Braken’s Loop Description

Braken’s Loop Trail a beautiful loop that takes you on an amazing tour of the Southern Utah landscape. The trail meanders through basalt cliffs, sandstone mountains and sandy washes. Much of the trail is sandy, so the best time to visit the loop is soon after a rain storm. When the trail is nice and wet it is much more runnable. The trail is popular with local horseback riders so it can be pretty rough, with lots of deep horse hoof prints. But the beauty of the trail makes up for the tough slog. The views of Pine Valley Mountain and St. George from this trail are well worth the effort.

Braken’s Loop from Grapevine Trailhead

The Grapevine Trailhead is very easily accessible being about 0.15 miles off the freeway (I-15) from the Washington Parkway exit (exit 13). The Grapevine trail heads up a dirt access road for the first mile. About 0.1 miles up the road you will pass under some trees and have a trail fence step over next to a locked access gate. Proceed through and up the rocky dirt road as it gains about 200 feet of vertical. At about the 1 mile point you will come to a split in the road/trail. Taking the trail to the right starts the loop in the counter clockwise direction. Continuing on the road/trail starts the clockwise loop

Braken’s Loop Clockwise

Continue to follow the Grapevine trail/road for another 0.8 miles then follow the trail to the right marked Braken’s Loop. The trail will proceed downhill toward a wash bed. Once in the wash the trail will head basically northward following the wash. The trail can be difficult to follow through this section. Keep your eyes open and you will see the trail leave and then rejoin the wash. At approximately 2.5 miles you will cross a dirt road.

The trail will curve left around the top of the Grapevine Trail, and then proceeds north again. Here you pass a basalt cliff to the north/west of the trail. For the next 0.5 miles the trail is primarily following the wash bed. between going through a wash and slick rock it can be easy to miss the trail. But the trail basically follows the wash so if you cannot find the trail, follow the wash to the North East.

Sandy Trails

Eventually the trail leaves the wash heading south east. The trail is pretty well defined for the next mile or so. During this section you will reach the highest point on the loop. At about 4 miles in the trail crosses some slick rock areas that can be a bit tougher to navigate. But there are several cairns to guide you across. The trail stays basically heading East and slightly south.

At about 4.2 miles the trail again continues through the sand with a well defined trail. It continues to hug close to the sandstone hills, and then turns away to the south. At about 4.6 miles in you will reach my favorite rock on the Brakens Loop trail. The stack of layered sandstone is quite a site. The trail continues to turn south, and then starts to aim back to the west. At this point (4.9 miles) in you have some great views of the Church Rocks Cathedral to the south.

The loop continues west for about another mile before descending into another wash and following it. The trail hops out of the wash a couple times until approximately 6.3 miles in where it exits the wash and proceeds south west up onto a ridge. Once at the top of the ridge you continue south on the trail for about a quarter mile before reaching a split in the trail. At the split you will turn right towards the west. This trail is the western end of the Prospector Trail. You will continue to follow this trail for about 0.5 miles before it reconnects with the Grapevine Trail/Road to complete your loop.

Braken’s Loop Counter Clockwise

Turning right off the road starts the western end of the Prospector Trail. Follow the trail for the next 0.4 miles. You will be at a crossroads at the top of a ridge. Looking to the East gives you a good overlook of the Church Rocks Trail area. As the sign here indicates turn left and proceed north. Another 0.5 miles up the trail you will enter a dry wash. Turn left as you enter the wash and follow it for about 0.3 miles. The trail will continue up the side of the wash, periodically dipping back into the sand. From this point on the trail will stay pretty sandy.

About another 0.5 miles in you will get some great views of the Church Rocks Cathedral to the south of the trail. The Trail continues to gain elevation as it loops around to the North. At approximately 3.5 miles in you will come to my favorite rock, bumpy layers of sandstone. The trail continues to be sandy and relatively easy to follow until about 3.9 miles in. At this point there is a good amount of slick rock but several cairns to follow. The trail follows a basically westerly direction across the slickrock. After about 0.3 miles you should be back on the sandy trail.

