Dead Ringer

If you're a fan of the Red Bull Rampage you've seen the crazy trail descents near Virgin, Utah. There's a great trail system along the same range west of that venue that offers world-class mountain biking.

It began as the JEM (John, Ellen & Mike - creators) and has evolved into a network of climbs, multiple terrain, switchbacks, cliff hugging traverses, and high-speed cruises, all in the shadows of Zion Canyon. The network includes Dead Ringer - 5.2 mile, the JEM - 6.9 miles or 15.8 mile loop with Goulds, the Cryptobionic - 3.3 miles, and Goosebump - 3.6 miles, and More Cowbell - 2.7 miles. The network creates a number of loops making for several days worth of combos. 

This post deals mainly with Dead Ringer. 

There are a number of access points, this one is a junction of the JEM and Dead Ringer trails.
The Dead Ringer continues to the right beyond the sign in the above image, skirts and climbs the two prominent flat mesas in the background, popping up on top of the farthest one. 
Dead Ringer from above the mesa on More Cowbell, a trail that runs the rim of the mesas and connects into the JEM trail descent.
From atop the mesa on More Cowbell, a look back over Dead Ringer to the north with Pine Valley Mountain in the background.
The view back over More Cowbell from the edge looking south. 
Year-round access and cycling, trails ranging from novice to a little bit crazy all make this a mountain biking destination, trails that I ride three times a week. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Smoky Mountain Road on The Grand Staircase

Image
This trip was scrubbed two weeks ago when it was originally scheduled due to the unplanned surgery reattaching my left biceps tendon. So it's with great relief to get to a point where we could make this little overland trek in a minimum of pain. As with any adventure that takes us east out of St. George, this Grand Staircase trek took us through Zion Canyon. The idea was to drive to Escalante, Utah, where the trailhead to the Smoky Mountain Road can be found down a side street not far from the BLM offices on the south side of town. We're always glad to get back on the road or back on the water, to move, explore, share, talk, eat, sleep and drink in the proximity of each other. Mindy was able to get off work earlier than expected giving us a head start and putting us in Escalante a couple of hours ahead of time. The plan was to camp at Escalante Outfitters, a barely-an-acre parcel set up for tents, not RTTs. So we camped in the parking lot, fully warned that a weddin
Read more

Our Hie to Kolob

Image
We first camped here two weeks ago when my daughter joined me for an overnighter and line-wetting at Kolob Reservoir. This, for the most part, is a locals’ secret, with much consternation should anyone reveal the secret handshake that is Kolob in general. Even the National Park Service seems to speak in whispers about this area. Kolob Terrace defies description and has been in a perpetual tug-of-war between NPS, BLM and the People. And seeing of what all three of these parties are capable, maybe it’s a good thing. The name Kolob comes up unrecognizable in my spell-check because it’s origin defies any kind of mainstream description. In short, it’s the planet closest to heaven according to Mormon scripture. Indeed, an apt nomenclature for a place this beautiful. But, I didn’t photograph the area, just the environs of the campground at Lava Point, a name much more to the point. The camp is close to complete after a redo with the sale of the Montero , starting from scratc
Read more

that curvy undulating ribbon of black

Image
My sisters used to play guitar and sing Peter, Paul and Mary's 500 Miles , a folk song that would haunt my earliest dreams as a four year-old kid. The memory of the dream is still pretty vivid; I'm on a road walking west to the horizon and it's getting dark. The feeling is even more vivid, a combination of fear and purpose. Throw in the Mamas & The Papas' California Dreaming and the sum for me is the reason I'm still drawn to the West Coast. That, and being land-locked in the Southwest. If you've been reading this blog you'll know we've been making the best of that as well. Mindy's always been patient and tolerant enough to go along for the ride. A trip we've been planning to Eugene to pick up our daughter from Duckland for a break turned into a trek up the northern extension of the Pacific Coast Highway; the Shoreline Highway, the Redwood Highway and the Oregon Coast Highway, that curvy undulating ribbon of black that forces all your
Read more