By Scott Buehler, Southern Utah localChurch Rocks, the slickrock loop everyone names
The reserve, north edge of town Beginner friendly slickrock October through April Directions
Church Rocks is the ride every local sends a visitor on: a loop of roughly two and a half miles over humped Navajo sandstone at the north edge of the city, inside the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. What makes it unusual is how it treats a newcomer. The exposed sections are mild, and the genuinely difficult features, a large slab and a chunky staircase among them, all have easier lines beside them, which is rare on slickrock.
Strong riders still come back for those optional lines, and the loop is short enough to run twice in a morning. It rides best in the cool months, because bare sandstone holds heat and gives it back. Most people reach it from the Grapevine trailhead by way of Grapevine and Prospector, an approach that adds roughly a mile and a half each way and turns a short loop into a proper outing.
One of the few slickrock rides a nervous newcomer can finish without a scare.
The details
Prospector, the traverse toward Leeds
Along the cliffs toward Leeds Intermediate October through April Directions
Prospector is the town to town trail, dirt singletrack that rolls along the cliffs between Washington City and the bench toward Leeds with very little sustained climbing. Its appeal is rhythm rather than difficulty: a long series of small rises, fast rolling tread, and the whole valley spread out on one side. You cover ground quickly and feel like you have earned the view by the time you turn around.
Few riders do it strictly as an out and back. The standard day links it with Church Rocks, and sometimes Dino Cliffs, into a long loop that fills a morning, and the junctions sit a few miles out from the trailhead, so pick your start by how long a day you want. Being able to ride from one town toward the next on dirt is something residents take for granted and visitors find remarkable.
The details
Grapevine, the way into the network
From a trailhead at the edge of town Easy to moderate Fall through spring Directions
Grapevine is the connector, and it is the reason the rest of this network is reachable without a drive. It starts at a trailhead at the edge of Washington City neighborhoods and climbs on a wide, steady doubletrack into the reserve, gaining enough elevation to open the valley up behind you. It passes a tortoise gate early on, a reminder that you are riding through protected habitat rather than empty desert.
On its own it is a straightforward hour of exercise. Its real value is that it puts a genuine trail network within a five minute pedal of a lot of houses, which is a factor worth naming when you are weighing where in this city to live. Near the top it splits, with Prospector heading off toward Leeds. The reserve and its rules are covered in full on the Red Cliffs page.
The details
Dino Cliffs, sand and the dinosaur tracks
North edge of town, in the reserve Intermediate October through April Directions
Dino Cliffs adds sandstone and sandy wash riding to the mix, and it comes with a payoff no other trail here offers. A couple hundred yards off the route sits a slab holding about seventeen preserved dinosaur footprints, and it is worth getting off the bike for. It is the fastest way to impress someone visiting from out of state.
The sand is the honest warning. A wash that looks flat will empty your legs faster than a climb, and it gets worse in the driest months. Ride it after the ground has held some moisture, and treat it as a link in a bigger loop rather than a destination on its own. The same country on foot is ranked on the best hikes page.
The details
Mill Creek, the ride deeper into the reserve
North of town, deeper in the reserve Easy to moderate, sandy Fall through spring Directions
Mill Creek is the quieter side of the reserve, a dirt doubletrack that heads north from near the edge of town and follows the wash deeper into protected country. It is the way in for riders headed toward the interior, where the singletrack thins out and the junctions toward Mustang Pass and the power line country begin. The tread is more service road than trail, which keeps it approachable, and the sand keeps it honest.
It sees far fewer wheels than the trails closer to town, which is exactly its draw when you want a longer, quieter ride with the reserve to yourself. The wash runs sandy, so it rides best after a storm has firmed the ground, and there is no water and little shade out there, so carry plenty. Confirm the current route map at the reserve before you head out, because the designated bike routes shift with the seasons.
The details
The Virgin River Trail, the paved town ride
Along the river on the south side of the city Paved and flat Year round Directions
Not every ride needs to be an event. The paved Virgin River Trail follows the river on the south side of the city, threading through parks and running flat and wide for miles, and it is the default for a kid on a first bike, a family on rentals, or an evening spin after work. It stays open and comfortable all year, including summer evenings when the singletrack has gone out of the question.
The same path continues toward St. George, where the wider valley network takes over, so a long paved day is possible without sharing a lane with traffic. The St. George half of that trail is covered on the St. George mountain biking guide. Join the path from any of the parks it passes, and use it to build a loop with a playground or a splash pad in the middle when the afternoon heat is the real opponent.