Struggling through the sand

The trail continues to hug the side of the sandstone hills to the North East of the trail. About this point you will hit the highest point on the trail. At about 5 miles or so in the trail starts to get a little sketchy. between going through a wash and slick rock it can be easy to miss the trail. But the trail basically follows the wash so if you cannot find the trail, follow the wash to the West. At 5.5 miles you will approach the gates of Mordor. This is just a basalt cliff face, but pretty cool looking. Another 0.1 miles past the Gates of Mordor the trail splits, follow the left fork to stay on the Braken’s Loop trail. If you are tired of the sand, the right fork takes you to the northern end of the Grapevine Trail.

The trail then follows a southern heading for the rest of the loop. For the next 0.7 miles the trail is primarily following the wash bed. Again this part can be tricky to follow the trail since a lot of it is meandering in the sand. Eventually you will exit the wash heading south west at about mile 6.3. Then it is a short 0.2 miles to get back up on to the Grapevine Trail. Once back on the Grapevine Trail you will turn left and head south on the road. It is about another 1.7 miles from that point back to the trailhead.

Braken’s Loop Details

• Type: Loop
• Loop Distance: 6.49 mi/10.44 km
• Trail Distance: from 8.29 mi/13.34 km
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Elevation: 3068 – 3623 ft/935 – 1104 m
• Google Maps Link to Grapevine Trailhead: Click Here

Strava Route(s)

Braken’s Loop Counter-Clockwise from Grapevine Trailhead Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
01:19:00	8.29	894.36
hours	mi.	ft.

Brackens Loop in all its Sandy Glory Run Counter Clockwise

Braken’s Loop Clockwise from Grapevine Trailhead Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
01:18:56	8.18	1,080.99
hours	mi.	ft.

Brackens Loop run in a Clockwise direction

Braken’s Loop Trail Gallery

Trail Description

The Highland Loop Trail is an easy and very accessible route with gorgeous 360 degree views of the southern Utah landscape. The trail sits on top of a flat toped ridge thus giving it the “Highland” name. The area is teaming with chaparral and yucca as well as lots of rabbits and even the occasional coyote. The trail is one of the most accessible in the area since you can basically park on pavement at the trailhead and be on the loop within a handful of feet. As a result depending on the time of day you will probably run into other runners, mountain bikers, or neighbors that are taking their dogs on a walk. There are rumblings about this area getting developed, if that happens this gem of a trail will be lost forever, so don’t delay your visit to come try it out.

Starting at the North East corner of the parking area you will find a dirt trail heading primarily north. After about 200 feet on the trail you will come to a split this is the start of the loop. Wether you take the clockwise or counterclockwise direction you will end up back where you are at this point. There are a few other trails on top of the ridge but if you get turned around just know that the water tower at the end of the ridge (and Pine Valley Mountain) are to the north, and heading south on any trail on the ridge will get you back to the parking lot.

Heading in a clockwise direction you will meander a little bit on the mostly smooth dirt trail, only occasionally having its surface broken by a rock or two. Shortly after starting you should start to see three poles way up in the distance, those mark the upper end of the loop, so you can gauge how far along you are based on how close they appear. After approximately 0.3 miles you will come to a trail that has been blocked off with a line of rocks, bear to your right to stay on the loop shortly thereafter (a little less than 0.1 miles) you will come to a split in the trail, again bear to the right to stay on the loop. About another 0.1 miles later you will come to a wide dirt road or cleared spot that goes perpendicular to the trail you have been on, you will also be very close to the three metal poles mentioned previously, on the north side of the road/cleared area and west of your position, this is the top of the loop, hang another right on the cleared area and head east for about 50 feet then you will see another trail crossing the cleared area. Turn right onto the trail and start heading south. This part of the trail hugs the edge of the ridge pretty well, offering lots of beautiful sunrise photo opportunities. There are a few open more sandy areas on this side of the loop, but keep to the more worn parts of the trail or head straight across those sections and you will meet up with the trail again. This side meanders a bit as well, but after about 0.95 miles total you will be back where the trail split and you can go around again.

Trail Details

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 0.95 mi/1.5 km
• Difficulty: Easy
• Elevation: 3190 ft/973 m
• Google Maps Link to Trailhead: Click Here

Strava Route(s)

Highland Loop Clockwise Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:10:06	1.07	93.68
hours	mi.	ft.

