Even though we have been enjoying warm sunny weather (Derek would say it’s hot), our ride to Kolob Reservoir was a good reminder that winter just happened. Our out and back ride to the reservoir was 27 miles with 2830′ of climbing.
Kolob Reservoir is a 250 acre “lake” created in 1956 by the Kolob Creek Dam. Not wanting to do too big of a ride, we drove part of the way up and then rode the rest of the way. We have ridden out here from Virgin before so if you want a longer ride, there are options for that. The scenery along the ride is simply stunning! The huge domes of Zion are clearly visible along the way. Climbing up we passed by ancient cinder cones, thick pine forests, meadows, and aspen forests. Then we hit the snow. Our ride topped out at 8150′ so definitely still wintry up there!
A Road Closed sign warned that winter conditions exist and we should proceed with caution, and 4wd. We were on our gravel bikes and decided to give it a shot. The road was lined with snowbanks and the grassy meadows were now snowfields. Soon patches of snow started covering the shadowy parts of the road. We pedaled on. This wasn’t our first time riding in snow and it wasn’t too bad. There were only a couple spots where we had to go in with some speed, pedal furiously through soft slushy snow, and hop off to walk a short ways. Good fun.
Our hard effort was rewarded with a solitary rest at the reservoir. With nobody there, we snapped photos of the completely frozen and snowed over lake, split an energy bar, and headed back. I’m told there is good fishing in the reservoir and it would be interesting to see what the road looks like from the Cedar City side.
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