Find the top rated hiking trails in Utah, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Traveling around the Southwest. Read the reviews on this trail. Not too impressive but decided to give it a try. What a surprise!!! A massive amount of work has been done-a lot of trail added. i can't even name the additions since I am only passing through. Suffice to say , I did 30 miles and could have done a lot more. A lot of the trail system is brand new. All new parks and facilities. Fantastic!!! Like the best trails in any state. Brand new-clean facilities. Absolutely immaculate trail system. They had some additions closed for the on going work. Great maps and directional info at every intersection. Kudos to Washington and St. George , Utah
Excellent trail I use it mainly for rollerskiing and cycling, the only problem I see from supposedly experienced cyclist is no warning on your left etc other than that my favorite stretch.
My friends and I enjoy riding the paved trails around our hometown on the weekends and we also enjoy a little camping. In my search to find a way to combine these two passions, I found Red Canyon Campground here on traillink.com. Reading the reviews helped me get a feel for what to expect, so we found a weekend and headed up for a bike-centric camping break from the summer heat.
We arrived after lunch on Friday and had plenty of spacious spots to choose from. We found the perfect one with plenty of shade, trees spaced ideally for hammocks, and lots of room to spread out our three tents. All the spaces here are first come first serve, and by sundown there was only one spot left.
The next morning we geared up and started out on our ride. What we anticipated was to be a 8-ish mile, slightly uphill, paved trail away from the cars passing on the scenic byway. This ride was that and so much more in every aspect!
Our group of six consisted of casual to active bike riders on a variety of bike styles and gear. The first four miles leaving the campground and heading east are a little tougher than I expected. Those four miles gradually increase in incline difficulty and weave through a scenic forest and red rock vistas. Once we were able to finally crest the last half mile of fairly steep hill, the trail opens up to a long, straight portion of easy rolling hills with views of pastures extending to mountains far off into the distance. The beauty of the landscape makes exerting to get up that first four mile section of hill climbing completely worth the effort!
We passed a gas station/ convenience store before we asked another rider how far the trail went, as we seemed to be past the 8-ish miles we were expecting. We found out this trail had been extended in recent years to reach all the way to Inspiration Point inside Bryce Canyon National Park. Taking this full trail from the Red Canyon Campground to Inspiration Point would put the route at 16.5 miles one way. We decided that was a little further than we wanted to go on that day, but we continued on to touch the “Welcome to Bryce Canyon City” sign which made our end-to-end ride at 10.5 miles one way.
One the way back, the long rolling hills section was slightly more uphill than I had thought it was, but nothing that was too challenging. By the time we reached the last four miles, now a steep downhill section, I discovered that the cracks in the trail that I barely noticed slowly making my way up the hill, were jarring and abusive when flying down the hill. Those of us with skinny butts and even skinnier tires got spanked pretty good because of the the multiple and unavoidable cracks.
Other than some maintenance that seems long overdue to make this trail smooth and comfortable, the ride was challenging but not impossible, stunning in scenery, and made for a fun and unforgettable experience for our rag tag group of bicycle enthusiasts. We absolutely loved the spacious campground with clean bathrooms and the super friendly campground hosts!
We will absolutely be coming back next camping season to do this one again and encourage anyone who is considering a biking/camping trip to put Red Canyon Campground on your list of must do’s!!
What a great ride. Lots of breaks in the asphalt that are large and actually hurt. The way down was fast and the bumps were horrible. However, this is a great trail and I’ll continue riding it. It is beautiful.
Webb Hill Trailhead parking is paved - plenty of parking spaces. There is a picnic table with a cover close by. Several benches are available to relax and take in the sights (Virgin River, Webb Hill, etc.). The trail is paved (all modes of transportation welcome). Plenty of space to pass slower traffic. This is part of the Mayor's Loop (5.3 miles).
Been regularly cycling this path since its opening years ago. Within recent years however, bike etiquette, safety, and general behavior has deteriorated: "Utah moms" allow their out-of-control kids to wander-ride all over the path ignoring bike / jogger traffic both directions ... they do not care. Dogs must be on a leash, but many owners attitude is, "I'll do what I want, it's my pet"... again safety of others is undermined by this kind of activity.
Cyclists in the "left [opposite] lane" often have music blasting away via ear-buds so yelling, "On Your Left" to signal your presence, literally falls on deaf ears.
It's getting to the point where riding the open road with vehicles is actually safer than the designated bike path.
Works nicely for inline skating. I've gone end-to-end over two trips. Pretty flat, straight, and smooth. Friendly people in some parts (with dog leashes and kids) so be prepared to slow down at times. Averaged 14 mph though.
The worst part about this trail is the gates which some municipalities keep in semi-closed position at road crossings. "All hail the powerful automobile" - they are not trail priority intersections for the most part and sometimes there are even signs commanding you to use a nearby intersection instead of just crossing the street. Oh well.
Worth inline skating on this trail - you can get some good speed and mileage outside of the busier areas & seedier areas of the trail.
Other posters are correct, the signage is limited but it's not a big deal.
I started at James Madison Park and went south about 15 miles.
The best part about this trail is that everyone is really friendly and will wave hello.
I rode this from Route 89 to the Murdock Trail. It is very nice to have trails without vehicles where bikers and walkers can get around. Only reason for four stars is that there is no major attraction along the way, such as a river or above average views. I'm still very grateful for this trail.
Taking advice of other reviewers, we started in Elsinore and rode to Candy Mountain Resort, and we were glad we did! A stiff wind and an uphill ride out, made for a nice ride back.
This is a very worthy trail to do, either on its own or a way to connect up to other trails/areas. The scenery is outstanding. One could skip the short, boring section that delves into north Moab town, unless you want the extra mile or so on your odometer. A good bit of the remainder is along highway but still mostly pleasant (especially the section along the river) depending on the amount of traffic. After you pass Arches NP bearing north and start up the healthy climb, it gets further and further from the road and its noise until you connect again to it around Gemini Bridges road.
The path itself is wide, in excellent shape, and amazingly smooth... especially for asphalt (they apply some sort of black sealant/coating to it). Unlike concrete, there are no expansion joints or other cracks. It is like having a perfect country road all to yourself. Heavy rains and/or winds could deposit sand and other things on the path. There are 2 cattle guards to be wary of that come up fast on the ripping downhill section... but I guess those help keep you closer to the 20 mph posted speed limit! ;-)
As to when do this path, this is the wide open desert on a very black surface; summer time would be blazing hot. To me, mid-late fall and early-mid spring and nice winter stretches are the time to be in the Utah desert.
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