Three Peaks Recreation Area sits west of Cedar City in the Quichapa Valley, named for the three small peaks that rise above the basin floor — a multi-use BLM recreation zone that local riders, OHV users, target shooters, and equestrians share. The camping is part dispersed and part designated, with vault toilets at the main trailhead and informal pull-outs throughout the zone. The trail network is the regional draw — beginner-and-intermediate cross-country mountain biking with enough mileage to fill a long weekend without repeating routes.
The Cedar Local
Three Peaks is what Cedar City has instead of Snow Canyon. Not as photogenic, not as developed, but ten minutes from town and free for dispersed camping. The trail system is the closest cross-country mountain biking to Cedar — useful for evening rides after work in summer, training rides through the shoulder season, and family-friendly riding through the winter when the cliffs above town are snowed in.
Mixed Use
The "multi-use" label does real work here. Mountain bikes, side-by-sides, ATVs, equestrians, and target shooters all use the area, with designated zones for each. The OHV traffic concentrates in different sectors than the mountain biking, which keeps conflicts manageable but not absent. Target-shooting areas are signed and separated from camping; nonetheless, hearing distant gunfire is a normal weekend experience here.
For dispersed campers, this means picking a site with awareness of the use pattern. Sites near the main trailhead carry more daytime activity. Sites on the back roads of the zone are quieter but receive less management.
Climate
Cedar City elevation (5,800 ft) gives Three Peaks a milder summer climate than the desert reservoirs and a colder winter than St. George. Summer daytime highs run 85 to 95; nights drop into the 50s. Spring and fall are the local sweet spots. Winter daytime highs run 35 to 50, with periodic snow that closes the access road for a day or two at a time.
Fire restrictions follow the Color Country Interagency posture in summer.
What You Do
The mountain biking trails are the main on-site recreation. The Three Peaks Trail System has roughly 30 to 40 miles of cross-country singletrack at beginner-intermediate difficulty. Cedar Cycle and Bike Route in Cedar City are the regional bike-shop references. Mountain Project and Trailforks have current routes.
For OHV, Three Peaks connects to a larger network of BLM roads and to the larger Iron County OHV system. ATV rental is available in Cedar City. Designated routes are signed; off-route riding is enforced.
For non-recreation camping, Three Peaks offers reasonable dark-sky observing west of Cedar's lights, a quieter alternative to in-town private RV parks, and a cheap base for a Cedar City weekend without paying lodging rates.
For supplies, Cedar City is ten to fifteen minutes east via Midvalley Road and Cedar Boulevard for full grocery, gas, restaurants, and the major gear shops (The Desert Rat for outdoor gear, Cedar Cycle for bike work). The Walmart on the south end of Cedar is the standard last-minute stop.
If Three Peaks doesn't work, Cedar Canyon Campground (USFS, up the canyon) is the developed alternative. Cedar City has multiple private RV parks. The Frontier Homestead State Park area sits closer to town for day-use but doesn't offer camping.