Friday, November 12, 2010

Paradise Canyon Bike Riding Trail

Paradise Canyon Trail - Short loop north of St. George. Features the easier Turtle Wall trail along the sandstone. Links to other trails in the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve. A little climbing, intermediate technical overall. Season year-round.

The Paradise Canyon trail is a short singletrack loop right on the border of St. George. Located in the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve, it connects to the paved Snow Canyon Loop and to the singletrack Beck Hill and Gila trails. Formerly a fairly technical ride, the trail has been buffed up. The Halfway Wash trail is an easy ride. The Turtle Wall trail is early-intermediate technical and easy aerobic. The Paradise Rim side of the loop has some advanced tech stuff. Just walk the spots that make you nervous.

This is a good ride for a "quickie," or a nice starting ride for beginners. Hard-core bikers may want to hit the side trails towards the rim of Snow Canyon, or maybe do a couple of loops. The extended trails can be reached via Beck Hill, or by turning right at the summit of the loop. (Maps of the trails in the Desert Reserve are available for sale. I found one at Red Rock Bicycle in St. George.) I'm describing the loop that local residents ride. They come into the Desert Reserve from the south, connecting via the paved Snow Canyon or Halfway Wash trails.
If you're shopping for a parking spot, I'd suggest you start at Chuckwalla, descend to the bottom, cross the wash, then climb Turtle Wall to Paradise Rim. An alternative loop is to ride up Becks Hill trail, turn left onto Paradise Rim, then descent Turtle Wall. Becks Hill has some sand sections, and is an upper-intermediate route.

Getting there, Chuckwalla Trailhead: Go north on Bluff Street until you're leaving down and starting uphill. Go straight through the traffic light at Snow Canyon Parkway. Watch on your left for a log fence and the "Chuckwalla Trailhead" sign. Turn into the parking area. The trailhead is a stepover at the north end. There's another entry in the west trailer parking area.

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