Stucki Springs is the climb half of the standard south St. George loop. Where Bear Claw Poppy descends from Bloomington Drive to Cottonwood Cove, Stucki Springs runs the uphill back. Seven miles of mostly-rideable singletrack with a few short hike-a-bike sections, mild grades, and a few sand washes that ride better than they look. It is the trail almost no one talks about and almost everyone rides.
A climb that doesn't punish
The defining feature of Stucki Springs is how much of it is rideable. The grade rarely exceeds what an intermediate rider can spin, the dirt holds well, and the few rocky sections come at low-speed pinches where a quick dab is the worst that happens. The trail also lays out long sight lines through the desert flats, which makes it more enjoyable than most XC climbs.
The sand wash sections
Three or four short sand wash crossings break up the trail. Locals know to carry momentum into them and let the back tire find traction. New riders typically dismount, walk through, and lose ten seconds; experienced riders ride through and lose nothing. The sand never lasts more than a few hundred feet at a time.
How the loop pairs with the descents
The standard loop runs Stucki Springs up, then drops into Bear Claw Poppy, then back to the parking. Stronger riders extend by adding Zen and Suicidal Tendencies on the climb side, turning the loop into an 18-mile day. Most parties park at the upper trailhead on Bloomington Drive and run the loop counterclockwise — descend Bear Claw Poppy first, climb Stucki Springs back. The reverse loop with the climb first is the more honest version.
Where Stucki sits in the 435
Stucki Springs is the working trail of south St. George — the trail people use to make their loops loops, the trail volunteers maintain quietly, the trail you appreciate at the end of a ride and then forget the name of. It is also one of the longest contiguous stretches of in-town singletrack in Washington County, and along with Bear Claw Poppy makes the south end of St. George a viable bike destination without needing a car for the day.