Windmill Trail
on Gooseberry Mesa
Includes Bowls and Ledges loop
Gooseberry Mesa has a lot of awesome riding. The Windmill Trail runs from the
Windmill Trailhead out to the cliffs, then west down to the North Rim Trail.
Windmill itself is only 1.6 miles, but connects to other trails to yield
satisfying amounts of riding. Most of the trail is intermediate technical, with
a few challenges thrown in.
Looking north from the rim on the
Windmill Loop. Original review and photos July 11, 2001 by Bruce Argyle,
with latest update 2017.
The trail is an intermediate aerobic because there's almost no altitude
gain. On the slickrock sections, you'll need quick power for ledges and
bowls, but there are no prolonged grunt climbs.
A cap-rock of hard Shinarump conglomerate of the
Chinle Formation resists erosion, letting the softer layers below erode
steeply. In the distance, you can see the skirts of Moenkopi
Formation clays.
There are some very close cliff exposures, so you might want to
reconsider before taking your stupid dog, reckless teenager, or clumsy neighbor
on the Windmill Trail. It can be managed by early-intermediates, but riders need
good
bike-handling skills and the common sense not to push beyond their ability level
while on the edge of a cliff.
Bruce launches the lip of a
rock hump.
The cliff is 15 feet behind the camera.
Windmill Loop
The Windmill Loop is a short quick sampler of the mesa's types of
terrain. There's sage cruising on double-track, technical slickrock,
undulating technical singletrack, and a cliffside cruise. It can be
connected to the Bowls and Ledges loop for a longer ride.
The
doubletrack skirts the windmill, then heads west through sage, juniper and
pinion pine.
The Windmill Loop starts at the Windmill Trailhead (GPS N 37° 09.090' W 113° 09.973', altitude 5140 ft). From the
windmill, you ride west on doubletrack. Stay on the main dirt road, which is
usually the straight-ahead option -- there will be several side-roads. At 0.9 miles, the track forks. Keep
right as you turn toward the north.
Almost to the rim on the doubletrack.
When you arrive at the edge of the cliffs at mile 1.1 from the trailhead,
turn hard to your right and find the paint spots on the sandstone near the
edge. You should now be heading east.
We've just reached the rim and have turned to the east.
Now simply follow the trail east along the north edge of the
mesa. It's a quick ride. Most of the riding is fairly flat, but there are
a few short downhill spots.
After just over a mile on the singletrack, you'll reach a trail fork
marked by a carsonite post. The trail that continues straight east goes to
a viewpoint, then to the Yurt area. It will connect to The Gander on
Gooseberry's northeast rim.
The trail snakes through the junipers near the cliff
edge, sometimes coming as close as two or three feet.
Turn to the right and head south 0.4 miles to the Windmill. The entire loop
is just 2.4 miles. It can be done (assuming you don't get lost) in around
1/2 hour, so it makes a good "just got here" late-afternoon ride
for those who are staying on the mesa.
There are smooth areas of fun cruising.
https://youtu.be/bMYe9b0nJQA
The short Windmill Loop, clockwise...
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Windmill Plus Bowls and Ledges
At the western end of the Windmill Trail, it hits the junction of the
North Rim Trail and the Bowls and Ledges Trail. Looping around Bowls and
Ledges yields a nice lariat-shaped ride of 4.7 miles.
Typical riding surface for Gooseberry
Mesa is white sandstone undulations, with patches of broken rock and
hard-pack dirt between.
Navigation of the Bowls and Ledges loop can seem more like a maze. The Slickrock 101 alternate trails merge and branch
off. There are connectors to the road and to North Rim. And the few
carsonite trail-posts aren't particularly helpful in pinpointing your
location and destination.
Handlebar view on the Windmill Trail in 2001. This
particular spot has been bypassed in favor of a safer line away from the
cliff.
