| Broken Mesa Rim Trail Located 5 miles north of St. George, the Broken Mesa Rim trail is a technical downhill singletrack that's open all year. This ride gets variable reviews: some think it's an awesome ride for advanced or strong intermediate technical riders; other riders hate it. It's a different type of technical as you bang over and around the rough lava boulders. The downhill singletrack is 7 miles, with an initial uphill mile that climbs 600 vertical feet. It can be done as an 8-mile point-to-point with shuttle, or as a 14.5-mile loop. If you do the loop option, you'll climb a total 1300. |
| The trail starts at the northern end of the Red Cliffs
Desert Reserve. You'll make an initial stiff singletrack climb up some
switchbacks. At 0.5 mile, the trail reaches a doubletrack with a
pipeline on the far side. Find the continuing singletrack trail on your
right, just across the pipeline. Now the climb gets a bit steeper and
more technical,
with frequent basalt rocks to negotiate. At mile 1, the trail reaches the Broken Mesa Rim. It twists through juniper and brush, with more basalt boulders to keep things interesting. At mile 1.6, the downhill begins. The trail twists for 5 miles towards the edge of the cliffs at Washington, first in juniper and rock, then on the mesa-top. At the edge of the mesa, you'll drop at a 20% grade through the broken lava. Hang your butt way back and aim the front tire straight down the trail. Keep the bike moving, and if your front tire hangs on a boulder, bail off the back of the bike Reaching doubletrack at the bottom of the hill, you can turn right to complete the loop. 2.4 miles takes you back to the water tank, where you turn right uphill to follow the road back to the trailhead. |
 | Getting there: From the St. George Blvd exit of I-15, turn towards the city (west), then immediately turn right on 10th East. Zero your odometer here. Take the next right on Highland, then next left onto Industrial Road. Turn left at 0.7 on Red Rock Road. The road will turn to gravel. Keep left at the next fork, continuing north uphill on Cottonwood Road. (At 3.3 miles, you'll pass a water tank on your right. The return trail for the loop option comes back here. You can park here and bike up the road if you want to.) Pavement ends at 3.7. Keep left at the next fork at 5.4. Watch for a sign "Red Cliffs Mesa Rim Trail" at mile 8.8 and turn towards a fenced parking area at a stock watering trough at mile 9.0. GPS N 37° 13.451' W 113° 34.197' Shuttle option: Leave a car on Buena Vista Blvd, just off I-15's Exit 10 in Washington. As you leave the trail, turn left on powerline doubletrack, right at second pole, then work your way downhill through the golf course and into town. Copyright 2002 Mad Scientist Software Inc
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