Grafton Mesa

Apple Valley, Utah, USA

Grafton Mesa is part of the same mountain as Gooseberry Mesa, located just west of Zion National Park. The area is best ridden on an all-mountain or downhill bike, while shuttling is preferred. The actual downhill section (Advanced-Expert) run is only 1.2 km, but in order to access it you will ride the fast doubletrack (old coach) road for about 4 km to the trailhead.

The Gratfton Mesa downhill run is a load of fun. It is technical, steep, and exposed in sections; offering some incredible riding. Large boulders, rock gardens, some might say it’s one big rock garden, with a number of loose and steep sections will keep you on your toes. The downhill is all singletrack, once you’ve descended down the old coach road to access it. Look for the trailhead to begin near the east edge of the mesa, right of the rock wall. The tight singletrack begins down a steep technical section to your right and hugs the rock wall to your left. The trail switchbacks’ until it opens up near the bottom, offering the rider a number of line options. Once you hit the red dirt road at the bottom, pedal left to the cemetery and carpark.

This trail may be shuttled; however, you will need a truck or SUV with good clearance to do so. Your other option is to hire Mountain Bike Buddies for the morning or day to shuttle you up and down this trail.

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Trail Stats

Distance: 5.3 km (total)
Time: 20 min - 1 hr
Elevation Gain: 11 m
Elevation Loss: 326 m
Min Elevation: 1,068 m
Max Elevation: 1,385 m
Technical Rating: Advanced - Expert
Physical Rating: Moderate
Season: Year Round
Permit Required: No

Trail Location

Trailhead: To access the Grafton Mesa downhill and trailhead, take Hwy 59 east from Hurricane to the Gooseberry Mesa turnoff. Head north on the dirt road (please avoid when very wet as it’s impassable) until you reach a pull off on your left (N37 07.830 W113 06.059 GPS). Review the detailed shuttle instructions below the photos on this page.

GPS:
N37 09.718 W113 04.882 (Retrieval)
N37 07.830 W113 06.059 (Start)
N37 09.433 W113 05.318 (Grafton TH)

Downloads

Map: N/A; download the GPS file below
GPS Map (GPX): click here
Google Earth: click here
Dixie MTB Trail Association: click here
Bureau of Land Management: click here

Google Earth trail view only works if you have the program; download it here (free)

Shuttling Grafton Mesa

To shuttle this trail, using Hurricane as your starting point, drive east on Hwy 9 to Rockville. Once in town take a right (south) on to Bridge Road. Drive down Bridge Road across the bridge and turn right (west) on to Grafton Road shortly after. Drive along Grafton Road, keeping west (right) at the trail junction. Once you reach the cemetery, find a place to park your retrieval vehicle. Grafton Mesa downhill ends here. Pile into your second vehicle, retracing your steps on Grafton Road. Once you hit the juncture again, turn right (south) this time instead of heading back to town. The road will get challenging to drive up, please avoid it after heavy rain. Drive up the road, passing your first turnoff to the left, another to the right and finally a third to the right again. A hundred metres past this point look for the pull off to your right and park. Leave your vehicle here and begin your descent down the dirt road towards the sweet Grafton Mesa singletrack descent; 4 km ahead.

Tip: download the full GPS file to follow or contact Mountain Bike Buddies for a very reasonably priced shuttle service to take you out.

 


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