Southwest Utah: Dual Sport Riding from St. George

Curious how you find all the trailheads for these dirt roads?

Benchmark Maps, my man, Benchmark Maps. A few bucks well spent!

Saturday, May 5th, 2012: Motorcycle volunteers needed for the St. George Ironman.

Here is the post from inmate lacofdfireman: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18112365#post18112365

Most of the motorcycle work with be for the bicycle phase of the race -- primarily the Veyo Loop. Here's a few pics:

At the bottom, just before starting up "the wall." This is between Gunlock and Veyo. Easier on a moto than a bicycle.




Near the top of "the wall." Short but steep. Notice the road below.




Looking down on the road and the Santa Clara River.




Veyo pies -- a local tradition. Probably not too many of the triathletes will be stopping here on race day!




Should be fun. Thanks to lacofdfireman for being the contact point.

Spring Break week. Was out camping with the family and friends, alas no motos.

Since it was southern Utah, I'll post up a few pics.

Base of operations was Goblin Valley State Park.




Other worldly landscape. Almost no plants.




Kids love exploring the "goblins" -- very easy and fun!




The Horseshoe Canyon part of CanyonLands National Park is close to Goblin Valley.




Hiking in Horseshoe Canyon.




The Holy Ghost Panel of the Great Gallery. Barrier Canyon style rock art, the link to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_Canyon_(Utah)




Little Wildhorse Canyon is on BLM land very close to Goblin Valley. Road is now paved all the way to trailhead.




An excellent slot. Possible to make a round trip with Bell Canyon or just go in and out. Very easy.




Little Wildhorse narrows dramatically for several long stretches. Great for kids! Check it out if you're ever at Goblin.




Time to get out and ride!

Out for a quick spin on the TW late this afternoon. Blustery weather in St. George, but nice. The Chuckawalla Trail is just north of town on Highway 18 (extension of Bluff Street). About 5 minutes from my house.




Parking at the trailhead.




Starting out on the trail.




Views. Black lava rock in foreground. Orange sandstone cliffs. These are the characteristic rock formations and colors of St. George landscapes.




Popular rock climbing wall.







Thanks for checkin' in.

Sure is some very interesting places you have down yonder. Quite amazing as a matter of fact. I don't think I would want to be in Goblin Valley or the Holy Ghost Panel area near dark! Giggle. Nice to see the TW out for an exercise, course I might be a bit partial. Because of your thread, I did drool over a WR250R when I visited the local Yamaha dealer a month or so. They sure do look pretty.

Thanks again for sharing your adventures both 2 foot and 2 wheeled!

Nice spring break and Chuckwalla pics!
What route did you take to Goblin Valley, and if you went thru Bryce and Hwy 12 what were conditions like?
Thanks

By "cage" route to Goblin Valley from St. George:
North on I-15 past Cedar City to UT 20.
UT 20 over "hill" to UT 89.
UT 89 back south to Panguitch.
UT 12 past Bryce, Escalante, and over Boulder Mountain to Torrey.
UT 24 east from Torrey through Capitol Reef (Fuita) to Hanksville.
North from Hanksville to Goblin Valley.

The roads were entirely clear. Some snow on the side of the road on Boulder Mountain, perhaps above roughly 8,000 ft. Lots of melting in recent weeks. Big differences between shade and northern exposures vs. sun and southern exposures.

Return was through Torrey on UT 24 west, then Loa, Koosharem, Otter Creek Reservoir, Circleville, and Panguitch. Went up UT 143 to Brian Head for a few days of skiing. Still ~3 ft. of snow at 9,000 - 10,000 ft. But lots of melt patterns. Saw road bikes in Brian Head (almost 10,000 ft).

Most of Southern UT had snow / rain over past weekend. Brian Head received about 1 ft of snow. Most dirt roads above ~6,000 ft might still be very muddy. Above 8,000 ft - snow.

I think all paved roads (unless permanently closed for winter -- Cedar Breaks) are now clear for road bikes unless snow in last 24 hours.

The whole Capitol Reef National Park area was gorgeous. March, April and May would all be ideal riding, prior to the really hot weather.

UT 14 from Cedar City west to UT 89 is still closed (landslide). This has completely killed the winter sports (snow mobiling) in Duck Creek. This would be the faster way from St. George to Bryce. Word is that UT 14 will receive a temp fix in early summer.

Overall, the fastest way from St. George to Goblin Valley is I-15 to I-70 east. My buddy did it this way, probably ~5 hours drive time. We took several hours longer by messing with the smaller, but more scenic state roads. I-70 is about as scenic as interstate can get, but it can't match UT 12 and Capitol Reef.

Ride often! RRR.

Awesome, thanks for the quick reply and great road conditions report!
I forgot about the slide last year.

Exactly the same loop as Post #120 (on page 8). Out the Motoqua Road, cross Beaver Dam Wash and enter Nevada. Turn south and go through the Bull Valley Wash, re-enter Utah and come back across Beaver Dam Wash at Lytle Ranch. Follow Eardley Road back to pavement (Old 91).

