Just got back from a weekend riding in and around St George in Utah.
I've ridden Moab, and Fruita, and Sedona, and all those other cool desert places. I've ridden the Alps, the Rockies in both US and Canada, but I've never ridden trails as amazing as this.
and the thing is, no one seems to have heard about it. I thought I'd do everyone a favour and shout about it. If you're thinking of a US biking trip next year, you could do a lot worse than put St. George on your list.
That is all.
Good to have a first-hand tip. Ridden around Virgin, Utah, up the road, but it's a (very) big place to explore. Wish I had the time and means.
OK, you might have to qualify this - why is it better than Moab?
And yes, I am thinking of a US bike trip this year, and I live a lot closer to it than I used to, hurrah!!
Qualifications of a statement like that are going to be hard! And of course, its mainly based on my opinion, but we'll try!
I've ridden in Moab a lot, and feel like I know most of the trails well enough for them not to be new and exciting. Also, it gets really busy for most of the season, and I hate queueing up behind people to ride sections of trail. Somehow it takes away from being out there in the desert. Also, Moab is very much dependent on either multiple cars or a shuttle to get to the really good stuff, as a lot of it is outside of the town, or starts on the top of the La Sals and is downhill only.
St. George has a lot of riding from town. We were staying 2 blocks from the centre of town and we could ride to 5 different starting points, covering over a weeks worth of riding. There's also more riding to drive to if you do end up exhausting the local supply. The best thing though is that there were absolutely no people. none. whatsoever. And this was 'spring break' week in the US, where the desert gets rather busy. I've never felt solitude quite like being on top of a rocky mesa overlooking the desert with no signs of humanity for miles around. The trails are mostly loops as well; this means that we could ride 2 loops in the morning, have some lunch, and head out again afterwards. Makes logistics a lot easier.
St. George also stays dry for a lot longer than Fruita or Moab. Fruita at the moment is still snow covered, and all the higher stuff at Moab is snowy too. Barring the occasional rain, St. George is dry most of the year.
Fruita, in my opinion is better than Moab, and perhaps a close rival to St. geroge in terms of variety of terrain and accessibility, but a lot of the loops are not very inspiring, with only small sections of trail that take your breathe away.
St. George is also a good base for further exploring; Hurricane is just up the road with amazing trails. Its only an hour and a half from vegas for cheap flights, and its within easy distance of some amazing national parks; zion, capitol reef, bryce, and grand canyon.
So.... although the above is entirely subjective, that is my justification! Anywhere you travel in Utah/Arizona etc has unbelievable riding, and if its your first time to the desert, you will not be disappointed no matter where you choose.