The Gould's Rim trail lies on the mesa above Hurricane. The trail consists of
three very different sections: a climb on doubletrack from the
Hurricane Hill trailhead, singletrack skirting the edge of Gould's Canyon, and
narrow twisting dirt singletrack between "the corral" and US-59
near the upper JEM trailhead.
Bruce arrives at the
edge of Gould's Wash with the Pine Valley Mountains in the background.
Original review June 16, 2003, with latest update April 29, 2019.
Point-to-point from the Hurricane Rim trailhead
to the JEM trailhead, it's 8.9 miles, starting at 3600 feet and climbing to 4350. The singletrack on
the upper 1/3 requires good bike-handling skills, earning the trail an upper-intermediate rating
overall.
Bryce and Lucas cruise along the edge
of Gould's Wash, with the Pine Valley Mountains in the background. This photo
from original mapping ride of June 16, 2003.
There are three trailheads: the Hurricane Hill trailhead off
US-59 just after leaving town, the Gould's Wash trailhead at the trail's
midpoint -- reached by gravel road, and the entry on US-59 across from the
entry to the upper JEM trailhead. Casual riders will want to go to the
wash trailhead. Hammerheads who are doing the big Hurricane Rim loop
usually start at the Hurricane Hill trailhead.
Upper end of the Gould's Rim trail. I've reached
Highway 59 at the skirts of Gooseberry Mesa. Across the road is the entry
to the JEM trailhead.
2016 note: You can now reach the Gould's Rim doubletrack directly
from Hurricane City via the Gould Connector
trail. You'll still need to pedal a long portion of the doubletrack,
though, to get up on top of the mesa.
Pedaling uphill on the doubletrack portion of the
ride.
An old old video of the
UMB buddies hitting the Hurricane Loop...
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
The ride...
Starting from the Hurricane Rim trailhead, backtrack 0.2 miles down the
highway. Watch for the cars as you approach the trail!
Turn left onto a steep gravel doubletrack and begin climbing. At 0.2 miles up the
doubletrack, you'll pass
the Gould's Connector on your right. The
doubletrack portion will be 2
miles, during which you'll gain around 600 vertical feet.
Heading
uphill. A bit of a tedious grunt but not too bad.
After cresting the hill, you'll descend about 1/3 mile on
the doubletrack. Watch for the singletrack to branch off on the right as you reach the
power line. The singletrack will roll over to the edge of Gould's Canyon.
There are some nice views here.
After a cruise along the top of the wash, the trail drops down into tributaries of the giant wash.
There are some bumpy spots to navigate, but overall, the trail is pretty
plush.
Bruce hits the bottom of the wash. It's
8:30 in the morning.
At the mid-way trailhead on the edge of Gould's Wash, turn
left and follow a combination of doubletrack and singletrack eastbound
toward the historic Civilian Conservation
Corps corral.
Follow the fence on the right side of the corral, then enter the
singletrack straight ahead.
At the corral. The continuing singletrack trail is
straight ahead.
Gould's Rim trail from
Hurricane Hill to US-59...
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
The trail now becomes more narrow, with
twists and dips. Good bike-handling and aggressive attitudes help you ride this section
clean. You'll run along the south side of a small mesa, climbing gradually uphill.
When you reach the highway, you can backtrack on the Gould's Wash trail
for an out-and-back, or press on to the JEM trail for the BIG
LOOP.
Bruce enjoys the many dips and turns of the eastern
side of Gould's.
Bottom Line
A nice trail with interesting views, but there are better choices if
you're just getting started with the JEM area
trails. It can be a fun, quick ride for kids if you start from the
wash trailhead and do a short out-and-back in either direction. Otherwise,
the primary use of this trail is the very-tough Hurricane Loop when combined
with JEM and the Hurricane
Rim.
Riding along the edge of the mesa as we approach
Highway 59.
Riding notes, one-way from top:
0.0 From JEM parking, backtrack to U-59
0.3 Cross U-59 to ST
N 37 08.096' W 113 14.564' Alt=4350'
0.9 Keep R
2.7 At corral, DT southwest
(Not main dirt road in front of
corral)
N 37 08.310' W 113 15.649'
3.3 Keep L on DT
3.5 At trailhead, R on ST
N 37 08.142' W 113 16.280'
6.6 L on gravel road
N 37 09.606' W 113 16.330' Alt=4000'
8.7 R on U-59 uphill
8.9 At lower trailhead
Getting there:
Hurricane Hill: In Hurricane, turn south on US-59 (towards the Grand Canyon). Follow the road
uphill 0.9 miles, then turn left into the trailhead parking near the cell phone towers. The dirt road 0.2 miles back down U-59
is the trail's start.
Upper JEM trailhead: In Hurricane, turn south on US-59 (towards the Grand Canyon). Drive exactly 5
miles uphill. Turn left on cindered doubletrack right as you approach the base of Gooseberry
Mesa. Drive another 0.3 miles to the parking area. For Gould's Rim,
backtrack over U-59 and cross the fence.
Gould's Wash: As you head uphill on Highway 59, pass gravel Sheep Bridge
road on your left (about half-way between Hurricane Hill and the JEM
trailhead). Now watch for a dirt road on your right. It will take you to
the corral. If you're heading for the rim, go directly west from the
corral for 1/2 mile.
Riding notes, Gould/JEM/ Hurricane Rim Loop:
Start from parking area on US-59 above Hurricane
0.0 R (downhill) on US-59
0.2 L uphill on DT
1.8 Top of DT climb
2.3 R off DT onto ST
N 37 09.606 W 113 16.330 Alt=4000'
5.4 Trailhead, L on DT, head NE
N 37 08.142 W 113 16.280
6.2 At corral, find ST rear on R
N 37 08.310 W 113 15.649
8.0 ST comes in from R
8.3 US-59. For Big Loop, cross to DT
N 37 08.096 W 113 14.564 Alt=4350'
For small loop, head downhill on road
8.6 JEM Trailhead, cross
cattleguard
N 37 08.329 W 113 14.527
Immediate R onto ST
9.0 Cross DT, descend toward cliffs
9.3 Keep R (L=More Cowbell)
N37 08.863 W113 14.661
Drop off ledge on switchback
10.0 Straight (R =Goosebumps, L=Dead Ringer)
N37 09.119 W113 15.103
10.8 Keep R (L = China Wash)
N37 10.541 W113 15.154
11.0 Cross Dead Ringer
Cross Sheep Bridge gravel road
11.1 Cross Cryptobionic
N37 10.798 W113 14.354
14.0 Fork L to Hurricane Rim
N 37 11.261 W 113 13.862
Alt=3650'
15.8 Virgin Dam trailhead
N 37 11.781 W 113 14.109
(Cryptobionic start on L)
16.0 Keep L (R=Virgin Dam trail)
18.7 R across Chinatown Wash
Straight = Chinatown Wash trail
19.6 Dam trail rejoins on R
20.2 Panorama Point
N 37 11.169 W 113 16.179 Alt=3850'
21.5 Back at parking
