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.

#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.