Outdoor enthusiasts will discover plenty of recreational opportunities for the entire family in Utah's Southwest Color Country. In fact, outdoor activities and Color Country's wide range of topography and climate go hand-in-hand. Whatever your favorite outdoor activity is, you'll find it in Color Country. Mountain biking, fishing, boating, swimming, four-wheeling, rock hounding, running, hiking, photography, wildlife watching, horseback riding, backpacking, ATV riding, hunting, rodeos and more are here in Color Country.

When you venture into the backcountry on foot, bike, ATV, or four-wheel drive, use common sense and go prepared. Take plenty of water with you. Tell someone where you are going and when you'll be back. Check with local visitor centers, Forest Service or BLM offices for details and maps on the area, as well as weather conditions. If you're going into remote areas, take a topographic map and emergency supplies with you. Bikers and ATV riders, please wear helmets.

Biking
Mountain biking is the fastest growing year-round family activity in Color Country. With a mountain bike you can experience a wide range of terrain, scenery, and climate. You can tour the back woods and ride the scenic trails through cool green forests and red rock country. You can catch thrilling hundred-mile vistas, get a rush as you descend a mountain top, or just enjoy a slow gentle pedal around a lake. And it doesn't matter whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or an expert, Color Country has the perfect trails for you. Rentals, tours, shuttles, and repairs are available at most major biking areas. The Brian Head area is becoming a mountain bikers mecca each May through October. The high elevation atop the plateau creates a cool mountain setting perfect for escaping the summer heat. Scenic single-track and double-track trails are suitable for beginners as well as advanced riders. Families will enjoy the Pioneer Cabins route, while the 14-mile Dark Hollow / Second Left Hand Canyon trail is geared to the intermediate and advanced riders. A shuttle or a chairlift will take you to the top of many trails, then you can cruise downhill through forests and red rock country, then ride a shuttle back to Brian Head.

Forested overlooks and vistas are plentiful along designated mountain bike trails in the Bryce Canyon area every spring, summer and fall. Red Canyon, Tropic Reservoir, Sunset Cliffs, and Powell Point are just a few of the trails. Or you may want to bike the 14 miles through Bryce Canyon National Park along the park road. Nearby colorful Kodachrome Basin State Park is ideal for spring and fall rides. And the longer Cottonwood Canyon road is a long ride that travels through a jumble of unusual twisted rocks.

The town of Boulder is the gateway to several mountain bike trails including the famous 60-mile Burr Trail. The road climbs over the Waterpocket Fold of Capitol Reef National Park and offers dramatic overlooks of Lake Powell along its route to Bullfrog.

Old movie sets, pictographs and arches are a few of the landmarks along the Johnson Canyon trail from Kanab. You can ride to nearby Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park and take in the colorful sea of sand. In the higher elevations, you'll be rewarded with a sweeping view of Zion National Park when you ride from Duck Creek Village to Strawberry Point.

One of the easier and prettiest rides is along the road that runs from Springdale through Zion Canyon in Zion National Park. A bike trail extends part of the way, then the park road continues past towering landmarks like the Great White Throne to the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the canyon. In the St. George area biking, as well as other sports, is a year-round activity. In addition to the Zion ride, you can explore Snow Canyon State Park, Pine Valley, or the Enterprise Reservoir area. There are lots of shorter rides in the cliffs above St. George.

Experienced riders will enjoy the trails east of Beaver near Elk Meadows. Most of the trails are rated intermediate or advanced, but parts of them can also be enjoyed by beginners. You can climb into the backcountry of Fishlake National Forest along the Puffer Lake, Big John Flat, and Skyline Delano trails. The ride through scenic Beaver Canyon is narrow but beautiful.

A Color Country mountain bike trail guide is available upon request. Complete detailed maps of the national forests and BLM lands are available from each agency. See the Directory section for addresses and phone numbers.