Cedar City Paved Trails
When this web site was first founded, paved bike trails were rare. Now many new subdivisions have a trail system. So I review paved trails only if they're of interest to those outside the area, by being a nice scenic ride or by providing access to riding areas.
The Cedar City paved trails link the northern and southern mountain bike trail systems. They can be a nice family ride, or a means of access to dirt trails from town.

East Bench Trail

The East Bench trail forks off the Coal Creek paved trail in East Canyon Park. On the west side of Coal Creek (the creek splits the park in two), a rather sidewalk-looking fork heads south. Once you approach the street (one of only two paved street crossings in the trail system) you'll see the wooden bridge that crosses Squaw Creek straight ahead. That's your target for the southbound ride.

On the south end, the East Bench Trail ends on Old Highway 191, just south of Cross Hollow Road at the I-15 south Cedar City exit. It's just south of the big motel. There's no dedicated trail parking at this end yet. The Iron Hills (southern system) trailhead is about 1/2 mile south of this spot.

There's another important spot where the trail meets the road, at 820 South 300 East (right by a water tank). There's roadside parking here. Important landmark: The C Trail crosses the paved trail to a dirt parking area about 100 yards south of this spot. (The C Trail access road is a southbound dirt continuation of 300 East.)

The best parking for riders from outside the area is at East Canyon Park. When eastbound on SR 14 from Main Street, turn right into the parking area just after crossing the creek. To reach East Bench, pedal up to the trail on the south side of the road and cross the trail bridge westbound. You're on Coal Creek. Turn left with the trail, then watch for the (unmarked) fork of East Bench about 100 yards later on your right.

There's one mildly steepish pitch as the northbound trail climbs from the water tank at 300 East up through a switchback higher on the mountain. This may give non-shifting kids some trouble, but it's short enough to be a tolerable walk.
There's about 100 feet of elevation gain north-to-south, with total climbing on an out-and-back trip 170 feet. The trail is 2.6 miles long.

Coal Creek Trail

The Coal Creek Trail runs from Cedar Boulevard near I-15 in northern Cedar City to a (hopefully temporary) dead end in the canyon along Coal Creek. The northernmost access point with parking would be the Exit 59 Skateboard Park and baseball diamonds off 1045 North.

For out-of-towners, the most practical access is at East Canyon Park. From here, the trail passes under Highway 14 northbound. To go eastbound, follow the broad curving cement path up to the "sidewalk" along Highway 14, cross the creek on the trail's bridge, then immediately turn left.

In the canyon along Highway 14, there are two parking areas with bridges that connects across Coal Creek to the trail. One is at the nature center (across the road from the Red Hollow trailhead) and the other a bit further up-canyon. The first bridge is your tie-in to the northern bike trail system including Thor's Hideout .
From the park, there's 180 vertical feet of climbing to the trail's end in the canyon 1.5 miles uphill. (Whereas for the 1.9 miles of trail north from the park, the pitch of the trail is barely perceptible.) Overall, the trail is 3.4 miles long.

North of Coal Creek, the trail spends about half of its time running alongside two very large park complexes. Each park has a couple of spurs from the trail. Stay to the left, right along the creek, as you go northbound. There's parking near the trail at these parks, and there will also be bike bridges across the creek from nearby streets.

On the Coal Creek Trail, there are no street crossings. The trail descends to underpasses along the creek. The slopes are easily managed by children.

Southview Trail

The Southview trail is a work in progress as of 2019. The paved portion is 0.6 miles, beginning at the Southview trailhead (home of Lichen It, etc) and heading north. It can be combined with a bit of ATV track and street to reach the bottom of the East Bench trail on old 191.

The Southview trailhead has plenty of parking, a bathroom with running water and flush toilets, and a bicycle repair stand. There's no trail parking at the north end of the trail.
Because the paved portion is short, the primary use for this trail now (2019) is as a connector between the bottom of the C Trail and Southview trailhead.

There's a bit of climbing as you head northbound. Although it's not too steep, it might be too much for a youngster with a fixed-gear bike. The trail passes through juniper and pinion pine on the lower foothill slope.

At the northern end, a wide gravel ATV road heads northwest. When you arrive at city streets, turn left downhill. As you reach old 191, go to the right to connect to the East Bench trail.
From the C Trail, take East Bench southbound. When it hits old 191, turn left and as the pavement ends, cut through the unfinished trail segment to the paved road and turn left uphill. When you hit the ATV track, go right uphill until you reached the paved trail.

Getting there, East Canyon Park:
On Main Street in Cedar City, turn east (towards the mountains) on Center Street. This will become Highway 14. Just 0.4 miles later, the road will cross Coal Creek. The pathway covered with fencing material to the south (right) side of the road's bridge is the paved trail. Immediately after the bridge, turn right into the parking area. Ride toward the bridge to find the trail.

Download GPS Tracks (two-tracks in file)

Water:  Parks from East Canyon north (none on East Bench or in canyon)
Bathrooms: East Canyon and baseball parks on north Coal Creek
Camping: none near trail
Bike services: Cedar Cycle