Applecross MTB Trail System (Lower)

View from the bottom on the high-expert DH on the west-side trails. Photos and initial review by Bruce on July 29, 2021. Updates May 2023 and July 2024.

Applecross MTB Trail System
Lower Trail Group

The Applecross trails are located along the North Fork Road just east of Zion National Park. Starting at 6000 feet elevation and extending to 6800, the expected riding season will be mid May through October. Trails range from very easy to very difficult. I've divided the system into three groups of trails: upper, middle, and lower. This page covers the lower custer of Applecross trails.

The lower trails were the first to be constructed, with some trails opening in 2021. Newer trails continue to be added. These lower trails have their own small trailhead 0.2 miles from Highway 9 on the North Fork Road. As you might expect, the lower trail group will be the first to dry out in the spring.

Trails are marked with rock "tombstones" that contain trail name and difficulty.

The Maverick trail is one of three expert-level rides in the lower trail group.

Trails are marked with "tombstone" markers containing trail name and difficulty rating. This is the fork for Lunar Ride off Little Dipper.

The lower trail group contains over 8 miles of trail, with riding on both sides of the North Fork Road.

This review will divide the individual trails into sections for (1) trails east of the North Fork Road, (2) the three west side DH loops, then (3) the two northern loops. All loop rides are one-way!

Across the North Fork Road from the parking strip is a small trail complex consisting of the loop trail Pinion Run and two expert-level descending trails ( Radio Flyer and Juniper Rush) that lie within that loop. A singletrack connector takes you from the trailhead staging area across the road and over to Pinion Run.

Kids and true beginners will like the Pinion Run loop. A ride from the parking strip to the loop will be 2.7 miles with around 200 feet of climbing.

Crossing the wash on the connector to Pinion Run.

At the top of the hill on Bison Chute.

West of the North Fork road are three DH trails (Sidewinder, Lunar Ride, Bison Chute) served by a climbing trail called Little Dipper. Lunar Ride forks off Little Dipper on the back side of a small hill, beginning with a short climb. This climb is also the path to Sidewinder and Bison Chute.

From the trail fork where Lunar Ride turns uphill from Little Dipper, Little Dipper continues on north to the head of Waterpocket Canyon.

The northern end of Little Dipper connects to the top of the one-way expert Bison Escape trail for a loop ride. At this trail fork, it also links to the Canyon Connection trail. Canyon Connection leads to the one-way Maverick trail on the opposite side of Waterpocket Creek.

Canyon Connection is also your route to connect to the newer trails in Clear Creek Canyon and on to the upper Applecross trails.

Climbing from Waterpocket Creek on Maverick.

Trailhead

Trailhead, looking north.

The trailhead is located on North Fork Road, just one mile outside the eastern border of Zion National Park off Highway 9. From inside Zion, drive uphill and out of the eastern gate, then turn left onto the North Fork (Zion Ponderosa) road at the roundabout.

From US-89, turn westbound at the Carmel Junction onto Highway 9. Drive 11 miles then turn right on the North Fork road.

About 0.2 miles after turning onto the North Fork road, there's a fenced parking strip on your left. This is the lower trailhead

The trailhead area features a "corral" that all bike traffic passes through. Pedal into the fenced area and turn left to begin climbing on Little Dipper.

If you're headed to Pinion Run, turn right as you enter the fence, then right again to find the singletrack connector trail eastbound along the fence.

All bike traffic from the downhill trails will come into the northern side of the fenced staging area.

Drone view of the staging area, as Bruce turns to take another lap.

Applecross DH Loops

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East-side trails

Northbound early in the climb up the main loop.

Pinion Run (Main East Loop)
The connector trail to Pinion Run starts inside the fenced staging area, to your right as you enter the "corral." Cross over the North Fork road and find continuing singletrack with a bridge over the wash. The trail will veer around 180 degrees as it crosses a meadow to the flank of a small hill, then head southbound along the edge of the hill to the loop.

The trail straight ahead is the return part of Pinion Run's one-way loop. At the loop fork, keep left. Pinion Run will turn 180 degrees uphill on a slow left curve. Climb uphill steadily for 1/2 mile to reach the traversing section at the top where the alternate trails lie. You'll gain only 100 feet of elevation, so the climb is suitable for beginners.