Highland Loop Clockwise

Trail Gallery

Trail Video

Grapevine Trail Description

The Grapevine trail is straight forward and easy to follow. The trail gets its name from the wild grapes which grow near the trailhead. The trail ends at wells which supply Washington City with some of their culinary water supply. Grapevine is basically the single track dirt road that the city uses to access and maintain the wells. So navigation is relatively simple. This trail is a favorite of ours because of the easy access from the freeway.

Heading North East from the parking area up the rocky dirt road you will come to a fence/gate with a crossover after just 0.1 miles. After crossing the fence you will continue up the road for approximately the next mile. For the next half mile or so you will have an average of a 5-6% grade and gain about 200 feet of elevation. At about 0.9 miles you will come to a fork in the road, bear left to stay on the Grapevine route, The other side of the fork heads over to the Prospector and Church Rocks trails. At just over the 1 mile mark you should come to a Dino Cliffs trail marker on the left hand side of the road defining the Dino Cliffs single track trail that takes off to the left. Continue on the road to stay on the Grapevine Trail.

The Wells

The road continues to gradually climb and meander up toward the wells. At approximately the 2 mile mark there is another single track trail that takes off to the east. This trail is called Sand Hill and as it’s name implies it is very sandy. About another 0.4 miles brings you to a fork in the road, there is a well at the end of each of those roads. The way we typically run it is to continue straight for another 0.1 miles to hit the first well head, and take a view of the black lava wall. After which we turn around and hit the second well. The out and back on the second well road adds approximately 0.8 miles for the full out and back.

Once you have reached the wells at the end of the Grapevine Trail you have a few miles of nice easy decent ahead of you. So take a nice easy gait and enjoy the downhill.

Trail Details

• Type: Out and Back
• Distance: 5.74 mi/9.24 km
• Difficulty: Easy
• Elevation: 3064-3550 ft/934-1082 m
• Google Maps Link to Trailhead: Click Here

Strava Route(s)

Grapevine Trail Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:54:40	5.75	545.32
hours	mi.	ft.

The Grapevine Trail/Road through the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve

Trail Gallery

Trail Description

The Dino Cliffs Trail is an easy and delightful adventure through beautiful red rock country. It gets its name from a number of red sandstone formations that bear the appearance of different dinosaur heads. This trail is a nice easy trail that can be easily traversed by the novice trail runner as well and be a delightful run for the experienced. The trail has approximately 400-470ft of elevation gain depending on the route you follow.

Both Routes start at the Grapevine Trailhead. Heading North East from the parking area up the rocky dirt road you will come to a fence/gate with a crossover after just 0.1 miles. After crossing the fence you will continue up the road for approximately the next mile. For the next half mile or so you will have an average of a 5-6% grade and gain about 200 feet of elevation. At about 0.9 miles you will come to a fork in the road, bear left to stay on the Dino Cliffs route, The other side of the fork heads over to the Prospector and Church Rocks trails. At just over the 1 mile mark you should come to a Dino Cliffs trail marker on the left hand side of the road defining a single track trail that takes off to the left, follow that trail as it turns west. The trail then proceeds across the rocky sandstone shelf and winds in and out of small gullies for the next 0.7 miles. The trail is fairly well defined, but can sometimes be a little tough to follow as it crosses some stretches of sandstone.

At the 1.7 mile mark you will be approaching a sandstone ridge, there is typically a cairn which identifies the location that you will turn left and proceed down off the rock you are on to follow the trail which runs along the base on the cliff/ridge. This trail winds around a bit but is pretty easy to follow. At about 2.1 miles you should have the best Dino Head right in front of you and the others lined up along the north ridge. This is a great photo spot. The trail continues to wind along until about the 2.2 mile point where there should be a trail marker and a quick turn left down the ridge, don’t miss the turn. As you race down the hill you will come to another trail marker and a fork in the trail at about the 2.3 mile mark. For the official route bear to the Right, and for the 5k route bear to the Left, there is a sign that indicates this is “not a trail” but we are going to ignore that marker to get the 5k distance.

5k Route

The trail continues straight ahead after the fork and after about another 0.1 miles you will come to a fence that has been bent down for crossing (at this point if you head about 20-30 feet to your right you will see an old pioneer cistern made of sandstone). After crossing the fence turn left and follow the dirt road, it will wind around and follow the ridge taking you back to the trailhead. It will gain some elevation and then at 2.7 miles has a steep short decline followed by a left turn in the road. There are several other dirt roads that take off from the road but continue to follow the main road and it will take you back to the trailhead, giving you your Dino Cliffs 5k.

