If you’re looking for an epic ride in southwestern Utah, this would be it. If you’re looking to ride above a river, then look elsewhere. “Rim trail” are the operative words here.
High in the Dixie National Forest, this route will deliver but you better be ready to pay up. Just the drive to the start at Strawberry Point (9,016’) will cost you an hour. You’ll spend 80% of the next 33 miles above 9,000’. Spending the 3 days prior on rides around Brian Head, we were somewhat acclimated but this ride still gave challenge to seasoned riders.
Strawberry Point
Pink Cliffs
Zion in the distance
Trailhead
Aspens
More Pink Cliffs
Section of hike-a-bike on the climb up from Cascade Falls after lunch
Riding up to Navajo Peak (9,700'), which is more of a mesa up top
Rock hurling
More aspens
Navajo Lake with a stop at Te-Ah campground for water
A finish in the Aspens
Of course while I retrieved the shuttle vehicle, the boys couldn’t resist playing with fire
VRRT is an outstanding, but challenging epic mainly due to the altitude. It was our big ride day of our 5 days in Brian Head. With the trail system around Navajo lake, you can partially skip the climb over Navajo Peak or add in an additional 11 mile loop around the lake. But this ride was 100% Virgin. The most scenic section of Pink Cliffs is from Strawberry Point to Cascade Falls. Nearly all the ride is forested pine and aspens, so there’s always shade to take a break. The middle section between Cascade Falls and Te-Ah campground is the most popular section of VRRT since several loop variations can be done. But even on Labor Day, we saw only two other riders on this section and two groups of hikers on the first. Shuttle service provided by Brian Head will save you 2 hours retrieving the shuttle vehicle from the start. I was quoted a flat rate of $100, so $20/pp would have been reasonable for our group of 5.
Virgin River Rim Trail
Type: Point-to-point, 95% singletrack
Mileage: ~33 miles
Ascent: ~4,100’
Descent: ~4,800’
