Bryce Canyon mountain biking – allmountaindinger's mountain bike meccas

There are not many large cities in which you can start a good, challenging trail ride in town. Starting at the Popperton Park in the northwest of the city, you take the Bonneville Shoreline Trail that climbs up to the hills north of Salt Lake City. Then the trail runs alongside the hills and offers great views. In a turn to the left the Bobsled Trail turns off left down the hill in an old creek bed (and is easily missed). The further you get down on Bobsled the better the flow and the bigger the berms. In the lower part of Bobsled there are optional lines with jumps and drops that connect back to the trail. Some of the jumps let you shoot in to the air over old, rusty cars, creeks or up a berm. Serious fun.

The Bryce Canyon Nation Park is spectacular. On the close by Thunder Mountain Trail you ride through a similarly stunning landscape with red sandstone pillars and hoodoos. When I was riding across the one of the ridges my senses just got overwhelmed by the views and the effort of keeping the balance on the exposed trail with wind gusts.

The trail is mostly smooth with packed sand and gravel surface and can be done as a loop or as out back. As a loop it is best done in clockwise direction, so a part of the climb is on a paved bike path from the Red Rock Visitor Center and on a forest road that ends on the Coyote Hollow Parking Lot. Because of the scenery, I recommend to ride the trail as out and back starting from the lower trailhead. Thus, you can enjoy the stunning views from different angles and have fun on the downhill with some demanding steep switchbacks. If you are in the Bryce Canyon area this trail is an absolute must.