Full Route

After the fork the trail continues to wrap around the red cliffs and at about 2.7 miles turns into a very sandy trail that heads up a significant incline, which is about 0.1 to 0.2 miles long gaining approximately 100 feet of elevation. At the top of the hill you will come to another fence and crossover, continuing straight through will bring you to a dirt road which provides access to the water tanks. Turn left and follow the road downhill. At about the 3.2 mile mark you will see a sandy road which takes off to the left, there are no trail markers (if you miss it don’t worry there is another well defined road which leads to the same place shortly thereafter) this road heads basically straight ahead for the next 0.2 miles before merging with another better road. At that next road you will take another left and proceed to follow it straight ahead for the next 0.6 miles at which time you should be back at the trailhead.

Trail Details

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 3.12-4.04 mi/5-6.5 km
• Difficulty: Easy
• Elevation: 3063 ft/933 m
• Google Maps Link to Trailhead: Click Here

Strava Route(s)

Dino Cliffs Trail Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:44:17	4.04	478.06
hours	mi.	ft.

The Full Dino Cliffs Route Looping from the Grapevine Trailhead

Dino Cliffs 5k Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:36:45	3.13	410.64
hours	mi.	ft.

The Dino Cliffs 5k Loop route, it takes an illegal trail, but makes it a 5k experience... so it is worth crossing a fence 😉

Trail Gallery

Trail Video

Trail Description

The Secret Sauce and Claim Jumper Trails are conjoined at the hip, so to speak. They both share some stretches of common routes, but diverge to give you different distances and views. These trails are great for running, biking, and hiking, whatever your favorite activity may be. They are both easily accessible and have a fairly well groomed surface for easy smooth running with primarily hard packed single track trail, but can get a bit dusty during the dry parts of the summer. This is a wonderful trail to run alone, with friends or even with the kids, it is moderate enough for everyone to tackle, while still providing enough variation to keep things interesting. You can run the trails in different order to mix things up and lengthen your workout.

Secret Sauce Trail

This trail is the shorter of the two, clocking in at 2.9 miles, it is not quite a 5k, but has about 335 feet of vertical gain on the course so it keeps things interesting. Starting at the shared trailhead there is a straight north 0.1 mile stretch before the trails diverge from one another. Following the left trail of the fork you will proceed up hill through the brown dirt, slate fragments and sagebrush. You will continue on the trail for about 0.2 miles before you will run into some signs indicating another fork in the trail and requesting that you bear right. From this point the loop will be approximately 2.2 miles to return to the fork. Following the trail right it continues to wind up the ridge following some beautiful stone outcroppings and giving you a spectacular view of the southern valley. About 1.1 miles from the fork you will reach another fork, this is where the Claim Jumper Trail reconnects with Secret Sauce. The directions of the different trails at the fork are well documented, but if you bear left you will stay on the Secret Sauce loop and continue your adventure. At about 1.7 miles in you will reach the highest point of the trail, giving you a great 360 degree view, including a great look at the local Airport. From this point the next 1.2 miles is all downhill and can make for a fun decent. You will pass the initial two forks, but continue to bear to the right and you will end up back at the trailhead, Don’t forget to sprint the last 0.1 miles to the fence.

Claim Jumper Trail

This trail is the longer of the two trails, clocking in at about 4.42 miles, with a moderate 512 feet of vertical. From the common trailhead you will move the short 0.1 mile distance before the first fork, bearing right at the first fork will set you on the Claim Jumper Trail. This trail meanders along the base of the ridge near the wash for the a little over the first mile of the course before starting to gain elevation and weaving up the ridge. This section of trail provides some beautiful curving trails through the sagebrush, and beautifully delicate rock structures. At about 2.7 miles in you will reach the main fork in the trail system where Secret Sauce meets Claim Jumper, there are plenty of signs to keep you on the right trail, but if you bear to the right you will stay going the right direction. At 3.2 miles in you will reach the highest point on the trail giving you a great 360 degree view, including a great look at the local Airport. From this point the next 1.2 miles is all downhill and can make for a fun decent. You will pass the initial two forks, but continue to bear to the right and you will end up back at the trailhead, Don’t forget to sprint the last 0.1 miles to the fence.

