 |
Santa Clara River Preserve Trails
The Santa Clara River Preserve is a protected area (one that allows
mountain biking) along the river gorge southwest of Santa Clara. There are
riding trails north and south of the river.
View of Barrel Roll. Thanks to Shelby
Meinkey for these photos.
|
| On the north side of the river is the Anasazi trail complex. The main
draw is the Anasazi trail, which visits petroglyphs and features a
one-mile zone of fun upper-intermediate technical Gooseberry-type riding.
Shorter trails on the eastern end include Upper Graveyard, Lower
Graveyard, Fishhook, and Cholla. There's also a nice doubletrack ride
along the river through the gorge. |
| /To the south of the Santa Clara River is the Barrel Roll trailhead. Barrel Roll is for mountain biking and hiking;
Black
Brush (at the same trailhead) is signed for hiking and horses -- I
recommend it as a hike with the kids. Barrel Roll is a fun intermediate-level trail
that has quickly become a St. George classic.
View from the parking area, with
Barrel Roll on the left, and Black Brush on the right. Since this photo, a
fenced parking area has been added.
|
|
| Note: Barrel Roll is NOT the same trail as the "Barrel
Trail", which is found a few miles south in Green Valley. |
 |
Further south across Cove Wash is the Rim
Rock trail system, with easier Rim Reaper and Rim Rambler trails,
and the more technical Rim Rock and Rim Runner trails. There are
multiple ride options here, with a typical see-everything ride being about
6 miles.
View of the Rim Rock trail near the
west end of the loop. |
| Cove Wash is the big divot
you pedal through on the way to Rim Rock, but it's also an official trail.
ATVs use the washbottom to reach a viewpoint over Cottonwood Wash. The
trail is 4 miles, but it connects to other options for big miles, if you
don't mind riding ATV-track. |
|
 |
Sidewinder is a trail
that climbs the ridge to the south of Barrel Roll. You can reach it via
Barrel Roll, or via Precipice (under construction 4/14/09). It's a bit
more technical, but fun and very much worth doing. Most riders add it as
an out-and-back to their Barrel Roll loop. |
| Suicidal Tendencies is
a 5.5 mile trail that forks off the top of Sidewinder. It crosses through
the valley to the next mesa on the south. It should be considered advanced
technical. |
|
|
Please click a link above to
select a trail page within the Santa Clara River Preserve. |
|
