Is St. George the Most Underrated Spot in the Southwest?

May 5, 2016
by stevemokan  
Over the last six months, I've been to all of the 'iconic' mountain bike locations in the desert southwest: Sedona, Moab, Fruita, and St. George. In the first three towns I listed, it's clear that mountain biking plays a big part of the culture and identity of the region (OK, not quite as much in Sedona, but it's still there). St. George is a different beast though, and I just can't crack the nut of why it's that way.

St. George

The St. George area (including Hurricane and Virgin) has some of the most iconic trails in the United States: Hurricane Rim, Gooseberry Mesa, Little Creek, not to mention the Red Bull Rampage each year. However, hit the trails on any given weekday or weekend in the spring, and you probably won't see many other riders... if any. Heck, drive around town for 30 minutes and other than the parking lot of the bike shops, you can't tell that anyone even rides mountain bikes. My guess is that mountain biking is simply overshadowed by the other attractions in the area: Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, golf, and other generally boring retiree/tourist activities. Mountain biking just doesn't get the press and attention it deserves.

St. George

Because trust me, it deserves it. Case in point: we rode the Barrel and Zen Trails on Sunday morning at 10:00am... and saw exactly two other riders over the course of three hours. If that were my hometown of Boulder, we would have passed 500 riders. Heck, we wouldn't have bothered to ride on a weekend morning to begin with.

St. George

Despite the lack of a true mountain bike vibe, I hosted an amazing private group in St. George for three days of riding last week, and despite the reputation, we had a killer time hitting over 50 miles of incredible trails that had us begging for more. We'll be back in a couple weeks to hit everything we missed this time (due to rain and muddy conditions), and I'm willing to bet we don't see many other riders then either.

I'll let the pictures do the talking, but St. George clearly deserves a place among the top destinations in the west. Hell, I'm out to prove it.

Day One: Barrel Roll - Sidewinder - Suicidal Tendencies

St. George

St. George

St. George

St. George

Day Two: Little Creek Mesa and Upper to Lower JEM (separate trailheads)

St. George

St. George

St. George

St. George

St. George

Day Three: Barrel and the Zen Trail

St. George

St. George

Steve Mokan owns and operates Chasing Epic, a brand new adventure travel company that offers all-inclusive, guided mountain bike trips to iconic destinations across the western US, St. George obviously being one of them. Chasing Epic also runs trips in Crested Butte, Durango, Fruita, Park City, Sedona, and Telluride. Each trip includes lodging, meals, guides, high-end carbon bikes (by Niner and Ibis), customized training programs, ride nutrition, shuttles and more. To learn more about their trips, check out www.chasingepicmtb.com


MENTIONS: @stevemokan

St. George mountain biking trails

Author Info:
stevemokan avatar

Member since Feb 7, 2012
12 articles

57 Comments
  • 33 4
 I agree with the other commenters here that the st George tail systems are terrible and so is riding in southern Utah generally. There are way better places to ride like Boulder, which is why there are way more people riding there. California may be an even more sensible destination for most people
  • 6 2
 Can't agree more. Southern utah is a terrible place to ride. Don't waste your time on this overrated place.
  • 9 1
 No kidding. St. George just flat out sucks! Go to Moab or Whistler and leave all those crappy trails in St. George to me. Smile
  • 3 0
 I hear St. George is where the government cultivated the HIV virus.
  • 1 0
 Double post...
  • 2 1
 I hear they found the Zika virus there recently.
  • 30 0
 These are the stories that locals dread.
  • 8 2
 "...my hometown of Boulder, we would have passed 500 riders. Heck, we wouldn't have bothered to ride on a weekend morning to begin with." and "St. George clearly deserves a place among the top destinations in the west. Hell, I'm out to prove it."

Steve Mokan you're an asshat.
  • 1 1
 For letting the cat out of the bag or for ensuring everyone knew he was from Boulder C'Rad-o?
  • 8 0
 Nothing to see here folks...move along. The trails in Utah are as weak as the beer.
  • 1 0
 Uh Utah is home to Mormons there is almost no beer
  • 5 1
 St. George is rad! Every serious rider in SLC knows that between January and March there is no better place to ride. St. George may not have as exciting of a town as Moab, or Sun Valley, but the city is still a legit MTB destination. The Zen Trails, and pretty much everything in the Green Valley area are top notch.
  • 6 0
 Dude were supposed to be telling people the trails here are dead...
  • 2 0
 Keep quiet! Wink I'm a Hurricane local, and I tell people that every time I get ready to ride it's hard to decide a trail from all the options I have. Guacamole Mesa is one of my favs, and I regularly ride prospector/church rocks and 20+ mile loops on the Hurricane Cliffs system. So many epic rides out here!
  • 2 0
 Then why are you posting about it??? Yeah dont tell!! BS!
  • 1 0
 I love how torists come through and say hur-i-cane not hur-uh-cun
  • 2 0
 I would agree that St. George is a top-notch riding place that gets surprisingly little traffic. However, given that it's a small community and not particularly wealthy, I don't think there's a fear it will ever be overrun by too many mountain bikers. The same is true of Las Vegas (few have any idea how many trails have been built in just the past two years there!). Heck even the relatively famous South Mountain in Phoenix is never very busy.
  • 13 0
 South Mountain never busy? Man, you must not live in Phx.
  • 3 0
 @blatant: Sure near the trail heads it gets crowded or if you are cruizing around desert classic but ive never really had too much of an issue of somo being so busy that i cant ride.
  • 4 0
 @blatant: I actually live right near Pima Canyon tail head. Yes, the trailheads get busy, but I've road National end-to-end the past two weeks and see almost nobody after a few miles in. Zero riders on the west end of S. Mtn.
  • 2 3
 "Not particularly wealthy"? At least half the real estate in that area is second homes. And it was a "small community" maybe ten years ago.
  • 1 0
 I've been on National and Mormon when it's been practically end to end hikers... there's definitely sections where that might be true, but those are the areas a little harder to reach (Ranger, Alta, Mine Drop, National west end, etc).
  • 6 0
 Ssshhhh
  • 2 0
 How pathetic that I've lived in Utah for 9 years now, I've had tons of family here growing up, and drive through Saint George every time I go to visit my Mom and I've never ridden there.
  • 2 0
 Put it on your calendar, especially in the winter. I'm down there probably 4 or 5 times during the winter...but only when the powder isn't plentiful and accessible. Smile
  • 2 0
 @Twallywilly: ya the problem is the skiing.
  • 4 3
 As a Utah native and resident, shutup!!!! I mean...uh...this states liquor laws suck, you shouldn't come here. Trails are meh. Locals are meh. Everything is meh. In all honesty, we are spoiled for choice when it comes to mountainbiking. So many options that are so accessible. If this state wasn't so dry, it'd make me wet....heyyooooo!!!!
  • 2 5
 youve obviously never ridden the resorts like snowbird or sundance or PC, DV.
  • 7 2
 @GH29orBust: maybe the sarcasm or the blatant praise for Utah in my last paragraph wasn't obvious.

