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This ride on trails near Gunlock would have been miserable on an ATV or a UTV with no enclosure.

Courtesy Lynn R. Blamires

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Map of the trails near Gunlock in Southern Utah.

Image supplied

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We were in St. George, enjoying some exciting ATV trails in Washington County. Our first ride was on the Low Mountain Trail, where we had lunch overlooking the Virgin River Gorge. The weather was wonderful.

Our plan for the second day was to ride the Gold Strike Trail near Gunlock. I rode this trail last year, and it was a lot of fun. It was a new trail for the group I was with, and I was excited to take them on it.

The sky looked foreboding, and the weather forecast was not good. Weather forecasting has become irritatingly accurate. When planning a ride, I consult several weather apps. They usually vary a lot, so I plan around the forecast I like best. Don’t ask, because it hasn’t worked well for me.

Another approach I use is to go to a restaurant for breakfast. This gives the weather a chance to develop, one way or another. Besides that, I love to start a ride with a good breakfast.

On this day, breakfast only served to move the chance of rain from 50 percent to 100 percent. It was not raining in St. George, but clouds were gathering over Gunlock at our drop point. By the time we reached the staging area, rain was a reality.

I don’t mind riding in the rain now that I drive a Polaris Xpedition. It is fully enclosed with a heater and a windshield wiper. Rain isn’t the problem; mud is. I rode the Gold Strike Trail last year, and I knew we could not avoid mud.

I was not anxious to unload for that reason, but Terry and Michelle Maxfield of Morgan already had their Polaris Xpedition off the trailer. They were going to ride the road to find a gas station. We waited for them to come back before making a plan.

When they did come back, they were all excited about a trail they had found on the way to the gas station. It was an asphalt road, so there wouldn’t be any mud. Why would I, with 44 years of experience riding in Utah’s backcountry, not question their wisdom? I don’t have a good answer for that.

Our group consisted of five couples, each with their own machine. Besides the two Xpeditions in our group, we had a 6-seat Can-Am HD-11. These were weather-resistant; the other two were not.

We put those four in the HD-11, and our little street-legal three-machine caravan headed north following Terry and Michelle. My wife and I rode drag. That is cowboy talk for tail gunner.

We followed the Santa Clara River on the Gunlock-Veyo Road until we came to Moody Wash. We crossed Magotsu Creek, which originates near the historic Mountain Meadows area. It winds its way south through the red rock desert and feeds into the Santa Clara River.

We followed Magotsu Creek and turned left onto the Veyo Shoal Creek Road. It took us north on an asphalt road for about 10 miles. Then we turned off onto – you guessed it – a dirt road!

It had been raining steadily all morning. The road was pretty solid, so while we weren’t making ruts, the road was still muddy. I hate mud! The optimist would say, “Well, at least it wasn’t dusty.” Argh!

From what I could see between swipes of my windshield wiper, it was pretty country. I could see colors in the maple trees we encountered. It wasn’t the kind of weather conducive to a picnic, so we focused on the road while munching on jerky and strawberry Twizzlers.

We weren’t riding with radios, so I couldn’t tell Terry how crazy he was for leading this rainy ride until it was over. The NUATV club does ride with radios. You would think that a rider with 44 years of experience would ride with radios. I don’t have an answer for that one either.

We continued our ride through the Dixie National Forest. When we reached Bull Canyon, we joined the last leg of the Gold Strike Trail that we had intended to take in the first place. We made our way back to Tobin Wash and the Gunlock-Veyo Road.

We finished a 43-mile ride and loaded up in the rain. On our way back to St. George, we stopped in Veyo for a slice of pie, which they are famous for. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down, and ride this trail on a sunny day.

Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com.