The JEM Trail is a… ahem… gem of a trail found between the tiny town of Virgin, Utah and Gooseberry Mesa. The trail is known for its fast, twisty singletrack, a technical switchback section, and an edge-of-your-saddle ride along a cliff edge where an endo could end very badly. In all, the JEM Trail is a ride that tingles the mind, thrills the body, and is just damn fun.
Many mountain bikers, especially the lazy ones, will shuttle the JEM Trail for a downhill-only kind of day. But to do the ride properly, it’s best to complete the official 13-mile loop. One can see why the up is avoided by some as the ascent is mainly a doubletrack dirt road. But once you turn left into the wash and follow it up the small canyons below Gooseberry Mesa, the pedaling becomes more fun with some banked singletrack, short-but-steep grinders and sandstone scenery. After a little over six miles, the trailhead is gained near a road, and the cruising back down to the car can begin.
Ah, the descent. It’s a fun one, though not overly fast. In fact, aside from some whoop-de-doos in the creek bed, and that scary, technical switchback section, the downhill portion requires a surprising amount of pedaling to keep at speed. No bother, because you’ll be flying so fast you can keep your bike in the third chain-ring as you rocket through the sagebrush flats and sand. Once you reach the Virgin River Gorge, you’ll have the pleasure of flirting with death (or a minimun of serious injury) as you ride very close to the canyon rim. Keep your eyes on the trail to avoid being sucked into a mesmorizing gravity well of nothingness that pulls you in if you avert your eyes while checking out the view below. Just tell yourself it’s pretty, concentrate on where you’re going, and you’ll be fine.
Before you know it, the ride ends when the trail splits away from the Virgin River, curves to the right around a small hill, and dumps you back at the parking lot where your vehicle (and a cooler stocked with a cold beverage of choice) awaits.
To really get a sense of what to expect, watch this video put together by Jared Anderton.
Mountain Biking the JEM Trail – March 2010 from Jared Anderton on Vimeo.
The JEM Trail is short but sweet and totally worth riding if you’re in and around Zion National Park or St. George. If you don’t dally, you can easily complete the loop in under 1 1/2 hours – leaving plenty of time to check out other classic rides in the area like Gooseberry Mesa or the Guacamole Trail.
If you go: Drive as if you’re going to Zion National Park on Highway 9. About 5 miles after La Verkin, you’ll reach the town of Virgin. Keep an eye out for the Sheep Bridge Road. It’s a small, dirt road that enters a residential area. Turn right and cross the bridge that spans the Virgin River. Soon after crossing a cattle guard, you’ll turn right onto a double track road that leads to the obvious parking area. This is where you will end the ride. To begin, ride your bike up the dirt road you drove in on to the top of the start of JEM Trail.
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