Talking Rockies

A Rolling Barrel of Good Times

For the last 2 weeks I’ve made it out to Barrel Roll, a popular mountain biking and hiking trail in the Santa Clara Desert Reserve. The views are great, the rolling terrain is studded with barrel cactuses , the wildflowers are in bloom, the prickly pears are on the verge of flowering, and all of the scrub is fresh with verdant spring foliage.

The most exciting thing about each ride, however, is that each has yielded a venomous reptile. Last week it was a thick, angry rattlesnake, and this week it was a gila monster. I stopped for a father and son duo of riders coming down the opposite direction on the trail, and as we passed each other, the father said, “I just saw a really big lizard, and it’s in that crevice now.” I peered in there, and found the beady lizard in its redoubt.

Besides exotic venomous reptiles and the desert foliage, this trail also offers sweeping views of the area’s rugged terrain, a tableau in vivid reds, calming tan, and deep blue.

Over the next few weeks the prickly pears will be in full bloom, and the desert tortoises should be out. It’s a great time to go.

Barrel Roll Trail, along with several other great routes for cyclists and desert lovers, takes off from the Cove Wash Trailhead in the Santa Clara Desert Reserve. To get there, take the intersection of Bluff and Sunset in Saint George, follow it for about 6 miles to a spot just before the Jacob Hamblin home in Santa Clara. To the west there’s a small bridge over the Santa Clara River. Take this bridge and follow the dirt road for a couple of rough miles to the trailhead.