Hurricane is the staging town for the best riding in Southern Utah, mostly because Sand Hollow State Park is right there. If you are staying in Hurricane, you are already where you want to be — the only missing piece is the bike. We rent late-model dirt bikes from Apple Valley, twelve miles south east of town.

Sand Hollow, in more detail

Sand Hollow is the reason people come to Hurricane with a trailer. It packs several kinds of riding into one area, which is unusual and is what makes it work for a mixed group.

The dunes are soft, forgiving and genuinely fun once you learn that momentum is your friend and stopping halfway up a slope is not. The slickrock sections are the opposite discipline — grip is excellent, but line choice matters and there is no room to be lazy with the throttle. Between the two there is a lot of open red sand two-track, which is where most people spend most of the day and where a first-timer gets comfortable.

It is busy at weekends. That is not a reason to avoid it, but it is a reason to arrive early and to keep a first-time rider away from the dune bowls until they have an hour under their belt.

Warner Valley and Gooseberry Mesa

If Sand Hollow is full, or you want something quieter, Warner Valley is a straightforward drive and far emptier. Gooseberry Mesa is closer to our shop than to Hurricane — Apple Valley is the nearest town to it — and offers a jeep road network, rim views and cooler air at 5,200 feet. Its marked singletrack is for mountain bikes, but the jeep roads are open. Both are worth having as a plan B.

Towing twelve miles

Collecting in Apple Valley and towing to Sand Hollow is a short, easy run. If your vehicle can pull, we rent a trailer — but we only keep two, so on spring and autumn weekends it goes before the bikes do. Book the trailer at the same time as the machines, not afterwards.

Which bikes suit Sand Hollow

Sand rewards torque over outright power. The Honda CRF250F is a genuinely good Sand Hollow bike for a newer rider: enough drive to climb without the punishment of a two-stroke if you get the gear wrong. Complete beginners should take the CRF125F and stay on the two-track. Experienced riders will want the GASGAS EX250 or Husqvarna TC250, and the KTM 300SX if you already know that is your bike.

The electric Sur-Ron Light Bee X is an interesting choice here — light enough to place precisely on slickrock and quiet enough that you can actually hear the person riding next to you.

When to come

Spring and autumn are ideal and busy. Summer means starting at first light and finishing by late morning; the sand radiates heat and there is no shade at Sand Hollow. Winter is quiet, cold in the morning, and the sand is firmer, which some riders prefer.

Booking

Pick your dates and the site shows exactly what is free. Helmets, boots and clothing can be added to the same reservation. If you want a hand matching bikes to a group of mixed ability, call us on (385) 236-8086 — we ride here every week and would rather set you up properly than sell you the wrong machine.

Related pages

Our detailed Sand Hollow riding guide goes further into the terrain. Also see rentals for St. George, riding near Zion, beginner rentals, prices, and the full fleet.

Two more destination rides worth knowing: Gooseberry Mesa for technical slickrock and cooler air at 5,200 feet, and Toquerville Falls for five miles of rough road ending at a waterfall you can swim in.