Virgin River Trail

Trails like this really add to any city. The trail meets up with several parks and I would suggest to bring water. Read Daniel S’s review because his is much more thorough than I could hope to write.

I’ve ridden this trail several times at its full length on my bike. Also on a Unicycle. It goes through homes, desert, and is pretty varied. I wouldn’t say its something you have to see, but is a lot of fun for a holiday bike ride for the family, or simply to walk along stretches of it, or do runs in the morning along it. The virgin river (as expected) isn’t much of a river, but does help cool down the air around it when the trail is alongside.

This is a cool trail. It is simple to walk or ride a bike on. A lot of it is paved. All ages can enjoy this trail. While walking I saw a old water pump that was interesting. Then there was part of a golf course (the old water pump used to supply the water to it) and even some residential houses. Of course the Virgin River was visible along the way. At the pedestrian bridge I got hungry seeing a billboard for In N Out Burger near the highway. Torture! At the Man O War trailhead there is a well paved parking lot and a board showing the trail and known animals/​fish in the area. Dogs are allowed on leash.

The Virgin River Trail is easy, fun and if you have a bike a must. I pass through St George if not every week, every other week and made a promise to myself that I need to bring my bike with me more often because there are some neat biking trails in Utah. This trail certainly can be traveled by foot, which hubby and I did this first time. The trail is paved well and markers and signs are posted along the way. There were many people walking the trail and riding their bikes and every person waved, said hello or stopped to chit chat about the area. One passerby said the trail was flooded in 2010, causing portions of the trail to be closed however construction is finished and the trail is fully open again.
We had some trouble at first locating a trailhead where we could start out. I got out my phone and was able to pull up these directions from the internet to the Man O’ War trailhead:
From I-​15 take Exit 4 onto W. Brigham and go to the traffic circle; exit on Pioneer Road and head 0.6 mile to right turn on Man O’ War Road. Continue another 0.7 mile to entrance, (first right after crossing Virgin River), Man O’ War Road trailhead.
Along the trail I noticed water fountains (winterized at the time), trash cans, benches and areas with bars just in case you want to stop and do pull-​ups along your journey. As far as wildlife goes, I only saw numerous birds. The only real complaint I have is the sewage smell during some parts of the walk. It was reeky! This visit we made it as far as the pedestrian bridge and had to turn around because it was getting dark and we had no flashlights (about 1.5 hours round-​trip). There is nothing strenuous about this hike and it is a great starter trail for young kids. Pack a lunch and plan to stop and have a bite to eat at one of the benches/​tables along the way!

This is a paved path, though somewhat misleading as when we walked it (March, 2013) the river is more like a stream in most places and it really feels more like a walk in a suburban area than any sort of nature based area. (We picked it up outside a strip mallish place.) That said, it was fine for our walk.

I am a bike trail enthusiast. Bike trails celebrate the local landscape and provide users with exercise and enlightening experiences. So it is inevitable that on my two most recent visits to Saint George that I spent time hiking on the Virgin River Trail.
The bike trail revolution has reached the Saint George metropolitan area. The Virgin River Trail has grown with the bike trail revolution. The Virgin River Trail now travels from the northeast corner of Bloomington Drive at Man Of War Drive (southwest of I-​15 Exit 4) to East Waterfront Drive (few miles south west of I-​15 Exit 10). Spur trails have been built to connect the Virgin River Trail to different points of interest. And very recently, a trailhead with parking, restrooms, and picnic tables has been built off the south end of Convention Center Drive in the Shadow of Dixie Center.
The Virgin River Trail celebrates the Virgin River. Throughout the totality of the trail, it follows the Virgin River. From my experience hiking on the Virgin River Trail, the most spectacular views of the Virgin River are from the bridges perpendicular from the trail. South of Dixie Center, the Virgin River Trail travels closer to the Virgin River, with more uninterrupted views.
The Virgin River Trail is suitable to all hikers. The topography is relatively flat. It is also suitable to people using wheelchairs.
My advice to achieving the most rewarding recreational experience on the Virgin River Trail is to park at the new Convention Center Drive Trailhead. It is in close proximity to restaurants and a gift shop in the Dixie Convention Center. Generally speaking this is the middle of the trail. I recommend, doing one hike north toward Waterfront Drive, and a second hike southwest toward Man of War Drive. Preferably on two separate days.
Before closing this review, I must address that segments of the trail might be closed north of River Road. A couple of years ago, the Virgin River flooded segments of the trail north of River Road. Last year when we hiked toward Waterfront Drive, we had the nice surprise of reaching a «Trail Closed» sign.
Please note this review is based on two hikes on the Virgin River Trail. This past Saturday we hiked from the Convention Center southwest bound and in Spring 2011 we hiked the Convention Center north bound.