This year?s Safety Geeks Society professional conference is in Vegas this week. I flew in a few days early, rented a car, and ended up in SW Utah for this past weekend. So naturally, I had to pack in as much mountain biking as possible. I stayed in Saint George, a small city 2 hours NE of Vegas?and damn close to a boatload of amazing mountain bike trails.
I got hooked up with a guy named Mark, who owns a small business that rents bikes and offers tours. Super nice guy with a fleet of 2007 and 2008 Kona Dawgs, and he was my personal trail guide and shuttle service for most of my visit. I did my research before hand, and knew the trails I wanted to hit?and with Mark?s assistance I packed in 5 rides in two and a half days and covered nearly 70 miles worth of trail.
I got into Vegas Friday afternoon and met Mark in St. George a few hours later. He took me to the Bear Claw Poppy Trail that evening, dropped me off at the trailhead, and met me at the downhill end a few hours later. Did a few miles of nice downhill, then took a little spur trail called Stucki Springs for a half-dozen miles uphill, then turned around and bombed it all downhill to finish up. Didn?t get many pics, but a super flowy trail with lots of technical options, rollers and jumps?only 5 minutes from Saint George.
Lots of sections like this with options of varying technical degree.
Climbing Stucki Springs.
View heading downhill.
Saturday morning we got up early and headed an hour out of town to ride Gooseberry Mesa. Just as advertised, it was an amazing trail system. Lots of technical challenges, tight twisty trails, and great views. I rode everything really well, and spent nearly 5 hours pounding out 20+ miles of trail. I rode for an hour with my guide, then an hour with another dude I met on the trail, then was lucky enough to ride with the creator himself, Morgan Harris. Morgan is a friend of Mark?s, and Morgan and I talked and biked together for a solid hour. He and his brother laid out every trail at Gooseberry, and he rides there several times a week still. Very cool to spend some time with him, really topped off the experience.
Morgan in the middle.
Couple views?
The pictures I took will never do it justice, so here?s a couple videos that show the trail better.
Click ? Segment #3, the guide they talk about, Mark, was my guide too.
? YouTube clip
Late in the afternoon on Saturday, Mark dropped me off at the top of the JEM trail, and again waited for me at the bottom. 10 more miles of trail, 90% of it downhill, and the end following a river gorge. Sweet way to end the day.
On Sunday morning, Mark and I rode Little Creek Mountain, which is a new trail system pretty close to Gooseberry. It?s not officially labeled yet, and there?s no way I could have enjoyed this awesome ride without Mark?s help. This trail was as good as, if not better than, Gooseberry. Tons of slickrock connected by dirt singletrack, amazing views, and a boatload of opportunities for drops and steep rollers.
Gooseberry Mesa in the background.
Scouting a steep roller.
Rollin? it.
Natural steps.
Steep quick climbs like this everywhere. Traction on the slickrock was incredible.
After riding about 15 miles at Little Creek, I drove myself a couple hours North to Bryce Canyon to ride Thunder Mountain. Bike magazine named Thunder Mountain the best ride in Utah?and I?d put it on par with Gooseberry and Little Creek, though it?s very different. This ride was the most aerobically challenging, was pretty technical, and absolutely amazing scenery. Besides being a bit tired from all the riding, I was presented with another challenge as I arrived at the trailhead and realized one of my front brake pads had mysteriously disappeared when we transferred the bike from Mark?s vehicle to mine?so I rode the whole trail with only a rear brake! With tons of tight switchbacks and lots of exposure, it really livened things up :biggrin:
I parked at the lower parking lot, and banged out a 10 mile, 1000 vertical foot climb up a paved bike path and dirt road in less than 40 minutes. That got me to the trail head at 8000 feet.
I was a bit surprised at all the climbing the trail had at the beginning, but the views kept getting better and better. Topped out around 8500 feet.
About 5 miles into the trail ride, it really opened up. The singletrack was skinny with lots of exposure, surrounded by really cool rock formations.
Spot the singletrack among the hoodoos?
Some final notes? temps were in the mid 90s and super sunny all weekend. My game was on for the weekend, and I rode awesome, didn?t have a single crash and didn?t bonk anywhere. Proud of that, as I trained hard for the couple weeks leading up to my trip.
75% of the pictures posted here I took myself using the timer function on my digital camera ? not bad, eh?
On my final drive back from Thunder Mountain, I took Route 14 over the mountains and into Cedar City. This was one of the most beautiful drives I?ve ever taken. Altitude of 10,000+ feet, volcanic rock fields, subalpine meadows, a view of Zion park, and great descent following a canyon creek. The cherry on the top of a sweet weekend.
