Snake Hollow St. George Bike Park opens
The mountain bike rider pedals, hits the ramp, and soars, hanging airborne as the gathering twilight leaves a kiss of sunlight on the surrounding area. The diverse scenery and eye-popping color set the mood while the intense obstacles at Snake Hollow St. George Bike Park test the soul.
The combination proves irresistible.
Snake Hollow, the first year-long mountain bike skills park in Utah, is set to officially open Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. when the City of St. George hosts the grand opening and ribbon cutting for the park located at approximately 1500 N 2400 W, across from Snow Canyon High School. The event will include vendor booths, food trucks, and Snake Hollow swag.
“St. George is synonymous with outdoor adventure,” said Mayor Jon Pike. “Mountain biking is no exception. Besides the nearly 300 miles of trails, we’re proud to now have the only year-round bike park in the state of Utah. For years, visitors would ask us where the bike park was located, given the variety of mountain bike trails in the area. Snake Hollow St. George Bike Park is the first park of its kind south of the Wasatch Front and was built for locals and everyone who loves to ride southern Utah.”
St. George has long been a destination for mountain biking due to the quantity and scenic nature of the trails in addition to the mild winter temperatures, which allow for year-long riding. Yet St. George had been without a bike skills park. Now that need is filled.
Snake Hollow St. George Bike Park encompasses 80 acres of land in western St. George, located primarily on the west side of the park, with some additional courses on the east side along Tuweap Drive. There are hundreds of features and four skills zones: Rattler’s Revenge (dirt jump zone), Snake Den (pump track and skills loop), Venom Drops (gravity skills), and Sidewinder Slopestyle (gravity jump trails).
The park includes a large pavilion, restrooms, paved trails, utility connections, and a gravel parking lot. As more funding emerges, another pavilion, more restrooms, and paved parking are scheduled to be added.
“We have seen the mountain bike scene explode in St. George over the past decade,” said Supportive Services director Marc Mortensen. “As a city, we realize that it’s a big reason people are moving to and visiting our area. Creating a legitimate bike park to complement what we already have was a no-brainer, and what a great opportunity to get kids outdoors and exercising.”
The park is also anticipated to host high-profile regional and statewide competitions.
“You can feel the buzz and energy about this from young people,” said Kevin Lewis, director of the Washington County Tourism Office. “Just being on the site takes me back to my childhood, building jumps in the dirt and riding our Stingrays through the fields. Kids are craving exciting outdoor activity like this. It is such an incredible addition to our community.”
“We appreciate the partnership we have with Washington County to help fund projects like this,” Pike added. “Both RAP tax and transient room tax funds were used to build not only a bike park but a world-class facility for everyone to enjoy. We haven’t even opened the park yet, and the hundreds of riders that are there on a daily basis leads us to believe that it is going to be an enormous success. We may need to start planning for the second bike park sooner that we thought.”
A video of Snake Hollow St. George Bike Park can be viewed here.
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