St. George is the base most people use for a Southern Utah riding trip, and it sits within easy reach of some of the best desert riding in the state. What it does not have is a reason to own a bike if you are only here for a few days. We rent late-model dirt bikes from Apple Valley, under thirty miles east of St. George, which is closer to the trailheads than town is.

Riding within reach of St. George

Sand Hollow is the obvious first stop and roughly twenty minutes from St. George. Red sand, slickrock and open dunes in one place, with terrain that works for a nervous first-timer and a fast rider on the same afternoon. It is busy on weekends, which is worth planning around rather than avoiding.

Warner Valley sits south east of St. George and is the quieter option. Wide, forgiving desert with room to make mistakes without an audience, which is exactly what you want on a first ride. It is where we point most people who tell us they are new.

Gooseberry Mesa is further east, out toward our shop — Apple Valley is the closest town to it. A network of jeep roads and rim routes across a mesa top at 5,200 feet, which also makes it noticeably cooler than St. George in high summer. The marked singletrack is for mountain bikes; the jeep roads are ours.

Why collect in Apple Valley rather than in town

We are east of St. George, which means you are already pointed at the trails when you leave us rather than driving back out through town. For Sand Hollow and Gooseberry Mesa that saves you a real chunk of the morning. If you are staying in St. George, the usual pattern is to collect the evening before and leave early.

What to book if you are new

Start on a Honda CRF125F or CRF250F. Both are four-strokes with smooth, predictable power, and the 125 is light enough for youth riders from around ten upward. If you have ridden before, the GASGAS EX250 and Husqvarna TC250 are the two-strokes worth your time, and the KTM 300SX is there for riders who already know they want it.

Getting the bikes out there

Sand Hollow, Warner Valley and Gooseberry Mesa all need a tow. If your vehicle can pull a trailer we rent one, but we only keep two, so on a spring or fall weekend it is the first thing to disappear. Book it with the bikes rather than after.

When to ride

Spring and autumn are the seasons everyone wants, and weekends in those months book out first. Summer riding is entirely possible if you start at first light and are off the bike by late morning — St. George heat in July is not something to negotiate with. Winter is underrated: cold mornings, empty trails, and no dust.

Booking from St. George

Pick your dates and the site shows exactly which bikes are free, so a group can be put on machines in one reservation. Helmets, boots and a pants-and-jersey set can go on the same booking. If you are not sure which bike suits you, call us on (385) 236-8086 — that conversation is faster than reading spec sheets.

Related pages

See the Sand Hollow riding guide, rentals for Hurricane, or riding near Zion. First time on a bike? Read beginner rentals. Full prices and the whole dirt bike 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.