Great loop. Section of road in Nevada (Bull Valley Wash) has been recently graded and is in good condition. Lots of fast dirt with nice curves and undulations.

Here's the map again. About 100 miles.




Descending into Beaver Dam Wash at Motoqua. Blue irrigation pond makes a striking contrast with the brown field. Not quite time for planting, but soon. Spring is coming quickly to Southern Utah. Lots of days in the 70s now. Longer evenings with the clock change. Time to ride!




Today I'm with my buddy Ken (from MotoZoo in St. George). Ken is on his brand new WRR. Crossing Beaver Dam Wash at Motoqua, heading west toward Nevada.




Right on through, but the bottom is bit muddy/soft under there. My back tire slid a bit (not much tread left).




The WRRs. Ken's new WRR with the gold forks, mine (2008) with the silver forks. Ken has farkled his bike up a bit. He's got the inside track, working for a motorcycle store!




Looking upstream. Reasonable amount of water. By mid-summer this year, Beaver Dam Wash will slow to a trickle. Very modest amount of snow/moisture in upstream mountains.




Entering Nevada. Always cool to cross into a new state on a dirt road.




Looking back. Typical road. Almost all of this loop is below 5,000 ft elevation. Very, very little mud. Only a few soft spots. Higher elevations still have mud. Ken doesn't want to get his new bike "messed up" before it's first service.




Signage at the high point of our loop. We turn left (south) here. The sign points north to Barclay and eventually Caliente. Still haven't been on this road. It goes a bit higher up over Bunker pass, about 6,000+ ft with some northern/shaded exposures. Could still be fairly muddy.




Here's Ken. All happy his bike is still clean. Getting the mud off is pain. Check out the handguards and yami bags! Nice!




My bike with some colorful Nevada rock. Close to an old mine.




Descending into Beaver Dam Wash at Lytle Ranch. Look very closely. That's Ken down there on the road. Check out Post #102 for lots more on the Eardley Road and Lytle Ranch at Beaver Dam Wash.




Looking upstream at the crossing. Little oasis in the desert.




A few fast miles back east on the Eardley Road and we're out to pavement at Old Highway 91 on the back side of the Utah Hill. Yours truly with the bikes. Thanks Ken for a great ride.




Ridin' weather is here. Get out inmates and lurkers. Safe travels!

Fantastic as always RRR!

You keep reminding me that I need to get off those golf courses and bring my new KLX250 to visit some of trails I rode starting back in '86.

Curious about those side bags. Is the fit Yami specific? They look like they may be looped over your seat. Is their support behind the bag? They look very good for what you're doing..day rides with a few essentials.

Again, thanks for your thread. You've taught many to the fantastic world of So. UT.

Thanks, Sam! Yeah, be sure to let me know if you and the KLX250 are coming through St. G.

Photo of the WRR side bag below. It is Yami specific and has a support frame. The bag is great. It can hold 1-2 gallons of gas, water, extra jacket. Seems to be steady in all conditions. I have the Wolfman Peak Tailbag also. Like it. Fits the Yamaha tail rack perfectly and has expansion capacity. Ken bought the Yamaha tail bag for his bike (Sales Mgr. Discount -- ), but it's not as large and doesn't have expansion capacity. Nice matching look though.

Out exploring with Dad. Warm temps (well into the 70s) and longer days (dark about 7:30 pm) mean it's ridin' season! Lots of motorbikes out around town the last week.

This was a Friday afternoon ride, probably about 80 miles, out and back the same way. In Warner Valley on the TW. Not really sure where we were headed, so I was carrying extra gas. Extra gas always a good idea when heading out onto the Strip.




One sandy stretch on the Warner Valley Road, otherwise quite smooth. Fat back tire on the TW really floats well on the sand.




A few big rocks close to the road, just before the Dinosaur Track cut-off. Lots of OHV activity in this area.




Red cliffs with taller Hurricane cliffs in background. Very prominent from east end of Warner Valley.




Dad leapfrogs ahead when I stop to take a pic. We do a lot a leapfrog riding when in picture taking mode.




End of Warner Valley. Turning south heading for the AZ Strip. North quickly goes past the private Sky Ranch airport and enters Hurricane.




Dad with Hurricane Cliffs. Initially the road is graded gravel with modest traffic from Hurricane. But it deteriorates quickly and the "traffic" falls away. Road crosses several washes (reasonable condition). By the time you cross into AZ it is remote.




Honeymoon Trail. Small break in the Hurricane Cliffs. Interesting history. About on the UT/AZ border. This sign is a recent (Jan 2012) Eagle Scout project.




Typical scenery on a better stretch of road. Rock Canyon in background.




Official BLM route number is 1036. This is not a major well-maintained BLM route like the road from St. George to Mount Trumbull Schoolhouse or the road from Colorado City to Toroweap. Also, the Temple Trail. Lots of history.




Very scenic but steeper, rougher road as you enter Black Rock Canyon. This is just south of a powerline, probably about 10 miles into AZ.




Near our turn-around point in Black Rock Canyon since our daylight was half gone. Not good to be out on this area after dark. :eek1




Dad enjoying the late afternoon ride. Fantastic light against the cliffs.




