theprof
06-02-2005, 07:51 AM
If you get the chance to ride Red Canyon, you guys should check it out. It's on the way to Bryce Canyon from Panguitch on SR-12 in the Dixie National Forest. Awesome trails down there: Thunder Mountain, Cassidy Trail, Losee & Casto Canyons, and more. Here's a couple of pics from the Memorial Day weekend - the trip report is copied from the general discussion thread:
Friday: Me and the GF headed out early friday afternoon with the Jeep loaded for bear and the bikes on back. Destination: Red Canyon. Set up camp, feasted on marinated chicken with a nice pasta side and a couple of dark beers, and had a relaxing evening.
Saturday: Got up and chowed on a bacon/egg breakfast, then headed out on the MTB to ride the Thunder Mountain trail. If you have never done this one, you need to add it to your list. I'd been before, but it was a first for the GF and she was blown away. Not horribly technical (some tight switchies and some nice grunts up the hills) but one of the most scenic trails in Utah. From the Coyote Hollow Trailhead, you first ride through the pine forest with hints of red rock - only to emerge through some hills into the hoodoo's of Red Canyon, where you bomb along some of the ridgelines and through more hoodoos & washes. Truly awesome. We then hooked up with some friends at camp, relaxed & chilled with some steaks on the BBQ, potatoes with about a pound of butter and garlic cooked in foil on the fire, and a few glasses of red wine. Spectacular!
Sunday: While friends & their kids did the paved bike trail and some hiking, we headed up Losee Canyon, then where it meets Cassidy Trail we took the spur up over to Casto Canyon - grunted up the hill, took in the scenery, and then bombed back down to the junction - where we then rode the other part of Cassidy Trail back to Red Canyon - we then turned into the kid sitters while our friends headed out for Thunder Mountain trail - first time for both of them, and they were duly impressed. After munching some stuffed burgers (two patties sandwiching blue cheese & bacon inside them) we managed to kill most of a bottle of gin that evening as the kids were shagged and went off to bed without a peep. We got about 10 minutes of rain before we had dinner, but otherwise a perfect day.
Monday: My buddy and I got up early, dusted off the cobwebs, and headed out for a reverse ride of what my GF and I had done yesterday, without the spur up Cassidy trail. Shortly after that, breakfast of blueberry pancakes & sausages was polished off and we packed up camp. The GF and I decided we'd ride Thunder Mountain again (she was just getting used to some new disc brakes we put on her bike) so we rode it, took pics, and just soaked it all in. After a shower back at the campground, we hit the road - not much traffic until we got to Provo area, but even then it wasn't horrible. Just a bit of rain on the drive back before Spanish Fork.
Friday: Me and the GF headed out early friday afternoon with the Jeep loaded for bear and the bikes on back. Destination: Red Canyon. Set up camp, feasted on marinated chicken with a nice pasta side and a couple of dark beers, and had a relaxing evening.
Saturday: Got up and chowed on a bacon/egg breakfast, then headed out on the MTB to ride the Thunder Mountain trail. If you have never done this one, you need to add it to your list. I'd been before, but it was a first for the GF and she was blown away. Not horribly technical (some tight switchies and some nice grunts up the hills) but one of the most scenic trails in Utah. From the Coyote Hollow Trailhead, you first ride through the pine forest with hints of red rock - only to emerge through some hills into the hoodoo's of Red Canyon, where you bomb along some of the ridgelines and through more hoodoos & washes. Truly awesome. We then hooked up with some friends at camp, relaxed & chilled with some steaks on the BBQ, potatoes with about a pound of butter and garlic cooked in foil on the fire, and a few glasses of red wine. Spectacular!
Sunday: While friends & their kids did the paved bike trail and some hiking, we headed up Losee Canyon, then where it meets Cassidy Trail we took the spur up over to Casto Canyon - grunted up the hill, took in the scenery, and then bombed back down to the junction - where we then rode the other part of Cassidy Trail back to Red Canyon - we then turned into the kid sitters while our friends headed out for Thunder Mountain trail - first time for both of them, and they were duly impressed. After munching some stuffed burgers (two patties sandwiching blue cheese & bacon inside them) we managed to kill most of a bottle of gin that evening as the kids were shagged and went off to bed without a peep. We got about 10 minutes of rain before we had dinner, but otherwise a perfect day.
Monday: My buddy and I got up early, dusted off the cobwebs, and headed out for a reverse ride of what my GF and I had done yesterday, without the spur up Cassidy trail. Shortly after that, breakfast of blueberry pancakes & sausages was polished off and we packed up camp. The GF and I decided we'd ride Thunder Mountain again (she was just getting used to some new disc brakes we put on her bike) so we rode it, took pics, and just soaked it all in. After a shower back at the campground, we hit the road - not much traffic until we got to Provo area, but even then it wasn't horrible. Just a bit of rain on the drive back before Spanish Fork.