More pictures here.
4/11 - Sorry for the dead links
I got hooked up with a guy named Mark, who owns a small business that rents bikes and offers tours. Super nice guy with a fleet of 2007 and 2008 Kona Dawgs, and he was my personal trail guide and shuttle service for most of my visit. I did my research before hand, and knew the trails I wanted to hit?and with Mark?s assistance I packed in 5 rides in two and a half days and covered nearly 70 miles worth of trail.
I got into Vegas Friday afternoon and met Mark in St. George a few hours later. He took me to the Bear Claw Poppy Trail that evening, dropped me off at the trailhead, and met me at the downhill end a few hours later. Did a few miles of nice downhill, then took a little spur trail called Stucki Springs for a half-dozen miles uphill, then turned around and bombed it all downhill to finish up. Didn?t get many pics, but a super flowy trail with lots of technical options, rollers and jumps?only 5 minutes from Saint George.
Lots of sections like this with options of varying technical degree.
Climbing Stucki Springs.
View heading downhill.
Saturday morning we got up early and headed an hour out of town to ride Gooseberry Mesa. Just as advertised, it was an amazing trail system. Lots of technical challenges, tight twisty trails, and great views. I rode everything really well, and spent nearly 5 hours pounding out 20+ miles of trail. I rode for an hour with my guide, then an hour with another dude I met on the trail, then was lucky enough to ride with the creator himself, Morgan Harris. Morgan is a friend of Mark?s, and Morgan and I talked and biked together for a solid hour. He and his brother laid out every trail at Gooseberry, and he rides there several times a week still. Very cool to spend some time with him, really topped off the experience.
Morgan in the middle.
Couple views?
The pictures I took will never do it justice, so here?s a couple videos that show the trail better.
Click ? Segment #3, the guide they talk about, Mark, was my guide too.
Late in the afternoon on Saturday, Mark dropped me off at the top of the JEM trail, and again waited for me at the bottom. 10 more miles of trail, 90% of it downhill, and the end following a river gorge. Sweet way to end the day.
On Sunday morning, Mark and I rode Little Creek Mountain, which is a new trail system pretty close to Gooseberry. It?s not officially labeled yet, and there?s no way I could have enjoyed this awesome ride without Mark?s help. This trail was as good as, if not better than, Gooseberry. Tons of slickrock connected by dirt singletrack, amazing views, and a boatload of opportunities for drops and steep rollers.
Gooseberry Mesa in the background.
Scouting a steep roller.
Rollin? it.
Natural steps.
Steep quick climbs like this everywhere. Traction on the slickrock was incredible.
After riding about 15 miles at Little Creek, I drove myself a couple hours North to Bryce Canyon to ride Thunder Mountain. Bike magazine named Thunder Mountain the best ride in Utah?and I?d put it on par with Gooseberry and Little Creek, though it?s very different. This ride was the most aerobically challenging, was pretty technical, and absolutely amazing scenery. Besides being a bit tired from all the riding, I was presented with another challenge as I arrived at the trailhead and realized one of my front brake pads had mysteriously disappeared when we transferred the bike from Mark?s vehicle to mine?so I rode the whole trail with only a rear brake! With tons of tight switchbacks and lots of exposure, it really livened things up :biggrin:
I parked at the lower parking lot, and banged out a 10 mile, 1000 vertical foot climb up a paved bike path and dirt road in less than 40 minutes. That got me to the trail head at 8000 feet.
I was a bit surprised at all the climbing the trail had at the beginning, but the views kept getting better and better. Topped out around 8500 feet.
About 5 miles into the trail ride, it really opened up. The singletrack was skinny with lots of exposure, surrounded by really cool rock formations.
Spot the singletrack among the hoodoos?
Some final notes? temps were in the mid 90s and super sunny all weekend. My game was on for the weekend, and I rode awesome, didn?t have a single crash and didn?t bonk anywhere. Proud of that, as I trained hard for the couple weeks leading up to my trip.
75% of the pictures posted here I took myself using the timer function on my digital camera ? not bad, eh?
On my final drive back from Thunder Mountain, I took Route 14 over the mountains and into Cedar City. This was one of the most beautiful drives I?ve ever taken. Altitude of 10,000+ feet, volcanic rock fields, subalpine meadows, a view of Zion park, and great descent following a canyon creek. The cherry on the top of a sweet weekend.
More pictures here.
4/11 - Sorry for the dead links
Last edited:
lthumbsdown: without him.
. I live in southern California and have been spoiled forever.
