CEDAR CITY — A new practice trail for mountain bike riders is being constructed near Iron Springs Resort.
Earl Grimshaw is a trail architect and builder who has more than two decades of experience designing and creating numerous bike paths on public and private land in Iron County and surrounding areas.
“He’s the Johnny Appleseed of trail builders,” said Iron Springs Resort owner and developer Frank Nichols, who asked Grimshaw to build a 1,500-foot practice loop on resort property.
Grimshaw agreed to help create the new trail, the main part of which is completed except for a few finishing touches.
Last Saturday morning, Nichols joined Grimshaw in helping smooth out sections of the trail using rakes and shovels, as another worker in a small trackhoe dug into the side of the small hill between the main Iron Springs Resort building and the newly opened Bowman Cowboy Kitchen restaurant.
Plans are to eventually connect the loop with other nearby trails, including the popular Three Peaks Recreation Area trail system a short distance to the northeast; Grimshaw also helped design and build many of the Three Peaks trails, along with numerous others in the area, with the help of other members of the Dixie Mountain Bike Trails Association.
Grimshaw says the new trail will provide resort guests and other riders a chance to practice their skills in a bike park type setting. Although the trail is designed with beginner to intermediate difficulty, more advanced riders should also be able to enjoy practicing on it, he said, noting that a more challenging single-track section is being added.
“We’re trying to get mountain bikers to come out here, and maybe even the high school mountain bike team,” Grimshaw said. “This will give them another place to practice.”
The new trail is located on Iron Springs Resort, 3196 North Iron Springs Road, Cedar City (click here for map). See image at left for the trail’s approximate location in relation to the resort buildings and the nearby restaurant.
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Site of a new mountain bike practice trail under construction near Iron Springs Resort, Cedar City, Utah, March 30, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Earl Grimshaw and a trackhoe operator work at the site of a new mountain bike practice trail under construction near Iron Springs Resort, Cedar City, Utah, March 30, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
A trackhoe operator works at the site of a new mountain bike practice trail under construction near Iron Springs Resort, Cedar City, Utah, March 30, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Earl Grimshaw uses a rake and shovel to smooth out sections of a new mountain bike practice trail under construction near Iron Springs Resort, Cedar City, Utah, March 30, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Resort owner and developer Frank Nichols uses a shovel to help smooth out sections of a new mountain bike practice trail under construction near Iron Springs Resort, Cedar City, Utah, March 30, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Earl Grimshaw uses a rake and shovel to smooth out sections of a new mountain bike practice trail under construction near Iron Springs Resort, Cedar City, Utah, March 30, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
A trackhoe operator works at the site of a new mountain bike practice trail under construction near Iron Springs Resort, Cedar City, Utah, March 30, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Trail builder Earl Grimshaw at the site of a new mountain bike practice trail under construction near Iron Springs Resort, Cedar City, Utah, March 30, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Satellite image with a gold star indicating the approximate location of a new mountain bike practice trail being constructed near Iron Springs Resort, Cedar City, Utah in April 2019. Date of map image not available. | Image courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News / Cedar City News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have two young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.