Gooseberry Mesa 2006
Almost out to The Point along the north rim. 
Located outside of Hurricane Utah, Gooseberry Mesa is one of those places you have to ride it to believe it. The mixture of singletrack and griprock is pretty awesome with lots of swooping and flowing lines across fields of solid rock. The place has very little elevation change but you will do enough short quick ups to peg your ticker on plenty of occasions. If you have never ridden on the stuff before it can be pretty crazy at first because it almost defies logic that you can climb some of the stuff.
Check out the trip report from last year's road trip as well as the additional pictures from Gooseberry 2005.
- The term Slickrock comes from the fact that these rocks are slick for horses to walk on, but it absolutely the opposite for bike tires. The traction on this stuff is pretty unreal, the best way I could describe it is riding on 20-grit sandpaper. We are not horse people here so ever since my trip here last year, I have been referring to the stuff as "Griprock"
North Point - Hidden Canyon - South Rim: (15mi)
Hidden Canyon - Secret Canyon - South Rim: (12mi)
Hazards: It can get really hot here during the summer and you are typically surrounded by rocks which can amplify the "heat". Fall through Spring is the ride season here.
- From Hurricane you will drive about 10 miles past "The Point" of Gooseberry and Apple Valley junction to gain access onto the mesa. Plenty download/offline your navigation direction while you are in Hurricane as service can be spotty on some carriers heading out to the mesa.
Ride Notes: I first rode the mesa in 2005 and this page is primarily based on a 2006 visit. Since then I have ridden Gooseberry numerous times. It is big day to ride about 80 percent of the stuff here as there is a lot MTB per mile out here. If you do not have a pressed schedule, it is very enjoyable to split the mesa up into a couple of days and enjoy some sessioning on the features. Dispersed camping is available on the mesa and it is very cool to roll out from camp.
Scenes from along the South Rim Trail
More South Rim Trail views.
Mandatory photos on "That Spine"
More rock trail goodness.
Here is a sequence of shots of Mike getting up a particularly steep rock (Steeper than it looks). The three on the right are a failed attempt. Even with the incredible traction you get on these rocks you still need to a good bit of speed to get up some of them. The picture on the left shows the compression of the front tire as he hits a bit of a dip in the rock. The next picture shows both wheels off the ground from springing off that dip. The right three show Mike getting it done. Jerry is playing spotter.
Mike along the Hidden Canyon trail.
Out near The Point
Play time on the rocks
Zion from Gooseberry 
The afternoon light and the recanting of the day's conquest over smuggled in beer.
This ride was Day Two of my Nevada - Utah 2006 Road Trip