Dan's trip to Utah

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DANSPANK

Guest
To save you time reading through all of this crap the moral of the story is "ride the Thunder Mountain trail".

Still here? Are you comfortable? Then I'll begin...

I was out in south west Utah a week or so ago. I met up with a group of people for a number of rides that centered around the Virgin river. We started at about 9000ft on the Virgin River trail. You'll read this a lot, the scenery was just stunning. The photos below won't do it justice - you'll just have to go yourself.

Day 1
With clear blue skies and temps in the 70s we set off on a roughly level trail that meandered through mature aspens and firs, and open meadows following the hill contours. Not much climbing really, just nice and flowy alternating double and single track.
i815D0EBF-744B-4EFD-9C5C-B39FF1D977B5.jpg


We stopped a lot so that we could keep everyone together, take photos and just enjoy beoing out there, but it really wasn't that strenuous. Towards the end of the trail will climbed to the site of our camp for the next two days - sitting nicely at 9200ft.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6714158

In the afternoon we took a really nice and flowing trail around Navajo lake. There wasn't much climbing aroung this lake so we didn't stop too much and you could really motor - especially on the last few miles that returned us to camp:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6714157

At about the half-way point the trail cut through a lava field - really cool!
i2FBE3C8E-1EE7-47B1-97F7-4B5274C85F7D.jpg


Then it came the super-fast section back to the camp that I mentioned. Great stuff!

Camp was a bit primitive so after a wetwipe and hot towel wash it was time for thermals. When the sun goes down it gets C-O-L-D!! It dropped to a very chilly 28degrees but it was well worth popping your head out of the tent to see the stars. Something you just don't get to see at the 50ft above sea level you get here in Jersey. It was a stunning night show!
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
I'll add this image of the lava field just because it was pretty cool riding through it:
iD490EA5D-A7A7-4410-A3AE-DEE06F2D34EF.jpg


Day 2
Coffee warmed the parts that the night chilled! I woke up to frost on my tent and the bike - not good. But, as soon as the sun came up, the temps began to rise and it was soon time to ride.

We rode back towards the lake and then climbed to one of the valley ridges to Cascade Trail. Topping out at just under 10000ft a few times this ride would be our highest of the trip. Just like the trails on the first day, the buffed singletrack was just a joy to rip along. I'd had a major headache overnight, which could've been put down to altitude, but as couple of advil sorted that out and my climbing legs were with me again. The first long climb basically took us to the top of the ridgeline and we followed it across the top of the hills to our lunch spot. The ride down to the lunch spot had some technical switchbacks but I brought my cojones so no problems there, mateys:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6714167

The views were amazing. This one looks out towards Bryce Canyon:
i65AB6A6A-7F89-418A-9D73-7A36C79E1B6A.jpg


Every now and then the trees would give way to stunning rock outcrops and you simply had to stop and gaze:
iCD42EE2C-4A05-41E9-AA3B-01BA8B25AAC6.jpg


After lunch it was time to head back up those technical switchbacks (I didn't puke but did have to walk a tad), back along Cascade Trail a little until we found DIke Trail. This trail ripped down switchbacks to the lakeside. On the way down we came across a newly fallen tree. It was too big to move so we built a short log roller and off we went:
iE4CC28FB-0EF3-46FD-A557-83F30927B735.jpg


We crossed the dike over the lake and again hit that ripping-fast lakeside sprint back to camp:
i69D66786-47B0-4562-8FC4-C50ACECE37C1.jpg


All too soon the sun went down and it was time to wrap up. The temps only touched freezing that night!
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
Day 3
We woke up early as we needed to move to a new location. But, putting priorities in order, we rode first. The landscape changed from Aspens and firs to hoodoos and stunning views of weathered orange rock. We dropped down in altitude too, down to about 7000ft - welcome to Zion Canyon.
i69D66786-47B0-4562-8FC4-C50ACECE37C1.jpg

We started gently climbing up jeep/atv trails along Castro Canyon. This lead to some single track with more challenging hills. It wasn't that they were long, more short, steep and sandy so I had a lot of trouble with traction.

We took a really sweet out 'n' back to our lunch location that overlooked the trail we'd just climbed. The picture above is the cliff overlooking that trail.

More stunning views were around every corner and I could've stopped every 50ft to take photos - you'll just have to believe me that it was gorgeous!
i9CA2E5F1-8E58-4240-8EB7-0BD78698C7C5.jpg


On the way back down to our van we crossed a washout several times. At the edges of the washout were banks that you could launch a quick huck from. We stopped to wait for a few people at the last one so I decided to give the jump another shot. Someone saw me and asked me to do it again so that could take a snap. So, being the professional I am I tracked back along the trail and selectively moved a few larger stones from off the run-up so that I could make this the biggest and bestest jump. I pedalled, I charged, I compressed the fork and launched off the lip. I banked sideways, dug the front wheel in and slammed into the ground in front of everyone! What a tool! Always where a helmet, kids.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6714422

Then it was back to camp so that I could set up Little Britain
i85C5941C-CC3F-4F00-876E-E7A7BA1A6FD2.jpg
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
Day 4
The last day. I'll say it now, this was - this is my favourite trail. Thunder Mountain Trail. You won't get anything from my photos so go to you tube and search for it. It's stunning:
iD9A044D2-1917-4C4C-9BA9-BF9FD5C5B7D9.jpg

We were dropped off at the trail head. The plan was to do the run, load up the bikes, drive back to the top and do it again.

