Black Brush Bike Riding Trail

Black Brush Trail - Signed for horses and foot traffic, but ridden by cyclists. 4.2-mile lariat loop within the Santa Clara River Preserve. Moderate total climbing with a few stiff pitches. Upper-intermediate technical. Views of area and into Santa Clara River gorge. Season year-round.

This trail starts at the Barrel Roll trailhead. It's marked for horses and foot traffic (not for bikes). But I saw massive bike tire-treads on this trail, so obviously somebody is riding it, which is why I checked it out. My suggestion is, have a nice 80-minute hike (or 30-minute run) and enjoy some nice views into the Santa Clara gorge. But if you're determined to ride it, here's the report.
Above: We're at the lowest elevation of the ride, in the loop over the Santa Clara River gorge. It's January 10 and it's 50 degrees. Perfect weather for a bike ride. Gotta love St. George!

The Black Brush trail is 4.2 miles in length, with a lariat configuration. It's a bit more technical than the Barrel Roll trail, although it won't feel that way for the first little bit. There are more ledges and hard-to-clean spots. There's a fair amount of up-and-down that makes the ride seem like more work. The loop at the end has fairly steep grades, more horse-friendly than bike-friendly, and the surface is a bit more grainy-soft than Barrel Roll.

Total climbing will be about 900 feet, even though the ride's high point is only 200 feet higher than the trailhead. The small loop at the end has 400 feet of climbing (and 400 feet of descending). Whereas Barrel Roll climbs at an easy grade through switchbacks, Black Brush has more of a horseman's "let's just get there" approach to its climbing.

Getting there: In St. George, head north on Bluff Street and turn left on Sunset Blvd. Drive 3 miles west on Sunset through Santa Clara. As you're reaching the end of Santa Clara, look for a road crossing the river on your left. It's about 200 feet before the Jacob Hamblin Home (which will be on your right if you pass the turn). Turn and cross the river and follow the road as it turns right. About 0.4 miles from Hwy 191, turn left onto the dirt Stucki Springs road. At mile 0.7, turn right at the sign "Santa Clara Preserve" or "Cove Wash Trailhead." Pass the water tank, and at mile 1.3, turn right again through the fence. This road will veer left to at a log-fence parking area at mile 1.5, N37 07.253 W113 40.508.