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Hurricane to Gould Connector Trail
This technical singletrack connects the city of Hurricane to the
Hurricane Loop ride via Gould's Rim. It can be used by expert
or skilled upper-intermediate mountain bikers as a
climbing route or a fun downhill. The trail is 1.7 miles, consisting of
1.4 miles of challenging cliff-hugging singletrack and 0.3 miles of dirt
road at the upper end.
A Rocky Mountain Blizzard fat bike sits on the trail.
(Going to do some sand-and-slop riding later in the day.) We're looking
northwest. Track, photos, and review by Bruce on December 12, 2016. |
| As a climbing route, the trail gains 300 vertical feet in
0.5 mile through switchbacks to get above the cliffs. Then comes a long
traverse above the cliff edge. There are techy rock challenges and
off-camber spots, often with a significant drop-off to your side. A few
areas feature very narrow trail on steep hillside -- not enough room to
safely walk alongside your bike. Seriously, this is an expert-level trail
with significant injury potential for newbs who over-value their ability. From the road's end the singletrack heads into Gould
Wash. But in about 100 feet, we'll turn back 180 degrees. The cliffs here
are the Toroweap Formation, formed about 260 million years ago in the
Permian Period. This rock makes up most of the Hurricane Cliffs, with the
Kiabab Limestone on top.
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As a descender, the trail is superbly fun. But again, the rocks
and cliff exposures require good skills. A nice quick ride is an
up-and-back to the viewpoint at the end of the singletrack. Round trip is just under 3 miles.
If you're heading for the trail from above, look
for doubletrack going west through a dip, 0.2 miles uphill from Highway
59. After you fork onto the trail, keep right to head south on the west
face of the hill.
Southbound with rugged chunks of basalt watching the
trail. |
| This trail offers a direct dirt-and-rock connection to
Goulds from the city. That's a big deal if you're staying at a motel in
town -- or if you're lucky enough to live here. From Goulds
Rim, you can
hit JEM, More Cowbell, Dead
Ringer, and all that fun stuff.
(Yes, I suppose you could climb up Highway 59 to the Gould's
doubletrack or Hurricane Rim trailhead. But that portion of 59 is steep, there's no shoulder, and the
traffic can be deadly. I would never do it.)
Understand that this trail is NOT a bypass to the dirt road. You'll
still do that. It bypasses the paved highway.
Approaching a bridge, with basalt cliffs from a
prehistoric lava flow above.
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So here's how to find the trail. In Hurricane, go to 100
South and 100 East (that's the corner where the Over The Edge bike shop is
located). Go south on 100 East until the road forces you to turn west
(right) at 400 South. Quickly turn left on the narrow 60 East Street to go
south again. Continue on cinders as the pavement ends. My GPS trail track
starts at the dead-end, but you can also short-cut across a break in the
old canal about 100 yards before the end of the road. There are 10 of these tight corners (some tighter)
above drop-offs on the southern end of the trail. This is basalt from a
lava flow that occurred about 2 million years ago. |
| You'll see that shortcut on your left as you drive along the
cindered road. As you hit the canal, climb the opposite wall, then after
30 feet make a 180 to join the northbound trail. (Do not pedal along the
canal itself. That's a foot route.)
To enter from the road's end, keep straight and drop a little downhill
on singletrack heading into the canyon. As you near a drop-off, veer left
over a flat spot where you can reverse directions to join the northbound
trail.
We're above the basalt now, and the rock is
limestone. This is the Kiabab Limestone layer. We're talking Permian
Period -- before the dinosaurs, but with mammal-like reptiles -- when all
of Utah except the southeast corner was covered with ocean.
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Once you're on the trail, there will be no trail forks as
you climb to the top of the cliffs. At mile 1.4 you'll hit doubletrack. To
your left is a viewpoint over the cliffs, and the doubletrack heads uphill
to your right. Keep straight to join the dirt road, heading north.
Just after the road turns east, you'll come to a multi-road fork. Any
of the paths to your left will take you through the gully and over to the
white dirt road -- and that's what you want to do. The white road is the
doubletrack route up to Goulds Rim, just 0.2 miles from where it left
Highway 59.
Looking north as the trial undulates above the
cliffs. That's Highway 59 to the left. |
| Another option is to continue to circle to the right. This
will put you on a loose, steep, and rocky doubletrack that climbs above
the Hurricane "H" on the hill, then joins the Goulds Rim
doubletrack road just before the last push to the summit.
Viewpoint where the singletrack meets doubletrack.
Under my handlebars is Highway 59. Highway 9 is the curved road at
mid-photo.
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Bottom Line:
Great trail, very fun, with nice views. I recommend it only for advanced
or good upper-intermediate riders, as it's too techy for true intermediates.
Getting there:
On Highway 9 eastbound in Hurricane, turn right at the Highway 59 sign. Go
four blocks south to 400 South and turn left (east). Turn right on the
narrow 60 East Street to go south again. Continue on cinders as the
pavement ends. My GPS trail track starts at the dead-end, but you can also
short-cut across a break in the old canal about 100 yards before the end
of the road.
Conditions and current trail information at Over The Edge bike shop, on
the corner of 100 East and 100 South in Hurricane. Copyright
2016 UtahMountainBiking.com |
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