Trail Details

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 2.91-7.18 mi/4.68-11.55 km
• Difficulty: Easy
• Elevation: 2945 ft/897 m
• Google Maps Link to Trailhead: Click Here

Strava Route(s)

Secret Sauce Trail Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:27:11	2.92	334.93
hours	mi.	ft.

Secret Sauce Trail In The Desert Canyons Trail System Route

Claim Jumper Trail Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:40:26	4.43	515.54
hours	mi.	ft.

The Desert Canyons Claim Jumper Trail

Secret Sauce & Claim Jumper Trails Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
01:06:24	7.18	809.54
hours	mi.	ft.

The combination of both Secret Sauce and Claim Jumper Trails

Trail Gallery

Church Rocks Trail Description

Church Rocks is easily one of our favorite trails in the St. George area. It is quite popular and it is hard to run this trail and not encounter another trail runner or mountain biker enjoying the trail as well. Featuring beautiful delicate sandstone cliffs, sandy trails and plenty of slickrock. The stunning red provides year round appeal for all visitors. The trail is fairly easy overall having many trail markers and cairns to help guide you, but there are a few spots where the trail can get rough and steep. The entire loop is beautiful, calming and inspires a sense of peace, but the crowning jewel of the trail is what we like to call the Cathedral. The Cathedral is located at the far east end of the loop, and provides a spectacular view every time.  We run this trail so frequently that there is a good chance that you may run in to one of us as you enjoy the beautiful landscape. Church Rocks loop is accessible via three main routes outlined on this page.

Highland Trailhead

The highland trail starts at the north end of Highland Park. At the time of this writing everything north of the park is still basically in its natural state and has not been developed. The trail running along the top of the Highland ridge is a primarily hard pack single track trail. Starting from the far North East end of the road/parking lot. When starting north on the dirt bear to the left to follow the route (this part of the trail makes a nice mile long Highland Loop). After approximately 0.44 miles the single track the trail splits, bear to the left and the trail connects with a dirt road that provides maintenance access for the water tank at the far north of the ridge. Following the road for about 0.1 miles will bring you to another single track trail on the left side of the road. Follow this trail until it connects with another road that runs down the west side of the ridge. This road is no longer used for any vehicular traffic so it is significantly rutted and has plenty of small gullies from rain runoff. After carefully descending to the bottom of the ridge you will find a large growth of natural foliage. Just to the west a few feet from where you descended the ridge there should be a narrow single track trail through the brush, this frequently gets overgrown, but gets trimmed back periodically, so hopefully it has recently been trimmed when you arrive.  After passing through the brush to the sandy wash you will turn north and see a large culvert which provides passage under the freeway. On the other side of the freeway the sandy trail first hugs the east side of the wash for a short way before crossing the wash to the west side. Approx. 0.15-0.2 miles from the culvert you will come to a crossroads, this is the Prospector Trail, and the south side of the Church Rocks Loop. You can follow the loop below either East or West, but I typically head East on the Prospector Trail toward the cathedral. The total distance of this trail to connect with the loop is approximately 1.1 miles.

After completing the Church Rocks Loop and returning to the crossroads you would again follow the trail south through the wash and again under the freeway through the culvert. On the south side of the freeway after coming back through the brush you can ascend up the ridge the same way you descended, or for an easier grade on the ascent head South on the flat road for about 0.1 miles until the road splits and heads toward the ridge, this ascent is about 0.33 miles long following another unused dirt road. At the top of the road you will be able to reconnect with the single track trail you started on and follow it back to Highland Park.

Grapevine Trailhead

The Grapevine Trailhead is very easily accessible being about 0.15 miles off the freeway (I-15) from the Washington Parkway exit (exit 13). The Grapevine trail heads up a dirt access road for the first mile. About 0.1 miles up the road you will pass under some trees and have a trail fence step over next to a locked access gate. Proceed through and up the rocky dirt road as it gains about 200 feet of vertical. At about the 1 mile point you will come to a split in the road/trail. This is the western end of the Prospector Trail. Bear right onto Prospector trail and follow it for the next 0.3 miles, it will come down into a shallow valley and change into a single track sand trail before ascending the ridge on the far side of the small valley. The ascent on the North East side of the valley is moderate and primarily light sandy dirt filled with small to medium sized basalt. At the top of the ridge you will connect with the Church Rocks Loop at the point indicated below in bold as the Grapevine Connection Point. The total distance to connect with the loop is approximately 1.3 miles.