Let me simplify the navigation for you. Once you reach the
carsonite sign that says "North Rim," decide which direction you
want to ride the loop -- clockwise or counterclockwise. Take that fork.
Which way did you turn? You'll now fork the OPPOSITE direction at EVERY
trail fork until you return to the sign.
Bruce
navigates a smoother section of Bowls and Ledges.
OK, say you turned left (as I do in the Bowls and Ledges
trail video). Now, fork to the right at every trail fork. Right at
Slickrock 101. Right at the White Trail connector. Right at the North Rim.
And the next fork you'll come to is where you entered the loop. Go left to
exit.
"Bowls." Dropping to the bottom of a large
bowl.
If you want to test the other trails in the area, I've
provided GPS waypoints for you. By matching the waypoint to the trail fork
and consulting the map, you can know where you are.
"Ledges." Entering a sharp dip by rolling
off the ledge.
From the spot where Windmill hits North Rim (N37 08.812 W113 11.008),
it's 0.6 miles clockwise to Slickrock 101 (N37 08.662 W113 10.633). You'll
note another fork to your left, which is the split between the easy and
tech routes heading east.
Go to your right on the broad slickrock and climb gently west.
Arriving at Slickrock 101. (Camera facing north.)
The next trail fork comes after another 0.6 miles. At this
fork (N37 08.508 W113 11.078), you'll again fork to the right. (The left
fork goes 100 yards to the mesa road -- the White Trail. So if you wind up
on the mesa road, you blew past the trail fork without seeing it.)
Heading
west on open rock.
In 0.3 miles, you'll encounter the next fork. (This fork at N37 08.553 W113 11.251
can be subtle, and is a common cause of lost bikers.) The left fork is the
westbound North Rim trail. You want the eastbound North Rim, so you'll
fork to the right.
Reaching the top of a steep ledge.
The north side of the Bowls and Ledges
loop -- the North Rim
trail -- is significantly more technical than the Windmill Trail.
There will be some steep ups and tricky downs, but
it's all
rideable for an experienced upper-intermediate.
It's another 0.6 miles now to go east and return to the
original fork where you entered the loop. Keep straight (left) to return
via the Windmill Trail.
Or, go right to repeat the loop or
reach one of the trails that forked off the loop.
Heading
east on the North Rim trail, almost back to the Windmill Trail.
Windmill plus Bowls and Ledges clockwise...
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Getting there -- North: As you approach Zion National
Park in Rockville, turn south (right) on Bridge Road. After crossing the Virgin River, the
dirt road winds up the mesa. Keep left at the fork at 1.5 miles. Continue to a total of
6.2 miles, where you turn right at a sign "Gooseberry Mesa." Another 3.6 miles
after the turnoff, take the right fork as you pass the outhouse. One mile
later, you'll see a windmill on the left side of the road. Turn into the
parking area at the windmill GPS N 37° 09.090' W 113° 09.973'.
Getting there -- South: As you pass through Hurricane
heading east, turn right at the Highway 9 sign. (If you start exit town
without making a right-turn, you went past it.) One block later, turn left and drive out
of town. About 15 minutes later, you'll pass a gas station on the left-hand side, then
some fields. Watch for a "Scenic Byway" sign, and turn left onto a dirt road.
Two miles later, just as you reach the mountain, the Gooseberry Mesa road turns off on
your left. Another 3.6 miles
after the turnoff, take the right fork as you pass the outhouse. One mile
later, you'll see a windmill on the left side of the road. Turn into the
parking area at the windmill GPS N 37° 09.090' W 113° 09.973'.
Riding resources for this trail: Single-page trail guide
GPS track files and waypoints (right-click and "Save as..."):
"The Works" includes "Harris Secret
Trail"and South Rim / North Rim trails. GarminGPX Tracks for Windmill, Bowls & Ledges area only. GarminGPX
Interactive Gooseberry track map: Load
High-res topo for printing: View
Lodging, camping, shops:
Links to St.
George area resources
