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Bikers ride the Gooseberry Mesa Trail near St. George.

Courtesy Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office

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Bikers ride the Amasa Back Trail near Moab.

Courtesy Discover Moab

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A biker rides the Gooseberry Mesa Trail near St. George.

Courtesy Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office

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Deanna Devey, right, and Jared Lloyd ride the Slickrock Trail near Moab in 2006.

Courtesy Daryl Devey

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Deanna Devey rides the Jem Trail near St. George in 2015.

Courtesy Daryl Devey

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Deanna Devey, front, and Jared Lloyd ride the Gooseberry Mesa Trail near St. George in 2008.

Courtesy Daryl Devey

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Deanna Devey, left, and Jared Lloyd ride the Slickrock Trail near Moab in 2006.

Courtesy Daryl Devey

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No matter where you live in the state of Utah, in a half hour you can probably get to a pretty decent mountain biking trail. That’s that beauty of living in a state that features both mountainous and high desert terrain, with plenty of people who are passionate about the activity.

But while there are thousands of trail options, two areas — St. George and Moab — have earned there positions as well-known destinations for mountain bikers.

Each has famous iconic trails.

Each has a plethora of other amazing options.

Each has people who come to the area for the biking.

And each has its reasons to be considered the best in the state.

Here are some of the things to consider when you are thinking about checking out these mountain biking hotspots:

The settings

While both the St. George and Moab areas have some similarities in terms of the high-desert landscape and being near national parks, they are also significantly different.

Washington County, where St. George is located, has grown rapidly and now has more than 207,000 people. Grand County, which is home to Moab, has just a fraction of that number of residents (less than 10,000 in the entire county).

Moab likely has more of a tourism destination presence, enhanced by being near Arches and Canyonlands national parks as well as the Colorado and Green rivers.

St. George isn’t far from Zion National Park but it is more of a population center, including being a popular winter destination with its milder weather.

Both have wonderful terrain for mountain biking but Utah expert Bruce Argyle of UtahMountainBiking.com said the communities feel different.

“Moab is the small town that specializes in outdoor recreation,” Argyle said in a phone interview. “St. George is more of a nice place to live, a metropolis that happens to have some great bike trails as well.”

He said St. George leads the way in terms of being a family destination, having high-elevation riding, having engineered and bike-park trails and in riding coinciding with business.

Moab, however, has the edge in terms of epic monster rides, bike camping, riding from town, shuttle rides and having more trails, according to Argyle.

According to DiscoverMoab.com, a visitor perception study with 1,345 responses found that Utah and Moab specifically are top destinations for mountain biking, off roading, rock climbing, white water rafting, and adventure sports with 11% having mountain biked on their most recent trip (1,000 of the responses were generated from a random panel of U.S. travelers interested in outdoor activities; 345 were randomly selected from the Moab Office of Tourism’s database of people who had requested trip information recently).

Argyle added that both feature great bike shops to provide parts and service, and can cater to riders of various skill levels.

The iconic rides

Ask mountain-bike enthusiasts from around the world about riding in Utah and they’ll probably know at least a little bit about places like the Gooseberry Mesa trail system near St. George and the Slickrock Trail system near Moab .

Argyle, who has mapped trails throughout the state (likely more than 4,000), said there are reasons those two area are so well-known.

“Slickrock (which is almost all on Navajo sandstone) is one that people tend to underestimate how difficult it is going to be,” Argyle said. “You’ll get a lot of people who are out there hiking their bikes along because they they’re in over their head. The climbs are brutal, so having a good mountain bike, good conditioning and picking the right time to be on the trail are important. But it’s beautiful.”

He explained that the Gooseberry Mesa has some areas of sandstone riding and some tricky places, but can be very versatile.

“You’ll have areas where the rock is smooth or it’s single track, and then you have a couple of bumps to go over that are a nice little challenge, and then they are over,” Argyle said. “You can kind of pick your poison and decide whether to take the easier route or go for the steeper or more technical ride. You can have a good experience because there is the option of short rides, short loops.”

Plenty of choices

While Gooseberry Mesa and Slickrock might be the best-known trail systems, both areas feature a myriad of trails for riders of all abilities.

Here are some of Argyle’s top picks for riders of different skill levels in each area:

St. George

• Beginner: “The place I would go with a brand new beginner would probably be the Hurricane Mesa trails, the Gem trail. Cryptobionic, Goosebumps. I would start from the Sheep Bridge Road trailhead, the one that’s kind of right in the middle of that trail system, and then ride out on those trails, because that’s an area where you can do a lot of miles without anything that’s too brutal. There are shorter options and longer options. More Cowbell is another good trail.”
• Intermediate: “Wire Mesa would probably be a good choice because it’s a loop of about 8 miles. Half of it is has some rock challenges, and then the other half is just single track cruising. It’s pretty easily doable. There are a couple of areas where an intermediate or an advanced beginner might get off and walk a short section, but a reasonable intermediate writer could pretty much do the whole thing without too much terror or risk of getting hurt.”
• Expert: “There are terrifying trails like Flying Monkey, but I think the North Rim and South Rim of Gooseberry Mesa would be a very good ride for an expert.”

Moab

• Beginner: “I’d take a beginner to the Klonzo trail system, which is about 10 miles north of Moab. It’s an area you can drive your family car to. There is a trail called the Carousel Trail that’s perfect for beginning because it’s fairly flat. There’s no real technical challenges. You’re riding on slick rock with occasional bits of dirt single track, but it’s very easy and nonstressful. There are longer single-track rides and the further you get from the main trail head, the harder they get. But a reasonable beginning rider can do anything in that system without too much trouble.”
• Intermediate: “I would go to the Klondike trails. There’s up-and-down trails for someone who’s in really good condition. There’s Basalt Wash Trail and Baby Steps trail, but the trail I like the best there is on the upper edge of intermediate and is called the EKG Trail. It runs north and south, going up and down that slope like an EKG. There’s a trail that’s an easier intermediate just downhill from that that you can use to complete a loop or do as an out-and-back called Dyno Flow. That’s one that a more advanced beginner could actually manage.”
• Expert: “Porcupine Rim or Slickrock are one of the first things that everybody has to do. But a lot of people do Slickrock are just intermediates or even advanced beginners, and that’s a mistake. You can’t really enjoy that trail until you have expert level fitness and skills.”

Things to remember

The riding can be amazing both in the Moab and St. George areas, but failure to pay attention to conditions can cause major problems.

“For either place, if it’s summer and you are someone who likes to sleep in, it’s going to be bad because the afternoon temperatures are brutal,” Argyle said.

He also emphasized that more isolated trails, particularly near Moab, increase the risk factor.

“In Moab, the trails tend to be rougher and a little more remote,” Argyle said. “Your chances of walking out to civilization if you’re hurt are a little less so Moab.”

Cell coverage can also be limited in certain locations, so it’s important to go in prepared with plenty of food and water as well as going with others.

The final word

If he had to be pinned down and choose just one of the two places for a couple of days, Argyle said it would depend on his motivation.

“If I’m just riding for fun, I’d probably go to St. George,” Argyle said. “If I’m trying to impress by going to a famous outdoor recreation spot, of course I’d go to Moab.”

But while they have their similarities and differences, Argyle’s conclusion is that “these are the top two Slickrock riding destinations in Utah. Either is an excellent choice.”