Rolling along a limestone ledge as we pass manzanita and yucca.

The main loop is suitable for beginners.

All these trails lie within a layer of white clay and limestone. There's an occasional splash of orange dirt. The trails are machine-cut with undulations to shed water. At the time of my ride in 2021, trail signs were just being placed. Trails are now well-marked at every intersection.

The Pinion Run loop is 1.7 miles around, with around 150 vertical feet of total climbing.

The first trail option off Pinion Run comes at mile 0.6 of the ride. A sign indicates a short expert alternate line uphill on the left.

There are two of these expert alternate lines. (The second comes at mile 0.8 of the loop.) They're very short and not at all hard to pedal. But they both end with a rock-drop as you bounce back down to the main trail.

"More technical option" marker. When you see this, it's just a short alternate line with a tricky spot.

Aaaand here it is. A stair-step down to the main trail.

About 30 feet past the entry to the first tech alternate line (uphill to your left), there's a sign for Juniper Rush (one-way downhill flow trail, see below). Juniper Rush forks off on your right and quickly hooks around to reverse direction. Keep straight if you're staying on the main loop.

At mile 0.9 Radio Flyer (see below) joins from downhill right, then forks away uphill to your left. It crosses the trail about 100 feet later. Keep straight and level to stay on the main loop.

The Pinion Run loop trail will descend a little, then turn back to the west. You'll be joined by Radio Flyer. There's some fun twisty stuff coming up.

Some wiggles and fun bumps on the bottom side of the main loop.

When you hit the red dirt, you're almost finished with the main loop.

As it approaches the trailhead area, Pinion Run heads a bit uphill and turns back to the north. It's joined by Juniper Rush just a few feet before it hits that first turn where you started uphill on the main loop. Keep to the right and uphill to make another round, or go straight and left to head out on the connector trail.

On the left uphill is a tech alternate line. Ahead at the second marker (middle of photo), Juniper Rush hooks around as it forks away to the right.

Juniper Rush
Juniper Rush is an intermediate DH-only (signed as expert) trail that forks away from the main loop at mile 0.6 of the ride. At the entry it hooks around to the right and descends around 80 vertical feet over 0.3 miles.

After rolling through dips and banked turns, Juniper Rush rejoins Pinion Run (the main loop) just a few feet before the trail fork for the main loop.

Looking down at Highway 9 from Juniper Rush.

Here's the entry to Radio Flyer, on the left. Although it's a downhill-only trail, it starts with this little uphill jaunt into the trees.

Radio Flyer
Radio Flyer forks away to the left uphill at mile 0.9 of Pinion Run. Radio Flyer would be considered a skilled upper-intermediate level ride and is signed as expert. It is one-way.

After pedaling up into the trees to the left of the main loop, you'll turn back downhill and cross over the main trail. (There's a mashed Radio Flyer on the side of the trail just before the cross-over.) Watch for oncoming riders from your right.

About to cross the main loop as we see the Radio Flyer. Look for riders!

Here's the rock drop. The main trail goes right across the platform at the top of that rock drop.

The cross-over spot has a rock drop of around two feet. If you don't think you can do that, take the stair-steps (see photo).

The descent features a table jump, a double, a step-up, and lots of bermed turns. There's a log ride that gets steadily narrower. Fun stuff, but over too quickly.

Looking down Radio Flyer.

A rock ramp onto a log ride, just for fun.

Radio Flyer is only 0.2 miles long with a drop of 50 vertical feet. It joins the bottom side of Pinion Run for a west-bound return.

If you want to do it again, Radio Flyer climbs back uphill to Pinion Run near the spot where Radio Flyer diverts uphill.

West-side trails

Entry to the climbing route. We're in a little "corral" off the main parking strip.

Little Dipper (Climbing Trail)

The climbing route to all the west-side trails -- and to the Clear Creek trails -- is called Little Dipper. It heads southbound from the trailhead. It will be to your left as you enter the little "corral" from the parking lot. It's a machine-cut trail that's easy to ride.

