Hurricane Rim is the trail that pairs with JEM. If JEM is the shuttle descent, Rim is the way you earn the descent without paying for the van. The trail starts at the Sheep Bridge pull-off near the Virgin River and climbs along the cliff edge for seven and a half miles to the top of the Hurricane Cliffs — a steady, mostly-rideable grade with the entire Virgin River basin laid out on the right.
The view is the trail
There is nothing technical about Hurricane Rim. The grade is even, the singletrack is well-built, and a strong intermediate rider can spin the climb without dabbing. The reason riders choose it over the dirt road that also climbs the cliffs is the rim — the trail hugs the cliff edge for most of its length, and the panorama of the Virgin River carving toward Zion is a constant. There is one short slickrock bench midway that rides cleanly if you carry momentum.
The Goulds connection at the top
Hurricane Rim doesn't end at JEM. It ends at the top of the cliffs, where it meets Goulds — a rim-running connector that carries you north along the plateau to the JEM upper trailhead. Most riders run Rim up, Goulds across, and JEM down as a 16-mile loop. Adding More Cowbell and Dead Ringer to the top stretch turns it into a full-day 25-mile network ride.
When the climb is the wrong call
In summer the cliff face holds heat from late morning until well after sunset. Pedaling up an exposed cliff in 100°F is not a bike ride; it is a survival exercise. Most local riders treat Hurricane Rim as a shoulder-season trail and shuttle JEM exclusively in summer. The trail also closes briefly after monsoons — the clay sections on the upper switchbacks turn to peanut butter and rip the soles off shoes.
Where the Rim sits in the network
Hurricane Cliffs is the second of the two anchor systems on Washington County's east side, along with Gooseberry. The trailhead bar for both is Over the Edge Sports on State Street in Hurricane — they post conditions, run shuttles, and will tell you if the trail is wet without you having to drive out and find out. Riders who run JEM in the morning and Rim in the afternoon are doing it in the wrong order; the locals will tell you so over the counter.