Guacamole Mesa
Named for a bowl like feature that was originally used to hold guacamole on a date by the trail builders, riding “Guac” is like being in Zion national park on a mountain bike. There seems to be a sense that we shouldn’t be allowed to be doing this, but it is really cool that we can, since it is BLM. Beyond the National park flavor to the experience the riding is amazing, and different from the other Mesa top rides of Gooseberry, Little Creek, and Wire mesa in terms of features, flow and route finding.
The typical mesa top combination of forested single track leading to open slickrock areas is represented, but Guacamole’s slickrock areas are more compact and littered with small slickrock domes, mounds, hummocks, and boulders. These provide numerous options for more challenging lines off the standard route that weaves between them. The combination of play areas with a flowy and sinuous singletrack that leads to incredible cliff edge riding on the Holy Guacamole loop, makes this ride a great option for advanced riders, whereas intermediate riders will likely dismount often.
One of the unique aspects of this mesa that the others lack is the prevalence of petrified wood that litters the entire trail. Several of the trail markers are petrified logs that would have ended up in someone’s front yard if not for the distance from the car and the weight of the load. It is difficult to imagine the process of turning these 225-million-year-old wood fragments into pure stone, seems either whimsical or sacrilegious to use them as trail markers depending on your point of view.
On the subject of trail marking, Guacamole sports a hybrid system of marking that features cairns (stacks of rocks) paint cans with directions in black sharpie, and most commonly wire garden baskets filled with rocks instead of tomato plants. There are occasional fading white dashes of paint that mark optional loops, but it would not be an exaggeration to say that Guac is one of the most difficult to navigate and most riders will spend a significant amount of time on their phone app’s to find their way around. Riding with a friend or guide who has taken the time to learn the myriad junctions and variations, is a great way to avoid spending most of your ride being lost and confused.
The road access to Guacamole can either be smooth gravel passable by a carefully driven sports car, or a nightmare of axel deep dust or off camber rock and clay up a steep final half mile that will spit vehicles into Dalton wash 100 rocky feet below during rainstorms or snow. The county highway department has worked hard to keep the road passable, but with a shaded north aspect at the base of a cliff with a canyon below, the road seems to hang precariously to the side of the mesa. Many riders without 4WD park at the base of the final section and ride up, especially in the cold winter months.
As the lowest of the mesa top rides the season for Guacamole is longer than most as the trail dries out quickly after a rain or snow, though it should not be considered a wet weather trail due to the damage that would be inflicted to the forested single track. Spring wildflowers bloom in may, and early June, with the first 2 weeks of June also being a time when the Cedar gnats may be obnoxious.
Guacamole short loop: The original loop features a section of cliff edge riding, singletrack, and weaving slickrock trail over numerous small domes. 6 miles
Holy Guacamole loop: Continuing on south from the short loop, a confusing series of trails eventually leads to a long section of cliff edge riding towards Zion national park and technical riding through a maze of domes to rejoin the short loop at its southern end.
Salt on the rim: A variation ride that passes a man made pond, and accesses the north rim, eventually joining the Margarita portion of the regular loop for the return to the trail head.
Difficulity: Intermediate to advanced riding
Kid Friendly: Perhaps, some trails are close to cliff edges.
Dogs: Yes
Wet Weather ride: NO
Single track %– 100%
Quality (1-5)*****
Links:
Trailforks
Mountain bike project
Utah mountain biking.com
the pond in the middle of the guacamole trail