Riding a bicycle around Cedar City is one of the things that gets me most excited about the weather warming up this time of year. I have gotten more into biking as I’ve spent time here, and I can tell you it is a great place to try it out. There are plenty of places for students to go riding with their mountain or road bike, depending on their style, but they all have great rides and good times.
First, there’s the easy ride that some students still don’t know about. It is the Coal Creek Trail and it starts (or ends) by the skate park next to Bicentennial park on 1045 N. and ends (or starts) about a mile up the canyon running parallel to University Blvd. It’s great for running, but taking a bike up to the top and coasting all the way down is a blast.
Next is a little bit harder, but it’s one of my favorite rides ever; it’s the Navajo Lake Trail. You have to drive a little ways to get to it, but you make your way up Cedar Canyon and go around Navajo Lake about 3/4 of the way and the road will stop. This trail is for beginning to intermediate riders. It has beautiful views and great hills to climb and ride quickly down. The lava rock is a little tricky, but it all makes for a good ride and is an excellent place to take a date.
Another of my favorite trails is the C Trail. It begins where the giant C is that overlooks our grand town. There are two ways to get to it, but the easiest way is to look up directions here. It’s a more advanced ride and should not be ridden after a rain or snow storm. It’s pretty rocky and has a lot of technical portions. There are a lot of switchback and it requires your attention, but it is as fun as it gets for a downhill ride. Make sure you have at least a little suspension and hang on.
One more downhill trail for the enthusiast who can’t get enough gravity is the Blowhard Mountain Trail. This one starts near Cedar Breaks National Monument and will take you down to Moot’s Hollow where the climbers climb and onto the road back to Cedar. This one is a doozy and I’ve only been able to ride portions of it. Nonetheless I have heard only great things. It is more advanced and should be researched before riding. Here’s a preview from someone else:
The final trail is actually a group of trails out at Three Peaks Recreational Area. They have a “choose your own adventure” type of approach. It has a lot of good technical riding if you want with beginning level obstacles all the way up to more advanced options. The best part of this ride is the crazy things you’ll see along your way like broken typewriters, old office chairs, and a crazy “Voodoo” tree pictured below. It’s a great place to spend a day or go camping with your mates for a time and enjoy all that it has to offer.
Remember to wear your brain bucket and be safe. If you need extra help, sign up for SUU’s new class on Mountain Biking that started this semester. Grab your bike, get in some clean rides, and have some fun.
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