The southern half of the trail (from the Stucki Springs trail fork to Bloomington) is now one-way -- southeast downhill towards Bloomington. To ride south-to-north, you'll need to use the northern half of the Bloomington Microloop , which has now been renamed as the "Bearclaw Up" trail. Bearclaw Up takes you to a 4-way, where a right turn connects to Bearclaw Down just below Clavicle Hill. See the map link below for a printable area topo.

This trail is a blast to ride. You'll soon see why it's the most popular trail in St. George. Highlights include a not-too-tough one-mile hill climb, a run down a desert wash, a series of short "scary but not too hairy" drop-offs, and a roller coaster hard-pack. The ride is so classic that the trail sections have special names.

You can ride this trail year-round. At an elevation of 2700 feet near the Arizona border, this trail never sees snow. However, during wet weather the clay can become saturated.You'll damage the trail. And during the winter months, check with a local shop for current conditions.

The Bearclaw Poppy lies in a special preserve area. The preserve protects the endangered Bearclaw Poppy. Absolutely DO NOT EVER ride off-trail. And don't follow other riders' illegal "alternate lines" -- stay on the main path. If cyclists don't respect the preserve, we may find ourselves locked out. Really.

I'd rate the trail moderate aerobic and intermediate technical overall. If you don't stop to play, it's very quick ride -- one you can easily hammer in the morning before work or golf. If you start from the Bloomington end and turn around at Clavicle Hill -- which is my recommendation for kids -- it's easy aerobic and easy-beginner technical.

From the Green Valley end, the trail starts with a modest one-mile warm-up climb along the side of a sandstone canyon. (That's if you ride to the trail from town. If you drive to the new parking area, you'll have only a short jaunt uphill. The step-over gate marks the border of the preserve, and the start of the singletrack.) Hilltop GPS N 37° 05.162' W 113° 38.831'.

The trail descends into a roller-coaster BMX course in red, white, and orange desert dirt. Right away, the singletrack drops downhill over a couple of little ledges. Beginners, remember to let the bike roll as you hit the scary stuff, then carefully brake after you're back on smooth trail.

First the red stuff: the "Three Fingers of Death." Plunge down to the valley floor. Of the options here, the left "finger" is easier. To the right, the options get more scary. People get hurt here, so chose wisely based on your ability.
Or, hold to the right after the initial descent and find the singletrack "Flatline Trail" that winds around at a more leisurely pace. It will be on your right just before you reach the Three Fingers, and crosses the path down the Fingers. (This singletrack will be your uphill route if you're doing the ride as an out-and-back.)

Next comes orange dirt: "the wash." Rock and roll across the desert on the firm wash bottom. Hit the sidewalls to add to the tech factor.
If you find wet dirt while in the wash, GO BACK. The clay that lies ahead will not heal if you damage it by riding while it's wet.

From the wash, the trail rolls over some more orange dirt before reaching the white clay of the "Acid Drops." You'll notice a couple of side routes. Stay on the main trail. Keep heading straight south-southwest. The first one on the left rejoins at the Acid Drops. The three routes heading right (north) join to form the Stucki Springs cutoff route. A side route on the right with multiple interconnectors and drops into a wash that parallels the Acid Drops.

The Acid Drops challenge many intermediate riders. If you're a beginner, well, here's the secret. Get off the bike seat. Put all your weight on the pedals so your butt comes away from the seat. Let the bike tip down, while your trunk stays balanced upright. If you MUST brake, use only a tiny bit of rear brake. Ideally, just let the bike roll. After you absorb the "wump" at the bottom with your flexed legs, sit down and begin applying the brakes.

The last of the Acid Drops is the dreaded Clavicle Hill! Yes, it's named after the body part that it breaks. (GPS N 37° 04.209' W 113° 39.299')
Experts, go ahead and take some air off the rock ledge at the top. Intermediates, pick the rock-free line and let it roll. Don't over-brake, or you'll pitch over the handlebars.

Beginners can descend the "climber" route around the hill. As you approached Clavicle Hill, there was a trail on your left about 150 feet back from the edge. (This is the path that most riders will take when riding from the Bloomington end or when returning on an out-and-back. It IS possible to ride straight up Clavicle Hill. But I've never succeeded at it.)

As you come to the bottom of Clavicle Hill, turn left toward the mountain and pick up the continuing Bearclaw Poppy Trail. (There's another drop just below Clavicle Hill, also with a trail turning left to Bearclaw at the bottom.) Straight ahead would take you to the Stucki Springs trail and the Bloomington Microloop .

The trail will curve closely around the Moenkopi skirts of the mesa, Bloomington Hill. If you find yourself away from the mesa in rolling desert at this point, you probably missed your turn. (Note: some riders become confused by the carsonite trail markers, which say "Bearclaw Poppy" on the top, even if those markers are located on the Stucki Springs or Bloomington Microloop trails. The whole area is the Bearclaw Poppy preserve.)

Now it's on to the rolling white clay south of Bloomington Hill -- known as the "Roller Coaster" or "BMX Course." From here, the trail is one-way eastbound, slightly downhill as it heads toward Bloomington. The trail rock 'n rolls through hard-packed desert dirt. Awesome! Keep on the main trail at all times. Resist the temptation to "explore" -- whether on foot or bike -- because you're in the desert preserve. Go only on MARKED alternates.

In the winter, the temperature is usually nice for a couple of hours in the afternoon. I ride this trail in shirt-sleeves in January. During the summer, it's best to go early in the morning. If you start your ride by 7 a.m., you'll enjoy pleasant temperatures.

If you're riding with children, I suggest you take them to the Bloomington trailhead. The combination of Bloomington and the BMX section of Bearclaw is around 4 miles. They'll enjoy the tamer stretches of white clay trail on the Bloomington end.

The valley floor is shale of the Chinle formation of the late Triassic. During that time (about 220 million years ago), this corner of Utah was covered by shallow sea. The sea gave way to red mud-flat and flood deposits of the Moenave. The bluffs are capped with lava flowing from volcanoes of the late Cenozoic. The volcanoes in this area are an extension of the northern Arizona volcanic field, and were very active around 8 million years ago.

As the trail reaches Bloomington, you can turn around for the out-and-back ride. Because the eastern end of Bearclaw is one-way, your westbound trip will be on the Bloomington Trail . This trail will deliver you to a 4-way where you can turn north to Bearclaw.

There's a big double-trailhead with a bathroom at Bloomington.

Getting there, Green Valley (Bearclaw) trailhead:
Take the Bluff Street I-15 exit in St. George and turn west. Immediately turn south (left) at the first light. Go over the hill and at the T intersection at the bottom of the hill turn right. Head northwest about two miles on Dixie Drive. Turn left at Canyon View Road, heading uphill toward the Green Valley Spa. (If you reach a "Green Valley Market" with gas pumps, you just passed it. Turn around and backtrack to the second road on your right.) Drive past the spa onto dirt at the end of the road. Turn right at the top of the mesa, then immediately left to drive down into the deep valley. You can park here and ride to the road that climbs the RIGHT side of the little sandstone canyon. Or, you can stay in your car and turn right on dirt, then drop left down into the valley 100 yards later. Follow the improved gravel road up to the parking area about 3/4 mile later. Trailhead N 37° 05.509' W 113° 37.689'