ST. GEORGE, UT

Physical Exertion: Intermediate+   /   Technical Ability: Intermediate+

Trip Category: Desert Tech

 

What to Expect in St. George: Technical slickrock riding, flowy singletrack, and BIG views!

 

St. George is often overlooked as a mountain bike destination thanks to competition from nearby Moab and Sedona, but make no mistake: St. George deserves to be right up there.  Sitting next to Snow Canyon State Park and Zion National Park, St. George has a unique landscape that’s perfect for all-day riding.  Some of the most famous rides in the world reside near St. George, like Gooseberry Mesa and Hurricane Rim.


The riding in St. George is unique as well, with no major climbs; here, you’ll find mostly rolling terrain with technical, twisty singletrack to keep you on your toes.  There are numerous trail systems either in town, or within a 15 minute drive, and you’ll want a local to show you the ropes.  That’s why we work intimately with Utah Mountain Bike Adventures to diversify our itineraries and make sure we’re riding the best of the best; it’s not hard in St. George.

 

Airport Options: St. George (10 min)  –  Las Vegas (1.5 hrs)  –  Salt Lake City (4 hrs)

“The St. George trip with Chasing Epic was truly epic in every way: breathtaking landscapes, technical terrain followed by descents winding through the desert, cutting through colored sedimentary layers of millions of years past. Our guide adjusted well to our group and challenged us with hidden trails and techniques. The 4 days were balanced so not to blow up our muscles! Steve was very well organized with all aspects of our 4-day trip. Our adventure brought us so much joy- we will definitely be back!”

INTERACTIVE ST. GEORGE TRAIL MAP



WHAT TO EXPECT

Day One: Our St. George adventure starts on the first day with everyone meeting at 1:00pm to get bikes fitted, make introductions, and prepare for an awesome weekend.  You’ll have plenty of time to unload your bags and gear up, before we hop in the shuttle for ride number one.  Our favorite way to start every St. George trip is on the trails of Santa Clara, specifically Sidewinder and Barrel Roll.  These trails sit only a mile outside of town, but offer amazing anticline riding and views of Snow Canyon that rival anything you’ve seen.

Day Two:  Today we’re going to hop in the shuttle and head for world-famous Gooseberry Mesa in Hurricane, a bumpy 30-minute drive away.  Gooseberry Mesa doesn’t have much climbing at all, but it makes up for it with swooping slickrock descents, technical roll-overs, and edge-of-the-rim riding that will blow you away.  Gooseberry is a photographer’s dream– the aesthetics of the ride are off the charts. This is one for the ages, so we’ll make sure to ride every square inch of the mesa, totaling about 18 miles for the day.  Be prepared for a full-body beatdown!

 

One of our favorite things to do with extra time in the afternoon is to shuttle the JEM Trail, so that’s what we’ll do in the afternoon.  We’ll drop off at the “top” of the ride, and you’ll get 7+ miles of ripping fast (and mostly smooth) descent down to the Virgin River.  Yep, it’s as fun as it sounds.

Day Three:  After eating breakfast, we’ll head to Little Creek Mesa, due east of Hurricane.  Little Creek is often viewed as the little brother of Gooseberry, but make no mistake: in our books, it’s every bit as fun.  Our guides built and maintain the trails out here, so we’re in for a treat- the riding includes long stretches of slickrock cruising, smooth packed dirt singletrack, and views into Zion National Park.  The ride total will come in somewhere around 16 miles, with just over 1000 feet of climbing.

 

Depending on time, we may have enough daylight to head over to the Boy Scout Trails, a network just a few minutes down the road that was built by the boys at Over The Edge in Hurricane.  These trails are short, but offer amazing views and very technical singletrack that makes for a fun hour-long ride.

Day Four:  It’s finally here, the last day in St. George. We’re heading to ride The Whole Guacamole, a mesa that sits just outside the site of the original Redbull Rampage.  Today’s ride will be about 11 miles with short buy physical climbs, but the best part about Guacamole are the play areas.  The slickrock trail and side off-shoots offer photo opportunities and a chance to hone your technical skills.  The trail has a little bit of everything, and offers incredible views into Zion National Park and Pine Valley.  It’s the perfect way to end our trip!

 

NOTE: This itinerary is for example only, to give customers an idea of what to expect on a standard Chasing Epic trip.  Mileage and actual trail choices may differ due to riding ability, weather and trail conditions.