Heading back north towards Hurricane.




Final photo opp for the bikes before heading back through Warner Valley.




Thanks for checkin' in. Ride safe, ride often!

Boy, you sure had the full gamut of road surfaces on this ride, and it's so beautiful to boot. I can see why you turned around in Black Rock Canyon. Short distances of a rocky road such as that, jar the fillings from my teeth and tire me out quickly. Well, so does the sand, but it's sooo smooth. Truth is, I probably tire in the sand quicker than the rocky roads. The rest of the roads look so nice so your eyes can wander and take in the sights. Tons of history down there no doubt.

Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

Late Sunday afternoon ride around the Veyo Loop on the Versys. Leave St. George heading west. Past Shivwits Indian Reservation, north to Gunlock Reservoir and Gunlock. Rejoin Highway 18 at Veyo. Back south to St. George. About 50 miles. This is the bike loop (twice) for the St. George Ironman. (Moto volunteers wanted: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18171350#post18171350)

Versys at Ivin's Reservoir, just past Kayenta.




Earlier in the day was hiking with family nearby. View down on the Santa Clara River.




Part of a trailhead plaque. Beats history from a text book.




Back on the road. This memorial is constantly refreshed. Ride safe everyone.




Santa Clara River below Gunlock Reservoir. Almost the entire flow of the river is emitted below the dam via this pipe. Very visible from road.




At the Gunlock Reservoir Boat launch. Closed for the season, but a moto can easily go between the barricade rocks to pay a short visit to the ramp.




At the north end of the reservoir, there is a new bridge / culvert across the Santa Clara River. This used to be ford. Pavement heads into Gunlock town. This is a dirt road heading west to the Manganese Spring area. Check out Post #128 on page 9.




Photo of Dad starting the "old" ford. No longer necessary.






Horses feeding in late afternoon light. In the quarry near Gunlock.




Strong winds all day. Nice home in Gunlock area. Pine Valley Mountain in background.




Glamour shot.




After taking the glamour shot I look back at the other side of the road and notice a whole bunch of deer watching me. Everyone is out enjoying the evening.




Back at Highway 18. Veyo. Fast run south (downhill) back to St. George.




Really nice to be out for a late afternoon ride. The Versys is sweet on the twisty pavement.

Thanks RRR - I needed that - spent the last couple days driving around camper shopping!

Rick

Spectacular S. UT; connect w/ the earth and feel ancient spirits! Love that country.
How nice you can ride w/ your dad!

Great picts.

Thanks for the RR.

d

Specifically, TheAdmiral, Superhawk, DCZ, and RidingUpAndDown, and several others via PM.

Updated index of rides in Post #1.

I'm looking for sponsorship from the St. George Chamber of Commerce (or a local moto store).

From Green Valley there is a network of doubletrack that works northward to Santa Clara. This is all very, very close to St. George, about 5 minutes, 2-3 miles from my house. My wife is out of town on business for a few days so I'm stickin' close to home with my son and his friends. Had a bit a free time late Saturday afternoon. Just perfect to go find a bit of dirt between Green Valley and Santa Clara. Check out Post #165 on bottom of page 11 for info on Green Valley.

Here's a pic of the dirt track crossing the key ravine. About halfway between Green Valley and Santa Clara. The track drops down almost next to housing on Sunbrook Golf Course. As always, the down and up is steeper than it looks.




Here's a pic I snapped looking to the right at this spot. The golf course is Sunbrook. My neighborhood is at the base of black hill, just to the left edge of the pic. If you knew exactly where to look you could see my house.




Got over towards Santa Clara quite quickly, but wasn't quite ready to head back home yet. Days getting noticably longer and great temps for riding. Near 80 in St. George today. Turned south on dirt/rock tracks. Pic of the TW with Boomer Hill in background. These trails are not shown on Benchmark maps.




Lots of this area has been closed off by Desert Tortoise Reserve and the newly established Santa Clara River Reserve. But, you can still get from here down to Navajo Drive in Bloomington. You just have to know where to look.




Didn't have enough time to connect through to Bloomington, but here is the TW on a high point looking generally south towards the Bloomington Cave area. Still lots of territory out there.




Some of the tracks follow a simple powerline. Other tracks just evolved over time. Basically no maintenance. Even though this is close to town you seldom see anyone out here. As always, steeper than it looks.




Headed back north towards Santa Clara. Pine Valley Mountain in background. Almost no snow on the southern face. Red cliffs of Snow Canyon State Park. Santa Clara below with farmer's field.




Crossing back in to Santa Clara on relatively new paved bridge. Santa Clara River. Very light flow for springtime. Looks like it's going to be a dry summer. :eek1




This is a great little area very close to town, probably less than 20 miles total distance. I'll snake through from Santa Clara down to Bloomington (Navajo Drive) sometime soon. This is all rougher stuff. More like rocky double track than semi-maintained dirt roads. Plus you have to watch the fences and a few cliff bands.

Thanks for checkin' in. Ride safe, ride often.