Gould's Rim Trail

Bruce arrives at the edge of Gould's Wash with the Pine Valley Mountains in the background. Original review June 16, 2003, with latest update April 29, 2019.

Gould's Rim

The Gould's Rim trail lies on the mesa above Hurricane. The trail consists of three very different sections: a climb on doubletrack from the Hurricane Hill trailhead, singletrack skirting the edge of Gould's Canyon, and narrow twisting dirt singletrack between "the corral" and US-59 near the upper JEM trailhead.

Point-to-point from the Hurricane Rim trailhead to the JEM trailhead, it's 8.9 miles, starting at 3600 feet and climbing to 4350. The singletrack on the upper 1/3 requires good bike-handling skills, earning the trail an upper-intermediate rating overall.

Bryce and Lucas cruise along the edge of Gould's Wash, with the Pine Valley Mountains in the background. This photo from original mapping ride of June 16, 2003.

Upper end of the Gould's Rim trail. I've reached Highway 59 at the skirts of Gooseberry Mesa. Across the road is the entry to the JEM trailhead.

There are three trailheads: the Hurricane Hill trailhead off US-59 just after leaving town, the Gould's Wash trailhead at the trail's midpoint -- reached by gravel road, and the entry on US-59 across from the entry to the upper JEM trailhead. Casual riders will want to go to the wash trailhead. Hammerheads who are doing the big Hurricane Rim loop usually start at the Hurricane Hill trailhead.

2016 note: You can now reach the Gould's Rim doubletrack directly from Hurricane City via the Gould Connector trail. You'll still need to pedal a long portion of the doubletrack, though, to get up on top of the mesa.

Pedaling uphill on the doubletrack portion of the ride.

An old old video of the UMB buddies hitting the Hurricane Loop...

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Heading uphill. A bit of a tedious grunt but not too bad.

The ride...

Starting from the Hurricane Rim trailhead, backtrack 0.2 miles down the highway. Watch for the cars as you approach the trail!

Turn left onto a steep gravel doubletrack and begin climbing. At 0.2 miles up the doubletrack, you'll pass the Gould's Connector on your right. The doubletrack portion will be 2 miles, during which you'll gain around 600 vertical feet.

After cresting the hill, you'll descend about 1/3 mile on the doubletrack. Watch for the singletrack to branch off on the right as you reach the power line. The singletrack will roll over to the edge of Gould's Canyon.

There are some nice views here.

Bruce hits the bottom of the wash. It's 8:30 in the morning.

After a cruise along the top of the wash, the trail drops down into tributaries of the giant wash. There are some bumpy spots to navigate, but overall, the trail is pretty plush.

At the mid-way trailhead on the edge of Gould's Wash, turn left and follow a combination of doubletrack and singletrack eastbound toward the historic Civilian Conservation Corps corral.

Follow the fence on the right side of the corral, then enter the singletrack straight ahead.

At the corral. The continuing singletrack trail is straight ahead.

Gould's Rim trail from Hurricane Hill to US-59...

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Bruce enjoys the many dips and turns of the eastern side of Gould's.

The trail now becomes more narrow, with twists and dips. Good bike-handling and aggressive attitudes help you ride this section clean. You'll run along the south side of a small mesa, climbing gradually uphill. When you reach the highway, you can backtrack on the Gould's Wash trail for an out-and-back, or press on to the JEM trail for the BIG LOOP.

Bottom Line!

A nice trail with interesting views, but there are better choices if you're just getting started with the JEM area trails . It can be a fun, quick ride for kids if you start from the wash trailhead and do a short out-and-back in either direction. Otherwise, the primary use of this trail is the very-tough Hurricane Loop when combined with JEM and the Hurricane Rim .

Riding along the edge of the mesa as we approach Highway 59.

Riding notes, one-way from top:
0.0   From JEM parking, backtrack to U-59
0.3   Cross U-59 to ST
        N 37 08.096' W 113 14.564' Alt=4350'
0.9   Keep R
2.7   At corral, DT southwest
        (Not main dirt road in front of corral)
        N 37 08.310' W 113 15.649'

3.3   Keep L on DT
3.5   At trailhead, R on ST
        N 37 08.142' W 113 16.280'
6.6   L on gravel road
        N 37 09.606' W 113 16.330' Alt=4000'
8.7   R on U-59 uphill
8.9   At lower trailhead

Map of the Hurricane Rim Loop ride.

Getting there:
Hurricane Hill: In Hurricane, turn south on US-59 (towards the Grand Canyon). Follow the road uphill 0.9 miles, then turn left into the trailhead parking near the cell phone towers. The dirt road 0.2 miles back down U-59 is the trail's start.
Upper JEM trailhead: In Hurricane, turn south on US-59 (towards the Grand Canyon). Drive exactly 5 miles uphill. Turn left on cindered doubletrack right as you approach the base of Gooseberry Mesa. Drive another 0.3 miles to the parking area. For Gould's Rim, backtrack over U-59 and cross the fence.
Gould's Wash: As you head uphill on Highway 59, pass gravel Sheep Bridge road on your left (about half-way between Hurricane Hill and the JEM trailhead). Now watch for a dirt road on your right. It will take you to the corral. If you're heading for the rim, go directly west from the corral for 1/2 mile.

Riding notes, Gould/JEM/ Hurricane Rim Loop:
Start from parking area on US-59 above Hurricane
0.0 R (downhill) on US-59
0.2 L uphill on DT
1.8 Top of DT climb
2.3 R off DT onto ST
      N 37 09.606 W 113 16.330 Alt=4000'
5.4 Trailhead, L on DT, head NE
      N 37 08.142 W 113 16.280
6.2 At corral, find ST rear on R
      N 37 08.310 W 113 15.649
8.0 ST comes in from R
8.3 US-59. For Big Loop, cross to DT
      N 37 08.096 W 113 14.564 Alt=4350'
      For small loop, head downhill on road
8.6   JEM Trailhead, cross cattleguard
        N 37 08.329 W 113 14.527
        Immediate R onto ST
9.0   Cross DT, descend toward cliffs
9.3   Keep R (L=More Cowbell)
        N37 08.863 W113 14.661
        Drop off ledge on switchback

10.0 Straight (R =Goosebumps, L=Dead Ringer)
        N37 09.119 W113 15.103
10.8 Keep R (L = China Wash)
        N37 10.541 W113 15.154
11.0 Cross Dead Ringer
        Cross Sheep Bridge gravel road
11.1 Cross Cryptobionic
        N37 10.798 W113 14.354
14.0 Fork L to Hurricane Rim
        N 37 11.261 W 113 13.862 Alt=3650'
15.8 Virgin Dam trailhead
        N 37 11.781 W 113 14.109
        (Cryptobionic start on L)
16.0 Keep L (R=Virgin Dam trail)
18.7 R across Chinatown Wash
        Straight = Chinatown Wash trail
19.6 Dam trail rejoins on R
20.2 Panorama Point
        N 37 11.169 W 113 16.179 Alt=3850'
21.5 Back at parking