Grand opening draws crowds of cyclists to Snake Hollow St. George Bike Park

ST. GEORGE — Crowds of children and adults alike gathered at the new Snake Hollow St. George Bike Park to enjoy food trucks, vendors, trails and bike jumps in celebration of the grand opening of the only year-round municipal bike park in the state.

A rider jumps their bike on the course of the new Snake Hollow St. George Bike Park, St. George, Utah, Nov. 17, 2018 | Photo by Mikayla Shoup, St. George News

The event began with the singing of the national anthem, short speeches from a few of those involved in the planning of the park and a dedicatory prayer led by Pastor Jimi Kestin of Solomon’s Porch Foursquare Fellowship.

St. George Mayor Jon Pike then cut the ceremonial ribbon, releasing crowds of cyclists onto the course.

“Everything about it is awesome. My favorite part is the jumps because you just fly through the air and have fun,” 11-year-old Mason Simmons said.

The bike park, located in the Sand Hollow Wash area between Lava Flow Drive and Tuweap Drive, took nearly six months to complete and cost $1.7 million to build.

The park is made up of tracks, courses and loops for riders of all ages and skill levels, including skill-training areas with gravity jump trails, drop zones and pump tracks.

“The pump track is really cool because it just twists and turns. Honestly, we haven’t had a cool bike park in St. George for a long time and I feel like this is really giant,” 13-year-old Whalen Jensen said.

Cyclists on the course of the new Snake Hollow St. George Bike Park, St. George, Utah, Nov. 17, 2018 | Photo by Mikayla Shoup, St. George News

Saturday’s grand opening celebrated only the first phase of the project. The second phase is projected to begin in spring 2019 and will include a cross-country trail loop, additional pavilions and restrooms, paved parking areas and a playground, costing approximately $300,000-$400,000.

Read more: Snake Hollow St. George Bike Park opens this weekend

Pike said the city anticipates that the next phase will bring more events, tournaments and tourism dollars to the area.

“We know that people come here and live here for these types of things, it’s part of our quality of life,” Pike said.

City officials have known for a long time that they wanted to do something more that just build a simple park on the property where the bike park is located. County Commissioner Zachary Renstrom recounted asking then-Mayor Dan McArthur, former city manager Gary Esplin and then-leisure services director Kent Perkins about the property when he first moved in down the street from it. They told him they were saving it for something special.

“I so appreciate the vision that these men had,” Renstrom said. “They knew this was a very unique, special area that needed something special. I mean parks are wonderful, but just a flat park with grass on it, they wanted to do something more.”

Snake Hollow is the only year-round bike park in Utah, allowing for continuous training in every season. The city anticipates that the park will host National Interscholastic Cycling Association riding competitions for high school races and possibly mountain biking camps.

“We have so many kids, people of all ages, who are interested in cycling,” Pike said. “So it’s going to be for our community and surrounding communities a great place right within town to be able to have a lot of fun, build your skills, in a really top class kind of manner.”

St. George News reporter Joseph Witham contributed to this report.

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter:  @STGnews | @MikaylaShoup

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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10 Comments

  • and November 17, 2018 at 8:29 pm

    Waiting for the injuries and lawsuits. I guess I don’t see this as a priority and the cost, 1.7 Million to build and another $300,000-$400,000 coming down the road, seems expensive. The other issue is the City can’t get the traffic lights to work correctly and they want to keep attracting every sort of event they can get to come here.
    I drive by there everyday and I’m sure there are people out there that can ride, but there a lot more that think they can ride. Some of those jumps look like they were made for professionals.

    • Redbud November 18, 2018 at 5:09 am

      There’s no reason to be such a debbie-downer. People get hurt or killed doing things they love every single day. Just because you prefer to lay on the couch stuffing your face with greasy artery-clogging potato chips every day, doesn’t mean everyone needs to follow. We should be thankful the city offers a place where people can enjoy these fun activities.

    • KR567 November 18, 2018 at 6:03 am

      Well if it bothers that bad then dont drive by it and if your afraid of falling off your tricycle then stay home …

      • Comment November 18, 2018 at 12:23 pm

        Now Dump, just think, if he really does have a tricycle you two can go tricycling together. it’ll be adorable <3 😉

  • xbcmc059 November 17, 2018 at 9:47 pm

    “The park is made up of loops for riders of all ages and skill levels, including skill-training areas with gravity jump trails, drop zones and pump tracks.” Sounds like the City could of saved 1.7 Million and just encouraged more street riding on the terrible roads in St. George. Riders could hone their skills dodging uneven pavement, patches of dirt, sand, gravel, ruts, rollovers, red light violations, and the ever so popular out of control vehicles due to “driver medical emergencies.”

    • tazzman November 18, 2018 at 2:59 pm

      xbcmc059: “Riders could hone their skills dodging uneven pavement, patches of dirt, sand, gravel, ruts, rollovers, red light violations, and the ever so popular out of control vehicles due to “driver medical emergencies.”

      We already have that and it is open 24/7 on every street in STG.

      • Comment November 18, 2018 at 5:35 pm

        That was xbcmc059’s point

  • Not_So_Much November 18, 2018 at 7:50 am

    The law that mandates hotel tax dollars be spent on projects that have questionable justification based on guidelines that leave a lot of wiggle room should be changed. Let’s have 50% used for needed infrastructure such as roads, sewers, public safety etc which used by all, 25% for schools (simply because there is no end to what they say they need) and then up to 25% for these wonderful quality of life projects. Next time you’re in contact with state senators and representatives be sure to mention the topic and see what they say.

  • Pa Triot November 18, 2018 at 8:00 am

    Yessiree…….the heck with these dangerous bike parks! Should have saved all that money for other things and let the kids stay home glued to their computers, laptops and smart phones. No sense in letting them have a venue where they can get outside, get some excercise and hone their athletic abilities. Nonsense. “Life Elevated” should apply to them as well as the rest of us. Bravo, St. George!

  • tazzman November 18, 2018 at 3:01 pm

    This park is money well spent. It locates the kids into one area where they can ride together and enjoy it away from public roads.

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