Adventure in Light-Howie Shultz

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Mountain Bike Destinations { 28 galleries }

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  • Ape Canyon-Plains of Abraham
    Ape Canyon-Plains of Abraham
    18 images
  • Curly Lake Highline
    Curly Lake Highline
    17 images
  • Gooseberry Mesa
    Gooseberry Mesa
    14 images
    My pick for the #7 best scenic ride in the western US is Gooseberry Mesa. By including only one desert ride in my first six choices I had to pick another one when you have options in Moab, Sedona, Fruita, and southwestern Utah that have been passed over in the first 6 selections. But I had to go with Gooseberry because the views from the edge of this mesa are spectacular and this rating is based on eye candy. I have done this ride 6 times and there are many different ways of stringing together a ride in this network of trails but I prefer to start on the South Rim trail selection and go clockwise around the perimeter of the mesa. Our mileage has generally been between 12-15 miles depending on how we decide to finish the ride. Don’t be deceived though into thinking with such a small amount of mileage this is an easy ride. It isn’t. Most of the time it has taken us at least 4 hours to do this ride. It can be pretty demanding technically as you encounter tricky ledges, quick steep ups, off camber turns on steep slickrock, twisty canyon routes, and some short climbs that are so technical that I have never seen any rider clean them. The GPS claims only 500 ft of elevation change but there are some quick steep climbs that will get your heart pounding. And this is southwest Utah so it can be very hot without any real places to get some shade. So respect the heat and plan your day accordingly and bring plenty of water and snacks. Trail finding is fairly easy with the typical white dots on slickrock as well as some cairns and some decent signage. If you need any help with rental, repairs, or trail knowledge the folks at Over the Edge bike shop in nearby Hurricane are excellent. And if you have another day in the area make sure to check out the J.E.M. trail and hook it up with Goulds Rim and Hurricane Rim trail to give you about a 20 mile counter clock wise loop with the last 6 miles being some of the sweetest flowy desert downhill you will ever experience.
  • Kokopelli Trail
    Kokopelli Trail
    21 images
  • McKenzie River Trail
    McKenzie River Trail
    12 images
  • Monarch Crest
    Monarch Crest
    17 images
  • Mountain Biking-Arizona-Flagstaff Area
    Mountain Biking-Arizona-Flagstaff Area
    4 images
  • Mountain Biking-Arizona-Phoenix Area
    Mountain Biking-Arizona-Phoenix Area
    12 images
  • Mountain Biking-Arizona-Sedona Area
    Mountain Biking-Arizona-Sedona Area
    13 images
  • Mountain Biking-Belize
    Mountain Biking-Belize
    9 images
  • Mountain Biking-California-Lake Tahoe Area
    Mountain Biking-California-Lake...
    20 images
  • Mountain Biking-Colorado-Colorado Trail
    Mountain Biking-Colorado-Colorado...
    51 images
  • Mountain Biking-Colorado-Crested Butte Area
    Mountain Biking-Colorado-Crested...
    33 images
  • Mountain Biking-Colorado-Durango Area
    Mountain Biking-Colorado-Durango Area
    18 images
  • Mountain Biking-Colorado-Fruita
    Mountain Biking-Colorado-Fruita
    20 images
  • Mountain Biking-Colorado-Hartman Rocks
    Mountain Biking-Colorado-Hartman Rocks
    11 images
  • Mountain Biking-Idaho-Sun Valley
    Mountain Biking-Idaho-Sun Valley
    7 images
  • Mountain Biking-Montana-Bozeman/Big Sky
    Mountain Biking-Montana-Bozeman/Big...
    25 images
  • Mountain Biking-New Mexico-Taos/Santa Fe
    Mountain Biking-New...
    13 images
  • Mountain Biking-Oregon
    Mountain Biking-Oregon
    13 images
  • Mountain Biking-Utah-Moab
    Mountain Biking-Utah-Moab
    16 images
  • Mountain Biking-Utah-Park City
    Mountain Biking-Utah-Park City
    17 images
  • Mountain Biking-Utah-Southwest
    Mountain Biking-Utah-Southwest
    28 images
  • Mountain Biking-Utah-Vernal
    Mountain Biking-Utah-Vernal
    16 images
  • Mountain Biking-Washington-Mt. St. Helens
    Mountain Biking-Washington-Mt. St....
    7 images
  • Mountain Biking-Wyoming-Jackson Hole
    Mountain Biking-Wyoming-Jackson Hole
    15 images
  • South Boundary Trail
    South Boundary Trail
    9 images
    #8 South Boundary Trail For my #8 pick for the most scenic rides in the western US I chose the South Boundary Trail near Taos, NM. I’ve only done this ride once and although it does not get the press that other more well known mountain biking meccas receive, I think it deserves to be considered as one of the best in the US. We did it as a shuttle ride a few years ago and paid the local bike shop to take us out to the start and left our vehicle at the end. I am not sure this service is still provided but if not you may want to look into making your own shuttle because it would be an all day suffer fest to do it as an out and back. During the first 5 miles you climb about 1,400 ft but the grade is very reasonable. After the initial climb you crest at around 10,500 ft and then drop close to 4,700 ft over the next 20 miles with only about 400 ft of additional climbing along the way. The last 5 miles are steep and a little more technical but still very enjoyable. Along the trail you will go through beautiful alpine meadows, ponderosa pines, and some of the most beautiful aspen groves in New Mexico. If you ever get to the Taos area I would highly recommend figuring out a way to do this ride….you won’t be disappointed.
  • Whole Enchilada
    Whole Enchilada
    23 images