At mile 0.4 from the trailhead, there's a trail fork. This one is critical if you're headed for the DH trails. If your goal is Lunar Escape, Lunar Ride, or Bison Chute, make a 180-degree right turn uphill at this spot. (Little Dipper itself continues straight uphill from here to the top of Waterpocket Creek.) The trail to your right, signed as Lunar Ride, will climb 0.1 mile to the top of all the DH routes.

If you're headed for Bison Escape (the expert-level trail back to the top of the DH trails, see below) stay straight and continue the climb uphill on Little Dipper.

Typical view on the climbing route to the DH trails before it hooks to the right uphill (while Little Dipper trail continues straight up the little valley of Waterpocket Creek).

Fork where Lunar Run turns uphill to the DH trails.

The Little Dipper trail continues north at the fork at mile 0.4 where the climbing trail turns sharply uphill to the right, following the canyon above Waterpocket Creek. At mile 1.1 from the trailhead, you'll reach a trail fork. The northbound (left-hand) trail is Canyon Connector, linking to the trails in Clear Creek (see below). Southbound to your right is Bison Escape (see below). There's also a connector out to the road for patrons of Clear Creek Ranch, straight ahead as Little Dipper hits the 4-way trail fork.

Lunar Ride (Intermediate DH trail)
The Lunar Ride downhill route forks to the right from the climbing trail (which is also officially part of Lunar Ride) at mile 0.5 from the trailhead. It descends 100 vertical feet over 0.2 miles. It's machine-cut with dips and banked turns. There are a lot of little "whooshes." Nothing scary.

Here's the trail fork for the intermediate DH trail, on the right.

Handlebar view of a banked turn. Even after two years (2023 photo), it's still chunky and loose. Smooth flow is what works best here.

The dirt is mixed with little limestone slabs. These tend to skitter around a bit under your tires. So the best strategy is: go fast and let the bike roll the line around the corners. Brake-clutching and timid riding is your enemy on this trail surface.

Lunar Ride ends at the uphill entry to the "corral" bike-staging fenced area.

Sidewinder (Beginner DH trail)
At the top of the climbing trail at mile 0.5 from the trailhead, keep left as Lunar Ride forks away to the right. Pedal another 30 feet then keep right onto Sidewinder as expert Bison Chute goes left and uphill.

Climbing past Lunar Run to Lunar Escape. Lunar Escape is about 20 feet up the tr...

Climbing past Lunar Run to Sidewinder. The Sidewinder trail is about 20 feet up the trail from the marker post.

A look down the trail.

Sidewinder starts as a flat trail. For the most part, it's an easy descent as it winds back and forth on the hillside. But there are some tight corners with steep banks on the lower portion that will spook beginners. But you've got to roll them. If you brake and go slow, you'll slide sideways in the loose chunder.

Sidewinder will tie into the bottom of Bison Chute for the final 100 feet before the trailhead.

Bison Chute (Double-black DH Trail)
To reach the high-expert Bison Chute descending trail, turn right uphill at mile 0.4 of the climbing trail, then keep left where the intermediate DH trail (Lunar Ride) and the beginner DH trail (Lunar Escape) start at mile 0.5 from the trailhead. The trail rapidly becomes a narrow more-technical hand-carved trail.

Continue up onto a mesa. Your total climb will be 150 vertical feet. Follow the singletrack around to the east and drop downhill. The fun is about to start!

On the mesa edge. The expert traversing trail is just 15 feet to our left, below the little cliff. Nice spot to take in the views.

First stunt, diving board onto a rock ramp.

Next, a skinny log ride.

Steep slab-rock fall into a turn to the right.

A taller slab-rock fall into a turn to the left.

Final high-speed turns before hitting the receiving corral. Great stuff!

The trail drops 150 vertical feet over 0.3 miles. There will be various stunts, most of which have NO ride-around. This includes a skinny tree slab that drops onto a rock ramp, a two-foot full-air rock drop, and a couple of almost free-fall rock ramps that have major G forces in the turns at the bottom. So don't hit this trail unless you're ready to commit. It truly requires double-black skills.

