MTB – On the Loose Live

Anasazi (Tempi’po’op) and Tutkupetsi Trails, a Local, Family Friendly Favorite for Petroglyphs, Fall Colors, and Grand Views

December 23, 2024November 12, 2025livevigorously

Difficulty: Easy

Distance: Short: 1-5 miles; you can combine trails to make a longer loop

Sometimes, we take the people and things closest to us for granted. That’s the case for me and my local Anasazi (Ivins) and Tukupetsi trails (Santa Clara). These easily accessible, connecting trails are short (runnable and mountain bikeable), featuring the intriguing Land Hill petroglyph site, a fenced-in farmstead ruin once used to store food and herbs, and grand views in every direction.

I like these trails best when the Cottonwoods light up the rugged desert landscape with their vibrant flash of yellow, tracing the meandering (and meager) path of the Santa Clara River below. You can find me there, chasing leaves and golden light in my annual frenzy to catch it just right.

Take in the panoramic views of Red Mountain, Pine Valley Mountain, and, on a clear day, as far out to Zion from the ridge.

I will only post a couple of petroglyph pictures. I’d like you to be able to discover them for yourself.

If you’re interested in learning more about petroglyphs, my hiker/yogi friend, Sue Birnbaum, an adventure blogger, has thoroughly researched and written a great post on the subject, including recommendations for further reading.

Here are some highlights from the Tukupetsi side in Santa Clara from the vantage points of the upper and lower trails.

And more from Fall 2025.

Notes: Remember to leave no trace and respect all ancient petroglyphs and ruins. Please do not touch, step, sit on, or deface them. Oils in your hand can damage them, as can debris from your shoes. Perhaps think of them as outdoor museum art and appreciate their mystery.

These easy, short, fun hikes are offered by onthelooselive yoga and hike retreats and day adventures.

Happy Trails!

Navajo Lake Loop: MTB Nirvana, Cedar City, UT

July 13, 2020September 30, 2024livevigorously

I don’t tend to throw the word epic around much, though I have been on some epic mountain bike rides – Tahoe’s Flume Trail, Lake Crescent’s Spruce Railroad Trail, and while not epic per se, that little gem, Diamond Valley Lake was quite lovely too. Fond memories of those rides were stirred up by my ride today on the Navajo Lake Trail. As you can see, Navajo Lake and the surrounding area are dazzling in the Fall. It’s quite sweet in the Summer too, a great spot to escape the heat of St. George as it’s usually at least 10 degrees cooler.

It’s a sweet, highly scenic, nontechnical single-track cruise via the Navajo Lake Loop Trail and the Virgin River Rim Trail, aka the other half of the Navajo Lake Loop Trail. Great for mountain biking, trail running, or hiking.

Interesting fact: The lake was created when a lava flow dammed the eastern end of the valley.

Distance: 11 Miles

Staring elevation: 9,035′

Elevation gain: 827 ft

Navajo Lake Summer vibes – View from the Rim Trail section

Winter vibes—taken from a hill above Deer Valley cross country and snowshoe area.

Getting there: From Cedar City go east on Scenic Byway SR 14, 25 miles to the Navajo Lake road turnoff and keep your eyes open for the Navajo Lake Loop Trailhead parking sign on the right side of the road. It’s free to park.

Ps. There are campgrounds, and fishing, boating, and swimming are allowed.

Take the Road Less Traveled: Mountain Biking the High Point Truck Trail (FSR 8S05)

January 2, 2020May 11, 2020livevigorously

Bike up the backside of Palomar Mountain. Get a great workout while enjoying some solitude and splendid views of the San Diego back country, including Vail Lake and numerous snow-capped peaks (Thomas Mountain, San Jacinto, and San Gorgonio). This is nontechnical mountain biking at its best. If you like a climb with views, it’s a good one. Exceeded my expectations.

: Their loss, our advantage.

L points to trail — When you can visualize a goal, you can attain it!

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We turned around at mile 8 as the trail was getting muddy and we were running out of daylight. It’s worth coming back to finish it off. Will update this post when I do. Until then, let the good times roll! What a spectacular way to spend the first day of 2020!

Miles: 12 Miles / 24 Miles Roundtrip

Elevation: ~4,000 ft

Difficulty: Depends on your fitness level, knee health, and affinity for climbs. Very doable, the super steep sections are relatively short. Terrain has some rutty sections, but mostly good. This would also be a great trail run, or training for the Catalina Marathon, or any endurance races.

