Finding just the right trails in unfamiliar territory can be difficult. Certainly, ‘just ask a local’ is the best way to go.  Having been there years before, I knew that Zion, and the town of Virgin, Utah, yielded great mountain biking. We rolled into Bike Zion and talked with a few locals, including Josh Bender. (Yes, the freeride superstar who goes bigger than anyone else). He sent us to their local trails up on Gooseberry Mesa. 10 miles of gravel brought us high onto a mesa overlooking the formations of Zion to the east. Once we claimed a cluster of trees for camp, we ambitiously set out to ride all the trails in 3 hours.

Down to Virgin River Overlook, we followed Steve’s Rim Job, to That Damn Trail and on to the Point.  The 8 miles in between is technical terrain that challenges the rider to push their zen-potential. One false move…and you’re Ghandi.

Following the Rattlesnake Rim Trail, we ran into a Georgia boy named Keith. He chased us on his rigid single-speed for the next 7 miles of  high desert dream trail. The sun was setting as we crossed the interior of the mesa back to the trailhead.

Gooseberry reminded us to keep our heads on straight, and not to underestimate the friction found on slick rock.