Customer Reviews

Mountain Biking St. George/Cedar City

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I just finished a mountain biking vacation in the Zion area. Between this book and Dean at "Bike Zion," I found some incredible singletrack: Green Valley and Church Rocks in the St. George area, and Gooseberry Mesa, the JEM trail, and Slickrock Swamp just outside of Zion. I rode them all and loved them. I ride in Moab frequently, and the trails on Gooseberry surpass anything in Moab, except maybe Jackson's Hole. The book is very helpful with directions and trail descriptions, but why are not more Zion area rides included? In July, I'm headed back to the area, this time to Brian Head, with book in hand! To the author: thanks for your research and sharing these world-class rides.

This is a super handy book that describes biking trails in Southwestern Utah. With trails ranging in elevation from under 4,000 feet to around 11,000 feet, you can ride just about any day of the year somewhere near St. George or Cedar City. There are trails for all levels of abilities, from advanced to Sunday sight-seeing. Although most trails involve a lot of singletrack layout, there are a few that are on jeep roads or even smoother surfaces. This book opened my eyes to the fact that there is much more to mountain biking in Utah than just heading down to Moab. And I especially like the smaller size of the book, that allows it to easily fit in your back pocket or in your camelback.

I found Bruce Grubbs's guide essential to locating and navigating the trails of Washington and Garfield counties in southwest Utah. I rode the Green Valley, J.E.M., Thunder Mountain, and Paradise Canyon trails in May 2001, and particularly loved the Green Valley and Thunder Mountain trails. Be careful -- each of these trails has hazards and technical challenges.

The book fits nicely in one's hydration pack or jersey pocket. One thing that Grubbs notes is worth repeating: you have to have an odometer to locate and navigate some of the trails he reviews. Otherwise you won't find them.

Another good source of information is the trail reviews at Mountain Bike Review's website... And some local clubs and stores have useful websites with trail descriptions. Use a search engine to locate them.