 | Quarry Trail The official Temple Quarry Trail runs from the St. George airport to the western side of Black Hill. At the spot where the pioneers quarried volcanic basalt for the foundation and basement of the temple, it turns around for a nice, easy 2.5 mile ride with almost no elevation change and no technical stuff. Then, if you're crazy enough, there's the 2-mile add-on of trials-level technical, heading to the north end of the mesa. |
| This a nice easy ride for beginners. It even makes a nice hike with the kiddies, if you can't put wheels under them. At the end of the trail, you can still see the drill-marks where the pioneers split rock. The trail is the original wagon-track built to haul out the rock. Each slab was 10 feet long, 42 inches wide, and 13 inches high, weighing 5500 pounds. You'll enjoy views over Green Valley to the south, then the cliffs of Snow Canyon to the north. The trail hugs a hillside of giant basalt boulders, broken off from the volcanic cap of the mountain. |
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| At the end of the wagon turn-around loop, you'll see steps going down to a narrow singletrack trail. Go have some fun. This trail is tricky, bordering on vicious. The typical advanced rider will make it about 100 feet at a time before taking a dab or pushing through an obstacle. Many turns require hopping up onto rocks, doing a nose-wheelie, or both. About 0.8 mile past the quarry, the "buffed" trail peters out. To continue, follow the faint trail down to the flood-catch ditch, head north, and see if you can climb the loose rock up into the notch in the mesa. If you can make it, the trail continues up to the tippy top, at 2 miles past the Quarry. |
 | Getting there:
From the St. George Blvd Exit,
drive straight west on St. George Blvd. When you hit Bluff Street, go
across to climb Airport
Road up Black Hill. At the first intersection, turn right, then quickly
left, then
right into a paved parking area. The trailhead is at the northern end
of the
parking area through the little arch, GPS N 37° 06.180' W 113° 35.770'. Copyright 2002 Mad Scientist Software Inc |