Cottonwood Trailhead

The Cottonwood Trailhead is the trickiest of the three approaches to locate, but offers the longest approach, and ensures plenty of red rock goodness. To find the trailhead you will turn North on to Old Highway 91 from the light at State Street or UT 9. While heading north on Old Highway 91 you will pass many warehouse and distribution facilities until about 2 miles up the road when you will come to Winkle Distributing, just to the North East of the Winkle Distributing building there is a dirt access road that goes under I-15. To access the dirt road you will need to go through the corner of the Winkle Distributing parking lot. The access is via a single wide tunnel under each side of the freeway. The Trailhead is immediately before you after passing under I-15. 

The Cottonwood Trail proceeds North out of the trailhead parking area. The initial portion of the trail continues basically north for about 0.5 miles on what used to be a dirt road, this section of trail typically has lots of larger rocks on it, and gains about 100 feet of vertical before it merges with another trail that connects from the right and is marked as the Prospector Trail, this is the continuation of the Prospector trail and is a fun run, but for today we continue straight ahead for another 0.1 mile and then bear to the left, leaving the Cottonwood trail and proceeding out on the Prospector Trail. The White dirt and larger rocks stick around on the trail for about another 0.2 mile ending with a rough and rocky downhill slope, after which the fun begins. The color of the trail at this point changes to a beautiful red and is either a nice hard pack or sandy trail interspersed with slick rock for the rest of the trail leading up to the Church Rocks Loop. The trail is clearly marked and meanders, flowing nicely over the sand and slickrock for about 3 more miles. At which point you will connect with the Church Rocks Loop at the point indicated below in bold as the Prospector Connection Point. It is a great way to enjoy the day and zen out, smooth trails and rolling hills all of red sand and slickrock. This trail passes to the south of the Cathedral and offers some spectacular views of that beauty. The total distance of this trail on approach to the loop is approximately 3.7 miles.

The Loop

The Church Rocks loop can be started or connected to from three primary locations, in this description I will begin from where the Highland Trailhead route connects with the loop. This is also the start and end location for the Church Rocks Loop Strava Segment that follows the same route. The loop begins at a crossroads of the Prospector Trail heading east/west and the Highland trail connecting from the south. The description of the trail will be Counter Clockwise from this point. The trail meanders east for about 0.7 miles, crossing large slickrock grades and sandy single track before coming to another T in the trail where it splits with the Prospector Trail (Prospector Connection Point). Continue past the Prospector Trail turn, bearing north east to continue on toward the Church Rocks Cathedral. About another 0.5 miles on the trail will bring you to the closest approach of the Cathedral, and is a great spot to take a photo of this epic landmark.

From the Cathedral the trail turns west and climbs about 100 feet over 0.3 miles to the top of the ridge. The ascent is primarily slickrock with a few sandy spots, and takes you to the highest spot on the trail. Again a great photo spot giving you a great view of Zion National Park to the East, Pine Valley Mountain to the North, Coral Canyon and Warner Valley/Sand Hollow to the south and St. George to the west. The trail then continues basically east and downhill across the slickrock on top of the cliffs for about 1 mile until you descend into a wash. At this point you will head up a steep 0.1 mile ascent of primarily sand mixed with basalt or lava rock to the top of the ridge eastern. Another 0.1 mile of flat sand trail brings you to another crossroads (Grapevine Connection Point) which connects the Church Rocks loop and Prospector Trail in with the Grapevine and Dino Cliffs Trail system. Following the route you will bear south and then turn east to take the steep decent back down the ridge, again with sand and basalt rock for about 0.15 miles. At the bottom of this ridge you follow the trail south and east through the sandy wash and across a small sandy flat to the crossroads that you started heading east on the loop.

Trail Details

• Type: Loop
• Loop Distance: 2.74 mi/4.4 km
• Trail Distance: from 5 mi/8 km to 9.79 mi/15.75 km
• Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
• Elevation: 3190 – 3372 ft/972 – 1028 m
• Google Maps Link to Highland Park Trailhead: Click Here
• Google Maps Link to Grapevine Trailhead: Click Here
• Google Maps Link to Cottonwood Trailhead: Click Here

Strava Route(s)

Church Rocks from Highland Park Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:48:18	5.01	699.16
hours	mi.	ft.