The trail ends at the little corral by the parking strip.

Northwest trails

View down the trail, heading south. Up and over the rock slab.

Bison Escape (one-way traversing technical trail)
There's an expert-level trail just below the mesa edge. It's one-way north to south. It starts at the uphill end of Little Dipper, just after completing a difficult S climbing turn before the 4-way trail intersection. Bison Escape is to your right, over a rock outcrop, so the entry is not easily noticed.

The Bison Escape trail is narrow and technical. It's 0.7 miles long, with no overall elevation change. It bounces over lots of rocks and ledges as it hugs a shelf just under a band of limestone cliff.

On the southern end, it joins the Lunar Run climbing trail just before the fork where the intermediate Lunar Run DH route starts. So you can access any of the three DH trails from the south end of Bison Escape.

Skirting the edge of the limestone -- lots of rock challenges and ledges.

Getting near the top of the trail; almost to the road.

Canyon Connector
To reach Canyon Connector, take Little Dipper and continue north. At mile 1.1 from the trailhead, turn right at the 4-way intersection (where the Clear Creek Ranch connector and Bison Escape fork away). Canyon Connector will descend and cross the creek near a culvert that goes under the road, then turn and climb.

Depending on floods and trail maintenance, the trip through the dip can be an ugly boulder scramble. Immediately after you get out of the dip and onto the western side of Waterpocket Canyon -- mile 1.3 from the trailhead -- the Ridge Runner loop forks away on your left. (In 2023, the Ridge Runner trail is barely developed. Both the entry and the trail itself are hard to see.)

Canyon Connector will meander west for 1.1 miles, then turn left along the edge of Clear Creek Canyon. If you continue, the trail will descend down to Clear Creek, where you'll encounter an extensive trail system. These trails in Clear Creek Canyon and in the upper trail group above North Fork Road are also part of the Applecross MTB trail system.

Following the Canyon Connector trail toward Clear Creek Canyon.

This is the entry to the trail. You wouldn't see it if not for the rockpiles.

Maverick

Maverick is a new (fall 2023) addition to the lower system. It is one-way, running 1.1 miles from Canyon Connector to Little Dipper near the Lunar Ride trail fork. At its upper end, Maverick forks off Canyon Connector 1/4 mile from Little Dipper -- just west of the rough turn in Waterpocket Canyon (you'll know it when you get there).

You'll do around 150 vertical feet of climbing over the course of Maverick.

Maverick is marked as an intermediate trail, but I'd give it an expert rating. The rockwork on the northern end is tricky with some injury potential.

A trail to be called Ridge Runner was roughed in on top of the mesa. Some riders still take this path, so you may note some tire tracks along upper Maverick.

A wooden sidewalk on upper Maverick.

Working past a ledge.

Maverick first traverses south, hugging the slope just below the mesa. The first 1/3 mile is fairly technical riding, dodging and rolling over rockwork. Intermediates may need to hike through much of this section.

Here's an A-B split. Pick your line.

A steep drop down a log ramp, 8 inches wide near the bottom.

Maverick now plunges through a series of banked turns before crossing a bridge over Waterpocket Creek. You'll drop almost 150 vertical feet in 0.2 miles.

Looking down through several tight turns.

Here the trail drops steeply (with an A-B split) during the climb out of Waterpocket.

The climb up the other side of the canyon will be interrupted by several downhill sections. Maverick joins Little Dipper just north of the trail fork for the Lunar Ride, Sidewinder, and Bison Chute DH trails. The orientation of the trail fork would send you back uphill on Little Dipper.

Lower Applecross trail group

Getting there:
From inside Zion National Park, it's around one mile outside the east gate. At the roundabout, turn left onto the North Fork (Zion Ponderosa) road.
From US-89, turn westbound at the Carmel Junction on Highway 9. Drive 11 miles then turn right on the North Fork road.
About 0.2 miles after turning onto the North Fork road, there's a fenced parking strip on your left.

No toilet or water at lower trailhead. There's a toilet at the upper Applecross trailhead.

Pages for other trails in this system:
Applecross at Clear Creek
Upper Applecross