Bear Claw Poppy Trail

Bearclaw Poppy Trail

(a.k.a. Green Valley Trail)

Bear Claw Poppy Trail (a.k.a Green Valley Trail) fun quick ride! It can be ridden as either an out and back, or you can head up the paved road for a loop. Either way, you'll get to experience the Three Fingers of Death, the Three Sisters (a.k.a Acid Drops) and Clavicle Hill! Don't let the names scare you off, there are "cheater" routes around each one. The lower half of the ride (when ridden as a loop) is like riding a BMX course or a roller coaster! The trailhead is very well signed and the trail is one of the easist to follow. I apologize for the lack of pictures, but this trail is so fast and fun, I didn't even slow down to take a picture!

A little about the name of the trail:

Dwarf bearclaw-poppy, Arctomecon humilis, is a Federally listed endangered plant that is a narrow endemic to (occurs only in) Washington County, Utah. A member of the poppy family, this species is a perennial herb that produces abundant white flowers. The flowers bloom from mid-April through May, and are quite showy next to the red soils in which the plant grows. Dwarf bearclaw-poppy is found on gypsiferous clay soils derived from the Moenkopi Formation. It occurs on rolling low hills and ridge tops, often on barren, open sites in warm desert shrub communities, at elevations ranging from 700 to 1402 meters. The species' habitat is in an area of rapid population growth, and the low barren hills on which the dwarf bearclaw-poppy grows are impacted by development and off-road vehicle use.

How to get there:

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