This is the Church Rock Loop the way I do it.

Church Rocks from Grapevine Trailhead Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:52:16	5.29	628.88
hours	mi.	ft.

This route takes you to the popular Church Rocks trail via the Grapevine trail/trailhead

Church Rocks from Cottonwood Trailhead via Prospector Trail Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
01:32:04	9.79	779.69
hours	mi.	ft.

Church Rocks Loop via the Prospector Trail

Trail Gallery

Trail Video

Trail Description

Pushing Tin is a short and easily accessible trail for running, biking, and hiking. The main loop is approximately 2.1 miles with two different trailheads allowing for varying difficulty and distances. In both cases the majority of the trail is easy smooth running with primarily hard packed single track trail. This is a wonderful trail to run alone, with friends or even with the kids, it is moderate enough for everyone to tackle.

Original Trailhead

The original trailhead is situated on the south side of the Southern Parkway. There is graveled parking at the trailhead for 5-6 cars. The trail meanders back and forth and up and down hills on the south side of the highway for about 1 mile before heading under the highway and turning north for another 0.7 miles. After that northerly stretch you hit the 2.1 mile loop. After running the loop the desired number of times, you can return via the same route to get to the trailhead.

New Secret Sauce Trailhead

The Desert Canyons development added another trail system and trailhead to the east of Pushing Tin. This trailhead is for the Secret Sauce and Claim Jumper trails. After completing those new trails they added a connector trail between the new trailhead and the Pushing Tin Loop. At the new trailhead (linked below) there are signs indicating the Pushing Tin Connector Trail. The connector trail essentially heads due West from the Secret Sauce Trailhead for approximately 0.8 miles. The trail is smooth, primarily hard pack single track with some sections of gravel, but a very easy run/hike/ride. After the 0.8 mile run you are ready to hit the Pushing Tin Loop.

The Loop

The Pushing Tin Loop is approximately 2.1 miles long, it is also primarily hard packed single track trail, with some sections of native rock slaps to cross. The trail takes you on a trip around the top of the small hill that it was built upon, giving great views of the St. George area, the Arizona Strip, and Pine Valley Mountain. The grade is mild only having a difference of 132 feet between the starting point and the highest point on the loop. The trail meanders nicely back and forth giving you a nice easy and relaxing trail to follow.

Trail Details

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 3.7-5.4 mi/6-8.7 km
• Difficulty: Easy
• Elevation: 2725 ft/830 m
• Google Maps Link to Original Trailhead: Click Here
• Google Maps Link to New Trailhead: Click Here

Strava Route(s)

Pushing Tin Traditional Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:49:59	5.46	535.03
hours	mi.	ft.

This is the traditional way to run the Pushing Tin loop

Pushing Tin New Shorter Connector Trail Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:35:50	3.71	463.84
hours	mi.	ft.

Pushing Tin Loop from the Secret Sauce Trailhead via the connector trail

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Trail Video

Trail Description

The Hurricane Rim Loop Trail is a beautiful tour through the cliffs and trails above Hurricane Utah. It takes you right along the Hurricane rim looking down on the Hurricane Valley and Virgin River Gorge. The route can vary based on your time and endurance to allow you to add to or subtract distance. But no routes are bad choices, just new adventures and beauty around every corner. This trail can also be run as an out and back from the same trailhead along the Virgin River Gorge.

It is always advised to have plenty of water, electrolytes, and energy food/gels while trail-running. These trails are no exception. Especially during the summer months, extra water is a must. Because of the extreme heat that can occur we recommend this trail primarily in the Spring and Fall months.

Following the route linked below we started from the main trailhead and headed south across the highway following the road behind the block H on the Hurricane Hill. This road offers many great views of the Hurricane Valley. The trail follows the main dirt road for about 2.5 miles with the most significant vertical gain of the loop before heading out on single track toward Goulds Wash and Mollies Nipple. The switch to single track is posted of the southwest side of the road, but be vigilant it can be easy to miss.  This part of the trail hugs the rim of the Goulds Wash, weaving in and out with shallow arms of the gorge for about another 3 miles, then the trail heads east towards Gooseberry Mesa. 

