Hurricane Cliffs Mountain Biking: More Cowbell

More Cowbell is one of the newer mountain bike trails in Utah's Hurricane Cliffs Trail System. It is easily and quickly accessed, fast and flowy, and easily ridable by beginners. Beyond that, it sits on a lower shelf of Gooseberry Mesa and offers incredible views in every direction.

Because the trail is built for mountain biking, it offers several options for different riding lengths that vary depending on how you hit the various intersecting trails. To add in some fun descents and lengthen the ride, hang a right onto the upper JEM Trail immediately after the gate. This section of the trail is one-way traffic only, so you shouldn’t need to worry about colliding into people pedaling up the trail. After a couple steeper descents you’ll see the More Cowbell junction. It’s well marked, but it might look like two separate trails. They do reconnect again near the trailhead, and they are really just two parts of the More Cowbell Loop. If you hang a right, you’ll swing out along the cliff rim on the lower section of More Cowbell. You can then take this back to the trailhead, drop down on Jem again, and then swing a left at the junction onto upper More Cowbell to finish out a second loop.

Be aware, though, that the temperatures in this area can get dangerously high. Be sure to take plenty of water whatever time of year you hit it, and be very cautious in the warmer months. It is not uncommon for people to die from dehydration in this desert. With that in mind, know that there are plenty of options to cut the ride shorter, including returning on the access road, or cutting left onto upper More Cowbell without hitting the lower section.