Moderate · 1.5–2.5 hours
Bryce Canyon — Queen's Garden / Navajo Loop
The single best loop in Bryce — through Wall Street's switchbacks, past Thor's Hammer, into the Silent City of hoodoos.
On Two Wheels
Thunder Mountain Trail (Red Canyon)
The most cinematic mountain bike ride in Utah — undulating singletrack through orange hoodoos, hand-built berms, and Mars-red soil at 8,200 feet.
Photo: Alex Moliski (Pexels) · Pexels License
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Duration
- 3–4 hours
- From the lodge
- ~1 hr 45 min
- Type
- MTB · shuttled descent
Thunder Mountain is the bucket-list ride. 7.9 miles of hand-built singletrack through Red Canyon's hoodoo amphitheater near Bryce, with 3,000 feet of net descent if you shuttle. Mars-red soil, orange hoodoos rising from both sides of the trail, bermed switchbacks designed by people who really love mountain biking.
It's a full day from Apple Valley — 1 hour 45 min drive each way — but every rider who does it considers it the highlight of their southern Utah trip. The trail starts at 8,200 feet (mountain biking with serious altitude), so build a rest day in beforehand or accept that you'll feel it.
**Shuttle is the move.** Ruby's Inn (the gateway lodge near Bryce) runs shuttles to the upper trailhead so you ride the descent without the climb. Pair with a Bryce Canyon sunset stop on the drive home — you're 15 minutes from Sunset Point.
Before you go
- 8,200 ft elevation — altitude affects fitness; rest day before is wise
- Long shuttle drive — book ahead, especially weekends
- Trail can be muddy after rain — check conditions before driving 3.5 hours round-trip
Pair it with
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Ready for your thunder mountain trail (red canyon) day?
Book your cabin and discover the area at your own pace. The trails start at the door.