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The barrel cactus reminds me of minions without goggles.

Lynn R. Blamires, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Recent rain has turned the desert floor green.

Lynn R. Blamires, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Climbing Low Mountain, having passed through a canyon with colorful maple trees.

Lynn R. Blamires, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Overlooking the beautiful Virgin River Gorge.

Lynn R. Blamires, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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The Low Mountain Trail trailhead is at the upper end of the Virgin River Gorge. We staged on the north side of I-15 just off the Black Rock exit, south of St. George. We crossed south over the freeway to begin our adventure.

I rode this trail in the spring of 2022. I really enjoyed it and wanted to share it with friends. A group of four machines set out to enjoy the trails on Low Mountain.

Low Mountain isn’t very high by mountain standards, which is how it got its name. We topped out at 7,000 feet. What makes this ride remarkable is that, while the mountain isn’t high, we started at a lower elevation (2,800 feet) than most rides do.

That 4,200-foot climb took us through three environmental changes. Starting in a desert landscape of cactus and other desert plants, we moved to piñon pines and junipers, and finally reached a forest of ponderosa Pines. The changes were refreshing.

The first thing we noticed as we entered the desert was how green everything was. Recent rains had given the desert floor new life. The grass was bright green.

Crossing over Dinner Flat, we passed the mouth of Little Purgatory Canyon. The sun shone at an angle, lighting a furry cactus on one side of the trail but making the same plant on the other side look dull. My favorite is the barrel cactus. They remind me of minions without goggles.

We passed Tombstone Canyon as we entered the piñon pine section of our ride. I like riding through these trees, but their branches reach the ground and don’t offer much shade. Not a good place to stop for lunch.

We turned right at a junction at about the 5,200-foot level and skirted the boundaries of the Paiute Wilderness Area. Climbing into the ponderosa section of our ride, we were at 7,000 feet, the top of the mountain. A beautiful spot for lunch sat where the trail turned north, away from the wilderness border.

However, the rains that turned the desert green also turned this picnic spot into a swamp. We couldn’t find a dry place to break out our trail cuisine. We continued, hoping for another suitable spot.

That spot presented itself at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Virgin River Gorge. We took time to take in the view. It was amazing.

We could see the tiny cars and trucks on the highway some 3,200 feet below. We were overlooking another section of the Paiute Wilderness Area. Not only did we have views into the canyon, but we could see ranks of mountain ranges in the distance.

I have driven through the gorge many times, and the drive is beautiful. I looked into the history of the highway’s construction. Now I see it in a whole new light.

Before the freeway was built, travelers driving between Nevada and Utah had to use old Highway 91. It was a slow, steep, and dangerous route over Utah Hill west of Santa Clara. It added at least 45 minutes to the trip and saw 23 fatalities in a five-year period starting in 1968.

Construction on the I-15 freeway through the Virgin River Gorge cost $10 million per mile (Deseret News – January 19, 2009). That would be $75.9 million per mile in 2026 dollars. It was the most expensive rural freeway in the nation at the time.

Five long bridges over the Virgin River, as well as rechanneling the water 12 times to accommodate the approximately 18-mile section of freeway through the gorge, were required. Workers faced high winds, flash flooding and quicksand that swallowed heavy equipment overnight. A million cubic yards of granite were removed in several locations to rechannel the river.

We noticed the sun’s angle and the shadows cast by our machines. We looked again at the gorge. We decided that we had the perfect place for lunch.

We broke out our camp chairs and food and settled in for an hour of socializing. While we ate, we watched some of the 23,000 cars and trucks that travel through the gorge every day. It was very relaxing.

We finished our break on the edge of the cliff and headed back to our trucks. Traveling back through the three types of landscape, we finished a ride of about 53 miles. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and consider this trail for a spring or fall adventure.