The trail is hardpacked and very grippy. It's singletrack and initially follows the contours of the canyons with some climbing and rolling downhills, banked turns and a few huckable waterbar-type things:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6714421

There are loads of outcrops to stand and pose on. In this shot it looks like I'm doing a full-on pose but there really wasn't much to stand on up there. I shakily made my way up and had to have my bike handed to me. It was a pretty big drop to my left so I got down pretty sharpish!
iDFC5C959-4593-493B-A0B1-3A6B356D51BA.jpg


The second half of the ride was where you needed to unpack those nads. A lot of the trail would cut across very steep (60-70degree) slopes. A wrong move and you'd have a 3-400ft roll down to the valley floor. It really was pretty sketchy and I loved it. Unfortunately I didn't stop for photos there but I think that part of the trail is called Sharks Fin.

This is not one of the steep slops but it gives you an idea of how the trails were cut:
iB533DA2F-17AF-4564-81AB-91C2B69FC641.jpg


Where's Wally (Daniel)?
iE27FA963-48FD-465D-B008-43C90466FABD.jpg


I'd also heard about a special set of switchbacks. They were next. These things looked like they just jutted out of the side of the hill. There was a lot of sitting over the back wheel and willing the front arount the switchbacks! Mess up on them and you fall down this:
i9F477986-BD8B-43CF-B3C5-A78C23E4BD74.jpg


The final mile or so was again just super-fast. I think we hit almost 30mph. The plan was to have lunch at the bottom, load up the truck and do it all over again. It was the last day and I was craving more miles so I decided to skip lunch and take the handy bike path back to the top. It's a 7-mile, 40 minute climb up about 1000ft. If you ever go to Thunder Mountain then leave your car at the bottom and use this as the warm up and you'll get a nice 15mile loop:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6714669

Would I go back? Abso-bloody-lutely. The last two-days of riding really only touched on what's available around Zion. There's a lot more to ride.

So, as I mentioned at the top of the page, get yourself to southwest Utah. Now.
 

ADZ

Member
Day 4
The last day. I'll say it now, this was - this is my favourite trail. Thunder Mountain Trail. You won't get anything from my photos so go to you tube and search for it. It's stunning:
iD9A044D2-1917-4C4C-9BA9-BF9FD5C5B7D9.jpg

We were dropped off at the trail head. The plan was to do the run, load up the bikes, drive back to the top and do it again.

The trail is hardpacked and very grippy. It's singletrack and initially follows the contours of the canyons with some climbing and rolling downhills, banked turns and a few huckable waterbar-type things:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6714421

There are loads of outcrops to stand and pose on. In this shot it looks like I'm doing a full-on pose but there really wasn't much to stand on up there. I shakily made my way up and had to have my bike handed to me. It was a pretty big drop to my left so I got down pretty sharpish!
iDFC5C959-4593-493B-A0B1-3A6B356D51BA.jpg


The second half of the ride was where you needed to unpack those nads. A lot of the trail would cut across very steep (60-70degree) slopes. A wrong move and you'd have a 3-400ft roll down to the valley floor. It really was pretty sketchy and I loved it. Unfortunately I didn't stop for photos there but I think that part of the trail is called Sharks Fin.

This is not one of the steep slops but it gives you an idea of how the trails were cut:
iB533DA2F-17AF-4564-81AB-91C2B69FC641.jpg


Where's Wally (Daniel)?
iE27FA963-48FD-465D-B008-43C90466FABD.jpg


I'd also heard about a special set of switchbacks. They were next. These things looked like they just jutted out of the side of the hill. There was a lot of sitting over the back wheel and willing the front arount the switchbacks! Mess up on them and you fall down this:
i9F477986-BD8B-43CF-B3C5-A78C23E4BD74.jpg


The final mile or so was again just super-fast. I think we hit almost 30mph. The plan was to have lunch at the bottom, load up the truck and do it all over again. It was the last day and I was craving more miles so I decided to skip lunch and take the handy bike path back to the top. It's a 7-mile, 40 minute climb up about 1000ft. If you ever go to Thunder Mountain then leave your car at the bottom and use this as the warm up and you'll get a nice 15mile loop:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6714669

Would I go back? Abso-bloody-lutely. The last two-days of riding really only touched on what's available around Zion. There's a lot more to ride.

So, as I mentioned at the top of the page, get yourself to southwest Utah. Now.


Good write up on your ride matey. lovely pictures. I can wait to get out there myself and ride Utah, will you be my tour guide next year? when i saw you on Saturday you was so excited to talk about your trip and i can see why, that's what mountain biking is all about.

Cheers for sharing your experience.

A
 

NJ Jess

Active Member
nice writeup

Utah is beautiful. Thanks for the views,..way different than Jersey,...put it's Jersey that gives one the skill to do log overs. Not to many there. Thanks
 
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