Cactus Forest Trail: A 2.0-3.0 mile round trip walk (depending on your starting point) on a multi-use trail through the desert in full sun. It is well maintained by the Park and easy to follow.
Mountain biking - Trail riding is permitted only on the 2.5 mile (4.0 km) multi-use portion of the Cactus Forest Trail, which is circled by the Cactus Forest Loop Drive. At an altitude of 3100 feet, this area is only marginally cooler than St. George.
The trail goes farther up the slope toward the mountainous wall of Pinyon Ridge. In mid-summer, we recommend an early morning start time.
Looking up Cactus Loop Trail.
Gary cruises by a cholla cactus on the Honeymoon Trail, at the south end of the trail … Loop 2 (Warner Valley Loop) is eleven miles of singletrack full of whoops and wash crossings. We skipped this hike because the trail travels through the open space between two different parts of the Cactus Forest Drive, so you can basically see the same views from the road. The trail starts right at Hwy S3 and heads up a small wash where you’ll immediately see a variety of cacti. The trail may be ridden in either direction, but you may not ride against traffic on the one-way portion of the Cactus Forest Loop Drive if you exit the trail on the north end. After 0.2 miles, you will hike out of the ravine and up onto a rocky slope with clear views back down toward Tamarisk Grove Campgrounds. This easy loop trail has a round-trip distance of 0.6 miles with a 200 foot elevation gain.