Directions: From Temecula, take HWY 79 east for 18 miles. Stay on HWY 79 and make a right 2/10ths of a mile past the junction of HWY 371 to an RV park/resort. Follow the paved road for 0.3 miles then park in the large dirt area in front of the Fire Service Road 8S05

Notes: There’s no water along this exposed route—plan accordingly. It’s hot during the summer and you may encounter snow during winter, or mud after heavy rains or melts. Vehicles are allowed on this route, but seasonal closures for motorized access often occur. (A bonus for mountain bikers and trail runners.) Further up the mountain, the Forest Service has labeled the High Point Truck Trail (8S05) as 9S09 between this junction and the Palomar Divide Truck. When in doubt, stay on the most “main” looking route.

Bonus: Be sure to top off your ride with a visit to Ricardo Breceda’s amazing outdoor gallery of metal sculptures. Also, check out his work in wild open spaces of Anza Borrego too!

Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, St. George, UT

May 27, 2019June 2, 2019livevigorously

First stop on the Utah road trip after 6 hours cooped up in the car, the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve rolled out their welcome trails. Not a bad stop to stretch the legs for hike or a mountain bike cruise. This picturesque reserve with expansive views out to the snow capped mountain range is right next to town and boasts 200 miles of non-motorized trails. (Yes, that’s 200 miles so you can stretch those legs of yours to your hearts content.)

The reserve was established in 1996 to protect critical desert tortoise habitat form being destroyed by development. It worked. You’ll notice tortoise scat on the rocks everywhere. And if you’re lucky, you might see one.

I only hiked a couple miles here, but look forward to coming back to explore more. Perhaps on 2-wheels next time…

Note: the trails can be hard to follow in this terrain so bring a good map or GPS if you venture out very far, and plenty of water, of course, as it’s all exposed.

Stay tuned for more Utah adventures: Scenic delights near St. George Part I: Gunlock State Park and Ivins’ Reservoir

PNW MTB Explorations & More: Celebrating the Elwha River ecosystem restoration, getting in the Coleville flow & sunset at the beach

March 4, 2019March 19, 2019livevigorously

I was on (and off) a mountain bike for this wondrous single-track traverse through low-land forest and low-land river ecosystems. I’m not a very technical rider so I had to get off for the roots and rocks. Would love to come back to hike it sometime. Can’t provide much guidance about the trail as there was a major washout that I had to navigate with some detours. While the Elwha River Trail (ERT) spans the entire Elwha Valley, I was only able to make it up to the Glines Canyon Overlook before sunset.

History

Back in the day, the Elwha River ran wild from its headwaters in the Olympic Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and its valley supported many plants and animal species. As far back as ~ 2700 years ago (per radiocarbon dating), the Klallam people lived off the land, largely relying on fishing in the Elwha River. But that all changed 1913, when the Elwha Dam was built in 1913 to address demand for the lumber. To add insult to injury, the Glines Canyon Dam was built upstream in 1927.

Despite a state law that required accommodating for fish passage, neither dam did and fish runs were blocked. The consequences were devastating—impacting thousands of salmon per year and irrevocably changing the Klallam way of life.

Finally in 1992, Congress passed a law that required the removal of both dams and restoration of the Elwah River watershed. At 210 feet The Glines Canyon Dam is the tallest dam removed to date. It took 15 tons of explosives and 12,000 cubic feet of concrete were removed, Within months of the removal of the 2 dams, salmon were spawning and trout were returning for the first time in 100 years!

The Elwha River is one of the largest ecosystem restoration projects in National Park Service history.

Educational Display Glines Canyon Overlook

scene from the trailhead — Meanwhile back at the trail head, it’s feeding time

Note: As of 12/4/2018 Elwha Road was closed to vehicles beyond Madison Falls parking lot due to washout.
Side trip: Madison Falls
This lovely 60-foot waterfall is wheelchair accessible via a .01 mile paved trail.

Side trip: Colville MTB Trails
Sneaked in a quickie mountain bike right before dark at the Coleville bike park on the way back to Port Angeles. Currently under construction, the completed trails include a flowy, fun perimeter trail, a pump track, drop zone and several jump lines (whatever the last 3 are – nontechnical me, just enjoyed the 1^st).

Side Trip: West Elwah Beach

So ends a gloriously full day that included a hike on Hurricane Ridge, 2 mountain bike rides, and a sunset stroll on the beach. Yes, I like to pack as much adventure and exploration into my days.