Jem Trails Loop

Hurricane

Flowy, easy-to-access singletrack with gorgeous views, and the occasional challenging section.

Mountain Biking Moderate

Distance: 26 km
Ascent: 369 m
Descent: 369 m
Duration: 2-3 hrs

Low Point: 1.1 km
High Point: 1.3 km
Gradient: 4˚

The Jem trail network is a system of singletrack in the desert outside of Hurricane, but located BELOW the iconic Gooseberry Mesa. The location of this sweet set of trails not only provides for flowy, beginner-friendly riding, but they are much quicker and easier to access than the iconic Gooseberry.

Flowy desert singletrack. Photo: Greg Heil

Looking up at the mesa. Photo: Greg Heil

Photo from Jem Trails Loop — Photo: Greg Heil

Pedalling along the rim. Photo: Greg Heil

Description

While you can ride this network in a variety of ways, the route mapped here makes the best use of the full descent down the Jem Trail, top-to-bottom. The upper portion of the Jem trail is one-way only, so follow this combination to set you up for success.

Overall the trails here are swoopy, flowy, and extremely beginner-friendly! Some low berms keep riders flowing quickly through the singletrack, and small jumps provide opportunities for air. Some portions of the Jem Trail itself are chunky and technical, but those stretches of rock are all short-lived.

Lower down on the Jem Trail, the singletrack runs right along a canyon rim above a beautiful river below—an absolutely idyllic location! The rim is very wide in this area, meaning that the trail isn’t actually that exposed, despite the incredible views.

While the gnarly enduro rider won’t find any hardcore shredding on these trails, the Jem trail network is still a superb slice of desert mountain biking.

Difficulty

Moderate

Mostly stable trail tread with some variability, with unavoidable obstacles 8in/20cm tall or less. Other obstacles such as rock gullies and steep sections may exist. Ideal for lower intermediate riders.