The trail in this area is criss crossed by multiple dirt roads before eventually merging with a road heading east. You will want to keep your route finding skills sharpened as the road intersects with another close to an old corral. If you continue heading east just to the south of the corral the trail should pick up again at about the southeast corner of the old structure. The trail continues a gradual climb as it meanders through the vermillion cliffs that make up the gorgeous Gooseberry area. At approximately 8.6 miles in you will come to the highest point of your trek, and cross Utah Highway 59.

Continuing across the highway down a dirt road you will quickly come to the Jem Trailhead. Since this trailhead has easy vehicle access we recommend it as a good place to put a water/food drop. At this point you can choose a couple different options, both the Jem Trail and Dead Ringer branch off from this location. They converge a couple miles down the trail so either one will do the job. On our route we choose Dead Ringer which takes off to the west. Shortly after starting down this branch in the trail we decided to take in the More Cowbell trail which provides a nice smooth 2.5ish mile loop just to spice things up a bit. After completing More Cowbell we started down the main decent of Dead Ringer which has a great rapid decent along the face of the mesa. Once the trail finishes its primary decent it begins undulating over the valley floor. 

Heading over the plateau after merging from Dead Ringer to Jem Trail you will find the next several miles primarily a downhill trek. As you cross the plateau there are several different trails that can shorten your trip time. The first of these is ChinaTown Wash Trail which cuts about 4-5 miles off our route, the second is the Virgin Dam Trailhead road which cuts about 1-2 miles off of our route. Following the route below you are taken by the best views of the Virgin River Gorge in my humble opinion, which are at approx. mile 18 of the route. After that point the trail turns back west and heads along the rim of the Virgin River Gorge. 

The trek along the rim is about another 6 miles rolling up, down and in and out of the side canyons on the rim. Offering spectacular views of the canyon below and then popping over a ridge for another great view of the mountains around this beautiful area. 

Then at about 23 miles, coming over the last ridge you will see your vehicle in the parking area as you wind down the ridge and make your final decent. Now it’s time to go get some refreshment down in Hurricane after your successful running of the Hurricane Rim Loop.

Trail Details

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 23.84 mi/38.37 km
• Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
• Elevation: 3465 – 4300 ft/1056 – 1310 m
• Google Maps Link to Trailhead: Click Here

Strava Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
03:49:30	23.85	2,508.57
hours	mi.	ft.

Hurricane Rim Trail Loop with More Cowbell added in for good measure

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Trail Description

More Cowbell is a really great and fun trail. Just 6 miles from Hurricane, UT, on part of the Hurricane Rim Trail System. Nestled just below the beautiful Gooseberry Mesa, More Cowbell is an easy trail that does not disappoint. The bulk of the trail is set in a 2.6 mile loop that covers the top of a flat shelf below the full Gooseberry Mesa. The trail has spectacular views of Pine Valley mountain and much of the rugged Southwest Utah terrain.

The trail is easily accessible from the Jem Trailhead with a 0.3 mile run down Dead Ringer Trail to get to the spot where More Cowbell splits off to do its own thing. The loop is an easy trail mostly smooth dirt and not very technical. There are a few mild hills, giving you about 160ft of elevation difference. But most of the trail is relatively flat and easy for all experience levels.

My favorite time to run the trail is early in the morning, watching the red amber light of morning pour down the slopes of Pine Valley mountain until it fills all the surrounding red rocks of the Southwestern Utah landscape. I would imagine sunset can be equally enjoyable as the last vestiges of red light strike the red cliffs of Gooseberry and Zions National Park to the East.

There are great views all around but on the furthest north west point of the trail there is a rock bench so you can sit, relax and take in the majesty of the gorgeous scenery of the area. We highly recommend this trail for anyone who is coming through the area and would like a place to take in the vast glory of our playground.

Trail Details

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 2.6 mi/4.2 km
• Difficulty: Easy
• Elevation: 4300 ft/1310 m
• Google Maps Link to Trailhead: Click Here

Strava Route

Est. Moving Time	Distance	Elevation Gain
00:27:06	2.94	164.47
hours	mi.	ft.

More Cowbell Loop Trail by Gooseberry Mesa

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