I'll reiterate. This place sucks. Don't come here. We have nothing to offer to outsiders. Wink
  • 2 1
 The trails you're talking about are so far spread out that there's little surprise you're not seeing St. George packed with bikers. And take in the fact that St. George is way bigger than any of the towns you compare it to, the question is pretty stupid.
  • 6 6
 Who is this Steve Mokan dork? His only reason for this article has to be to sell tours. He complains about crowds, and in the next breath complains about how uncrowded St. George is. I agree with some of these other comments. Steve has sinister motives. I love the plagued with flats comment!

Steve I also hope you have trouble on the trail. How about an intense case of Mud Butt diarrhea. Place this article under the buy/sell category.
  • 3 1
 Yeah I hate riding in st.george the locals suck... haha jk st.george is the best riding spot ever not to mention my favorite trail grafton dh
  • 2 0
 REALLY???
  • 1 0
 I'm stepping in what you're shiitting in! I had alot of fun on Grafton. Flowy and nothing too big that you can't ride on a trail bike or feel scetched out about riding solo on.
  • 1 0
 Funny, why write a story publicizing how awesome an area is because no one visits and how it's way better than the over populated area you came from....but it's so awesome and everyone should visit.
  • 2 0
 Granted it is a much different style of riding, but, could someone just roll up and ride any of the rampage site?
  • 5 0
 Yes, except 99% of us could not make it down any line at the current site. I've ridden the old rampage site and there are lines that us mere mortals can hit there.
  • 5 0
 Yeah the new site isn't that great unless you're mad though go to the original rampage site and you actually can have a sick session out there
  • 6 7
 Dude, Steve! Mr. Mokan. You're a hypocritical douche. You complain about the number of riders in Boulder on a weekend but then quickly flip-flop and complain about how empty St. George is? You're a Dickmunch. You're obviously only here to sell bike tours to a hidden gem.

I hope your life is plagued with flat tires and broken chains.
  • 5 3
 I must have missed where I'm complaining about how empty St. George is.

I'm not complaining, it's simply an observation about how incredible riding gets passed up in favor of the big name western towns. St. George deserves more recognition (and visitors) because of all the amazing riding within 30 minutes of town.

I don't know why there's such hate in a few of the comments, the article was just meant to draw attraction to an incredible destination that largely goes unnoticed.
  • 1 0
 @stevemokan: The hate seems to mainly be coming from a couple of users, with your personal name in the user name along wirh an insult. I'd let a moderator know about it, because judging by the similiarity in the comments wording and the stupid user names, I'd guess that it's rhe same person, who made multiple profiles. Which I think is against the rules, maybe?

Anyways, f*ck thay guy. I enjoyed the article, and I love that whole part of Utah. With that said, I do understand the locals tension against getting the word about the place out there. Don't let it get ya down, you'd do the same if ya lived there Smile
  • 1 0
 Liitle creek more like lost creek im still stuck out there. Stay away or you'll suffer the same fate these trails are the worst.
  • 2 1
 Grateful to ride these trails whenever I want ha. All you party poopers bagging on st. george can come on down so I can give ya a good spankin...
  • 1 0
 I live in St. George, the trails are spread out and not very well organized and mapped out. It needs more trails and trail construction. Lot of potential though.
  • 1 0
 Its nice though because the tourists don't know were we shred but we do. so in other words emptier trails
  • 1 0
 @bikeordie2772: very much agreed, secret places that the locals dont know about are gems for mtn biking
  • 1 0
 I've been blessed to grow up here, and I'm now raising my family here. St. George is a gem in many ways, hiking, biking, exploring in general!
  • 2 0
 Yes. Very overrated. Not worth visiting. Move along!
  • 2 0
 Edit, should you choose to come, go hit Broken Mesa. "7 miles of pure downhill."
  • 1 0
 I honestly think Flagstaff Arizona takes the crown when it comes to underrated trails and radness
  • 1 0
 Let's keep it underrated and not talk it up, shall we?
  • 2 0
 @therealtylerdurden: Too late. I'm telling everyone and we're bringing our e-bikes.
  • 1 0
 Don't nobody listen to this mad man! Flagstaff sucks and so do the trails! And the locals don't cater none to you all fancy tech biker types! Big Grin
  • 1 0
 How can you tell that it is spring time in Utah?
  • 3 0
 Anyone? Bueller?

The license plates turn green!
  • 1 0
 Saint George is the worst. No one ride here-you'll hate it.







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