Pioneer Rim Trail (Plus Pioneer Park mini-trail)

The locals say "Pioneer Park" to refer to two trails: (1) Pioneer Rim, an advanced-technical trail skirting the cliff-edge above Pioneer Park, and (2) a short easy trail within Pioneer Park itself that features a beginner's taste of slickrock.

Pioneer Park is located in the red cliffs on the north side of St. George. Kids love to explore the trails between red hoodoos, and there's some easy slickrock to try your beginning biker skills. Our map shows a short loop within the park that climbs onto a slickrock shelf, heads west, then returns via a slot between hoodoos to the starting point.

The Pioneer Rim trail does NOT start in Pioneer Park. It is located on the cliffs above it. The trailhead is at the top of the hill on Snow Canyon Parkway, about 1/2 mile uphill from the west Pioneer Park parking lot. Newbies will NOT enjoy the Pioneer Rim trail -- reserve this ride for advanced or upper-intermediate riders.

The ride is about 90% slickrock, two miles each way. After crossing a small 4-wheeler road above Pioneer Park, the rock becomes more technical. In this second part of the trail, it's harder to follow the path. Many riders turn around before this second cliffside area, but it's worth pushing on and doing a little route-finding.

From the trailhead, start riding east (away from the road). Turn to the right for "Pioneer Rim" at the trail fork and follow the trail uphill. As you approach the top of the ridge, turn right again at a T intersection.

The trail will now turn toward the south, then drop down off the hill eastbound. This trail doesn't see as many riders as most St. George area trails -- and there are a couple of alternate paths -- so sometimes the route can be a bit hard to follow. Just remember you're trying to reach the cliff edge to the south.

As you reach a ledge area above the mounds of rock cliff, keep working to the east. Generally, you're looking for something that looks like a path, in the general area where the dirt and the open rock meet. Sometimes you'll be on open slickrock; other times you're on rocky dirt singletrack just above it.

Just over a mile from the trailhead, the trail drops down to a gravel road. Cross to the other side and find the route back up to the top of the slickrock. The riding now becomes advanced technical. The trail is less obvious -- where you can identify a single route. Again, you're riding fairly close to where the rock drops away to the valley. Watch for small small rockpiles (cairns), rows of rocks, and tire marks.

About 1/2 mile later after crossing the dirt road, you'll come to a turtle-fence. There's a little loop here (might be hard to spot if it's your first time). Most bikers use this as a turn-around spot, but you can also continue east another 1/3 mile to connect with Industrial Drive for a road-return if you want.

The park itself is a good place for your beginning bikers to play, and for the non-bikers to explore fun trails among the many sandstone canyons. There's a circle route within the park. But the park has seen significant development over the years, with large paved parking lots putting many families and hikers onto the sandstone and dirt paths. So I DO NOT recommend riding in the park on weekends -- it's just too busy.

There is a path on the west side of the park that follows the open rock. Beginners can cruise on this flat area and say they've ridden on slickrock. Unfortunately, it's a short segment. But if your family is already there with bikes on the car, check it out.

There are two parking lots. A small lot on the west end serves hikers and connects directly under the street to the paved bike path along Snow Canyon Parkway. The main lot on the east serves picnic areas.

Getting there:
From St. George Blvd (the main drag), head north on Main Street (towards the "Dixie" painted on the big rock above the cliffs). When you reach Hope Street, turn right, then immediately take the left fork and climb Skyline Drive to the top of the cliffs. Turn left on Snow Canyon Parkway (labeled Skyline Drive on some city maps, and called Turtle Road by many locals). 1/2 mile up from the intersection after crossing the top of the hill, turn right into the fenced parking area. The trail starts at the far end at the kiosk. (On the northwest corner of the lot -- left from where you entered the parking lot -- there's a paved path leading down to an underpass. This will take you to the paved bike path across the road, and allow you to connect to City Creek and Owen's trails.
Bathrooms and water: Pioneer Park. None at the upper trailhead.