Bruce turns back toward Guacamole with Zion in the background. Photos April 8, 2...
Bruce turns back toward Guacamole with Zion in the background. Photos April 8, 2012.
Guacamole Tech Singletrack

This page describes loops at the southeastern end of the Guacamole Loop. See the main Guacamole page for information on Margarita trail, the Guacamole loop, and Salt on the Rim. There are two trails: Lime with a Twist is the first to the south of the main loop, exactly 1.0 miles long. Tied to the southern side of Lime with a Twist is Holy Guacamole. 

The Holy Guacamole trail itself is 3.4 miles long but must be part of a longer ride -- at least 10 miles. If you're riding the little southern tech loop of Guacamole clockwise, you'll find this trail 0.3 miles from where the smaller technical loop "Lime with a Twist" forks off the east side of the Guacamole Loop. There's some significantly technical stuff at the northeast corner, so we recommend it for advanced riders or for upper-intermediates with attitude.
Thats a two-foot high chunk of petrified wood next to the trail. Were looking so...
That's a two-foot high chunk of petrified wood next to the trail. We're looking south, early in the ride.
Joel drops off a sandstone mound.
Joel drops off a sandstone mound.
The Holy Guacamole trail reconnects to the Lime with a Twist trail only 0.1 mile from where it diverted. (So you didn't miss much, but feel free to do a quick out-and-back to the original trail fork so get it all.) There's 100 feet of absolute elevation change on the trail, as you descend while following the edge of the eastern cliffs. Total climbing is about 200 vertical feet.
I'm calling the ride we made the big Guacamole Loop. From the Margarita trailhead, it's 10.5 miles. Although you might think navigation is complex (and it can be) as you look at the map, the principle is simple: always fork to the LEFT.
Early in the ride, heading northeast. Chunk of petrified wood on the left, about...
Early in the ride, heading northeast. Chunk of petrified wood on the left, about 12 inches in diameter. Pretty easy riding so far.
Tech riding on the eastern side. Bruce threads the needle through a 20 foot high...
Tech riding on the eastern side. Bruce threads the needle through a 20 foot high by 3 foot wide slot in the cliff.
Start the ride by riding Margarita (the stem of the Guacamole lollipop) southbound. Keep left as you pass three connectors to "Salt on the Rim" (the West Cliff singletrack). As you reach the Guacamole Loop, fork left.
Just after riding around the long crack and climbing up the narrow slot, fork left on the southern tech singletrack. This is the Lime with a Twist trail. Now watch for a subtle marking between two boulders, 0.3 miles later. Fork left, and you're on the Holy Guacamole loop.
This trail meanders between mounds, rather than up-and-over like the southern te...
This trail meanders between mounds, rather than up-and-over like the southern tech singletrack loop.
The southern side of the loop is wide-open cruising. Heres Joel heading eastboun...
The southern side of the loop is wide-open cruising. Here's Joel heading eastbound, with the cliffs of Zion behind him.
3.4 miles later, again keep left as you rejoin the southern tech ST Lime with a Twist. Stay left at every opportunity until you rejoin the Guacamole loop, then left to Margarita. Now detour onto the West Cliffs ST (Salt on the Rim) then continue on Margarita back to parking.
This is a great trail. Joel said our little loop is his new favorite riding spot in the area. When I first added Lime with a Twist and Holy Guacamole to the Guacamole Trail page, I was contacted by an angry person with the BLM. So I took the page down. But after 10 years, as everybody else finds this trail and it is featured on Trailforks, it's time to link this page back to the menus.
Looking west as we near the completion of the loop. Thats pastry ridge of Gooseb...
Looking west as we near the completion of the loop. That's pastry ridge of Gooseberry Mesa on the left.
Guacamole Big Loop clockwise 10.5 miles:
0.0   L onto open rock, Margarita Trail
1.1   Keep L (R = Salt on the Rim)
        N37 13.105 W113 07.499
1.5   Keep L (R = return 1 from S.o.t.R.)
        N37 12.777 W113 07.447
1.6   Keep L (R = return 2 from S.o.t.R.)
        N37 12.711 W113 07.414
2.1   Fork L on main Guacamole loop
        N37 12.397 W113 07.232
3.1   Go around crack and climb up slot
3.2   Fork L on South Tech loop
        N37 12.178 W113 06.633
3.6   Fork L onto East Mesa ST
        N37 11.992 W113 06.600
4.3   East end of mesa, curve back west
        Deliciously tech ST coming up...
5.5   Back to east side, curve around south side
6.9   Fork L on continuation of South Tech loop
        N37 12.035 W113 06.743
7.3, 7.4 Stay L (the Guac trail is very close on your R)
7.5   Fork L on continuation of Guacamole loop
        N37 12.205 W113 07.009
8.0   L on Margarita trail (same fork as 2.1)
        N37 12.397 W113 07.232
8.5   Fork L on Salt on the Rim
        N37 12.711 W113 07.414
8.6   Keep L toward rim (R = to Margarita trail)
        N37 12.640 W113 07.568
9.5   L on Margarita trail
        N37 13.105 W113 07.499
10.5 Back at slickrock parking
Guacamole riding map.
Guacamole riding map.
Getting there: From La Verkin, turn towards Zion National Park on Highway 9. Go 7 miles from the traffic light where you turned east in La Verkin, through the town of Virgin, and past the Kolob Reservoir Road on the left. At 7.3 miles, you'll see a dirt road on the north (left) side of the road (N37 11.874  W113 09.876). This is Dalton Wash Road. Drive north 1.9 miles. As the road turns to the east past a farm, you'll come to a fork (N37 12.456  W113 08.268). Turn left (north). Go 1.7 miles. As you approach the steep mesa, there's a wide spot in the road and a fork. The uglier road straight ahead is the correct one. In winter and early spring, or if the weather has been wet, park here and bicycle up the mesa. With any mud at all, the next 0.6 miles can be ugly and dangerous. Immediately as you get to the top of the mesa, the road forks again. Go right (south) about 100 yards. Look for a big open slickrock area on your right (GPS N37 13.575  W113 06.852). This is where the ride starts. Head west across the rock area to pick up the trail as it enters the trees.

We rode the dirt road in from US-9. It adds about 500 vertical feet of climbing and 4.2 miles each way, but it's a nice warm-up.

Other resources for the Guacamole Trail:
Maps for printing:
    Topo map
   Satellite view
Track files (to download, right-click and "Save target as..."):
   Guacamole individual trails GPX file
   East Mesa Loop course
   East Mesa ST only
Lodging, camping, shops:   Links to St. George area resources