Trail guide · Hurricane / Virgin area, Washington County

Gooseberry Mesa

Slickrock mesa classic near Hurricane.

Verify before you ride. E-bike rules differ by land manager and even by trail, and they change. Everything here was read from public pages on Oct 31, 2026 (America/Denver). We are not a land manager, and nothing on this site is legal advice. Check the agency and trailhead signs; when a source is missing we say "unverified."
Before you roll

Partly allowed Motorized White Trail only (BLM map); the rest of the system is non-motorized.
Call BLM St. George Field Office (435-688-3200) before riding an e-bike anywhere on Gooseberry other than posted motorized routes.

LocationGooseberry Mesa, southern Utah red-rock country, at about 5,200 ft elevation; Zion's sandstone sentinels rise to the north.[1]
Managing agencyBureau of Land Management (BLM), St. George Field Office[1]
E-bike statusPartly allowed Motorized White Trail only (BLM map); the rest of the system is non-motorized.
  • The BLM Gooseberry Mesa map PDF marks the White Trail (3.1 mi) as the only motorized trail; the other trails on the map are non-motorized.[2]
  • BLM says e-bikes may ride in motorized areas and on OHV/motorized trails, and that BLM offices decide which non-motorized trails could be opened to e-bikes. We found no St. George Field Office decision opening Gooseberry singletrack to e-bikes.[3]
  • A local lodging business writes that e-bikes are limited to the White Trail and designated roads. A local guide company says Class 1 is allowed on mountain-bike-approved trails in Washington County. These two secondary sources conflict, and the guide company's statement is not backed by a BLM document we could find.[4][5]
E-bike classesClass 1/2/3 status on the White Trail: not stated on the BLM pages we read. Unverified — check with the land manager.
DifficultyEasy to very difficult. BLM says maps and difficulty ratings are in its Gooseberry brochure/map; the map legend has Easy, Moderate, Difficult and Extremely Difficult symbols.[1][2]
Secondary (lodging blog): White Trail rated easiest, about 3.1 miles each way; Big Loop about 12–14 miles, intermediate-to-expert with double-black features you can walk around.[4]
SeasonBLM page gives no season. Secondary (lodging blog): open year-round on BLM land, best fall through spring; start summer rides at dawn.[4]
TrailheadWhite Trailhead: from I-15 exit 16 to Hurricane, right on Main Street, first left onto SR-59, left on the Smithsonian Butte National Backcountry Byway; at 2.8 miles from SR-59 turn left and go northwest 3.3 miles to the Gooseberry Trailhead, turn left and go west 1.3 miles to the White Trailhead.[1]
MoreAccess road: about 6 miles of rutted unpaved road, high clearance recommended, can be impassable when wet (secondary, lodging blog).[4]

We have not ridden or surveyed this trail for this page. Facts come from the numbered sources; official sources are labeled "official," and local business/blog sources are labeled secondary. Last checked Oct 31, 2026.

E-bike rules by land manager Trail finder

Sources

  1. official · BLM: Gooseberry Mesa National Recreation Trail · checked Oct 31, 2026
  2. official · BLM: Gooseberry Mesa map (PDF) · checked Oct 31, 2026
  3. official · BLM: E-Bikes on BLM-Managed Public Lands · checked Oct 31, 2026
  4. commercial site (secondary) · Anasazi Cliffs Lodging: Gooseberry vs Little Creek vs JEM vs Hurricane Rim (lodging business blog) · checked Oct 31, 2026
  5. commercial site (secondary) · Wild Mesa Mountain Bike Tours: E-Mountain Biking Southwest Utah (guide company; read via search excerpt only) · checked Oct 31, 2026
  6. independent guide · Utah Mountain Biking: Hurricane and Gooseberry area · checked Oct 31, 2026