BIG, EPIC, SWEEPING VISTAS AND SCENERY LIKE NOWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET WITH SOME OF THE MOST JAW-DROPPING MOUNTAIN BIKING ANYWHERE ON EARTH.
Not as well-known (or as crowded) as its famous cousin, Moab, to the East, the St. George and Hurricane areas nonetheless offer up epic mountain biking on the same scale, with a plethora of big descents from mountaintops down to spectacular valleys. This trip boasts tons of mountain biking adventure, riding the best selection of intermediate-level trails the area offers. How do we make it better? Las Vegas! To make your full experience as seamless as possible, we are picking you up in Las Vegas and using this as a great excuse to ride a few trails in this rapidly expanding mountain bike forward region. While Vegas is most known for the strip, what surrounds the busy city are staggering mountains in every direction. What makes it easier? We will have bikes ready at no fee. Really nice bikes!
Is This Ride For You?
You’re an intermediate level rider with enough experience to know your favorite trail types to hit at home, you can handle rocky terrain and narrow singletrack. You are looking to expand your bike handling skills through thoughtful and personal coaching. You’re comfortable and confident riding a blend of trail ranging from cross country and all-mountain trails (think long and sometimes steep climbs paired with fun and semi-technical descents) and willing to give downhill a try. Riding multiple days in a row, 3–5 hours per day is no biggie to you. You are adventurous enough to ride near the cliff edges of mesas (from a safe distance). You need a destination you can get in and out or with ease and want to have every detail handled for you. You live for long days on the bike with adventure-minded friends, rewarded by the comforts of a post-ride beer cooler, great meals, and comfortable lodging.
Itinerary
DAY 1. Viva Las Vegas!
Las Vegas! We aren’t here to elope, see Elvis or win big (feel free to stick around after the week of riding). While Vegas is rarely considered for a mountain bike trip, turns out there are some great trails we can’t skip. After we do our early pickups, we will head to the bike shop and fit you on one of our rentals or build your bike if you fly with it.
We will review the safety plan for the week and get to riding. Day one will be a warmup on the Bears Best trail network. We will review bike handling and fundamentals. Your guides are certified instructors, and we encourage you to take advantage of their expertise.
Shuttle to St. George and check in for 5 nights of cozy sleep before heading out for our first dinner of the week.
DAY 2. Green Valley
Wake up to a beautiful sunrise on your own private balcony overlooking the town of St. George, dusted with a backdrop of the Pine Valley Mountains and the vibrant red rock of Snow Canyon State Park.
We will head directly to the trailhead for the Green Valley trails where we will discuss the game plan for the ride.
The ride in the Green Valley is an open landscape with dry, sandy soil and a great playlist of trails at our disposal for the day. Lunch will be at a popular café downtown.
After lunch, we will head out to the opposite side of town for some more fun riding.
This is a great day to check out one of our favorite local bike shops, Red Rock Bicycle Co if you are looking for a nice jersey to take home or something for the bike for the week ahead.
Dinner will be at the upscale-casual Cliffside Restaurant that offers New American fare.
DAY 3. Deep into Zion National Park
After a hearty made to order breakfast, we will jump in the van for a scenic hour drive to the quaint town of Springdale, where the streets are littered with art galleries, coffee shops, outdoor stores, and restaurants.
In Zion National Park you will have options of several hikes. Our favorites are Angel’s Landing and The Narrows. We will be packing our lunches to go for this day. If you are looking for more of a relaxing day you are welcome to explore more of Springdale or walk around the Visitor Center. We will gather back up for an amazing dinner in Springdale before shuttling back to our cozy beds.
Dinner will be at one of our all-time favorite Mexican restaurants. This place has been around since 1981 and for good reasons. It has a robust selection of craft beers and tasty margaritas and serves up unique Mexican and Southwest dishes.
DAY 4. Guacamole with a side of JEM
Eat a big breakfast before a short shuttle to the trails. Today, we will be riding in two different areas. Both offer very unique terrain. The morning will start with the Guacamole trail system and then we will transition over to the JEM trails.
Starting out on sandstone and petrified dunes will be a great warm up. We will then progress into more challenging terrain, where you will s rock drops, steep punchy climbs, slabs, and incredible rock formations.
We’ll have a picnic lunch at the trailhead then head down the road to ride one of southern Utah’s flowiest trails, JEM. Considered by BIKE Magazine to be a trail with some of the best flow in the U.S. JEM is just that… a gem!
You will most likely be begging for a second lap. No problem! We’ll be right there with you!
We’ll head back to the hotel for a little R & R. Dinner is on your own tonight. Lots to choose from and we will give you great suggestions.
Day 5. Gooseberry and Wire Mesa
We’ve made it to day 5 and have been riding a ton and building on your toolbox of skills. For the last day before heading back to Nevada, we are headed to Wire Mesa in the morning and then Gooseberry Mesa after lunch. This will likely be the most challenging ride we wrangle in the area, but the rewards are matched to the effort.
Wire Mesa will be a good morning warm-up with a mix of fast and flowy, a few technical sections, and unforgettable views. Lunch will be at the van.
Gooseberry is a total classic trail. You cannot come to the St. George area and miss this epic network of trails.
From the trailhead, we will start with tame double track before getting to the rim of the mesa where we will leave the tame behind and ride the tech and feel some of the exposure the region is known for. We will work in small groups to support the added challenge and cheer on our co-riders as we navigate Gooseberry.
The views from the ride will stop you in your tracks so we recommend keeping your camera close at hand.
Day 6. This ride is going Downhill
Pack it up and back toward Las Vegas! We will be riding the infamous Bootleg Canyon. For our last hurrah we are running shuttle laps. It’s fair to say, you have earned your turns.
Our shuttle rig will turn laps so you don’t have to worry about climbing the big bikes. On the DH, there are many lines to choose from with something for everyone (who have just finished shredding St. George for the past week).
When your arms are tired and you have had enough, we will open the beer cooler with Lake Mead in the background and give our last cheers for the trip.