dry out after a storm especially in the spring when temperatures drop below freezing as this holds the moisture in the top few inches of soil and keeps the trails from drying out.
Paradise/City Creek
Recommended Bike – Fuse or Chameleon
When in St. George, look north and you will see some red bluffs just above town. These iconic rocks are home to Paradise Rim and City Creek. Both are shorter trails but they pack a punch. With ledges, rocks and steep climbs, they will prove to be a challenge, but both will reward you with views and fun descents.
The sandy nature of these trails makes them prime candidates for all weather.
Prospector/Church Rocks
Recommended Bike – Epic Evo or Blur TR, if you are a fan of underbiking, this one is super fun on a Diverge
Some more of our red rock trails, Prospector and Church Rocks are located above Washington. Prospector is a ripper of singletrack, mostly smooth with a few rocks to keep you on your toes. Church Rocks is a loop at the end of Prospector that is chunky red sandstone. Typically they are ridden together.
These are sandy trails and are great in almost all weather from the Cottonwood Trail toward Church Rocks. If you head toward Silver Reef, you will encounter clay that gets super nasty when wet.
Gooseberry, Little Creek, Guacamole, Wire and Grafton Mesas
Recommended Bike – Take your pick, you can have fun out here on anything, but a mid-travel bike is probably the best.
The mesas are some of the most iconic of the trails in Southern Utah. While they are all in the same geographic area and consist of sandstone patches, they each have their own feel. Gooseberry is by far the best known and has the widest variety of trails, intermediate to advanced. Little Creek has more sandstone and in general the trail is mostly intermediate, with a few demanding moves thrown in. Guacamole is often called Gooselite and Wire is the easiest and the most photogenic. We recommend you ride all of them.
Seeing that these trails consist of sandstone and sandy soils, they tend to do well when wet. The problem is getting to them. Access roads tend to get wet and muddy and have been known to swallow cars when things are icky. Proceed with caution. We would also ask you don’t ride the West Loop on Little Creek when it is icy or wet, it has some clay soil and can turn into a mess.
JEM Area Trails
Recommended Bike – Epic Evo or 5010
The Hurricane Cliffs Trail Network consists of a bunch of trails (JEM, Hurricane Rim, Goulds Rim, Dead Ringer, Cryptobionic, Goose Bumps). Most of these are flowy and fast. There are a lot of loops you can link together to give you the ride you’re after.
This trail network is clay based and should be avoided when wet. You will sink in, ruin the trails and your bike. This stuff is not fun to try to remove once it has dried.
Desert Canyons
Recommended Bike – Fuse or Chameleon
These are some more classical desert styled trails. They are located just off the Southern Parkway and provide some fun intermediate level riding. They are open to the public but are on private property, be sure to follow all trails rules and closures.
We’d give these ones a few days to dry out. The soil is a combination of sand and clay. As always, if you start to sink in, turn around.
Southview
Recommended Bike – Hightower or Stumpjumper EVO
These trails alone are worth a trip to Cedar City. They are fun, fast and flowy with rocks and alternative lines to keep you on your toes and engaged. Most of the trails fall into the intermediate category but there are a few blacks. Everything is well signed so you know before you start a section. There are a lot of trails and lots of different ways to link them together.
These trails need a bit of time to dry out especially in the spring when the snow is still up high. The entrance can be good to go while the upper stuff is a sloppy mess. Use good judgement and if you start to sink in, turn around.
Three Peaks
Recommended Bike – Bear Grease in the winter, Fuse or Chameleon, all other times.
The original Cedar City trails. These have been around forever, but they’ve held up great. In general, they are intermediate trails with alternative lines and bridges thrown in to keep you interested. The rocks and bridges make this a unique area to ride. There are camping accommodations as well as plenty of other activities in the area.
Three Peaks holds up great in the wet and is the go-to when there is snow on the ground.
Navajo Lake
Recommended Bike – Epic Evo or Blur TR
Navajo Lake is the XC sister to Brian Head. These trails are only accessible in the summer after the snow has melted. The Virgin River Rim will challenge you in every way, but provides amazing views and some old school, remote-style trails. The trails directly around Navajo Lake are easier. Keep in mind that you are riding at 9000+ feet. The air is thin and mountain weather can be moody. Always pack a little extra clothing and watch for thunderheads.
Definitely give these a little bit to dry out and it’s best to check on conditions before going as downed trees from the latest wind event may have turned your favorite trail into a giant obstacle course.
Brian Head
Recommended Bike – Nomad or Enduro
The resort has a bunch of lift assisted riding, but there are also a bunch of shuttle trails (or giant loops if you’re a masochist) outside of bike park. Dark Hollow, Bunker Creek and Blow Hard are fun rippers. The riding is definitely more black than anything else. Plan for lots of rocks and plenty of trees. Check in with the Cedar shop for the latest intel. As with the Navajo Lake Trails, be aware of the weather, carry extra clothing and keep an eye out for thunderheads.