Toquerville Falls
Story & Photos By: Tom Leigh
It is well known to some that southern Utah boasts some of the finest off-road riding in the nation. With notable locales such as Moab, Escalante, and Sand Hollow all featuring a vast array of challenging and stunning topography, it’s easy to see why enthusiasts travel far and wide to get a taste of the sandstone and red rocks that abound the area. In southwestern Utah just east of the town of St. George, lays the off road playground known as Sand Hollow. Sand Hollow State Park was opened in 2003 and provides the OHV crowd with over 6000 acres of dedicated riding area. In addition the area includes a 1300 acre lake and 20,000 total acres of open multi use land for hiking, mountain biking, fishing, horseback riding, and camping. It’s a one stop shop for all your outdoor interests! Even with all the variety offered by this sandy gem of public land, we yearned for something more. You may ask yourself, why if presented with seemingly endless options for adventure, would we go in search of anything more? Our answer? Because, Toquerville Falls.
Toquerville Falls is a simply an oasis within the sprawling natural beauty of southern Utah. Nestled quietly in the foothills just outside of Zion National Park on the Kolob side and just north of Sand Hollow, Toquerville Falls is a three tiered natural waterfall fed by LaVerkin Creek. In an area known for its wide open vistas, Toquerville Falls offer a unique change of pace and a great destination for some like minded friends to set their sights on. And that is just what our group did during a mid-week excursion in the days before the Trail Hero event kicked into high gear.
Starting out at camp in Sand Hollow a motley crew of UTV misfits (UTV Sports Mag’s favorite) made our way through the town of Hurricane and LaVerkin and on to Toquerville to connect with our trailhead. Just up a short hill from town, the road turned to dirt and the die was cast for a fun day of adventure and shenanigans.
As our route wound through the hills and sagebrush the afternoon sun pointed the way to a patch of lush green deep in bellows of a ravine below. The green standing in contrast to the grey hills marked our target destination as the group navigated the winding dirt trail trickling down the side of the steep hills. Smack talk was the entertainment of the day as the radio cackled with taunt after taunt from one car to the other keeping the entire crew in stitches with a solid dose of heckling from driver to driver. The lion’s share of the chatter coming from the cars of Monster Energy athletes Cody Currie and Dustin “Battleaxe” Jones. In the distance the towering columns of Kolob Canyon marked the way as the falls came into view, surrounded by cottonwood trees. Once to the bottom of the canyon our group finally rolled up to take first sight of the falls.
The falls opened up before us and the group made its way single file across the creek at the top of the falls. One turn to the right and nothing short of a crane could help you recover your vehicle from the rocks below. Of course the fear of falling doesn’t seem to have any effect on Dustin Jones as he did his best Ken Block impersonation treating the group (and some surprised mountain bikers) to a show as he whipped relentless donuts atop the slick edge of the falls. Not to be outdone, Cody Currie got in on the action giving Jones a face full of watery roost thus inciting a roost off and leaving both cars and drivers soaked to the bone.
Once the battle for King of the Falls was settled the group relaxed around the cool waters and took in the sights. Everyone’s selfie game was on point as the story after story was posted for Instagram glory. Quinton Daniels would win top instagram honors as he stripped down to his skivvies to wade into the frigid pool at the bottom of the falls soon followed by Dustin Jones. The rest of the day was spent reminiscing on the ride, anticipating the fun in the days to come, snapping pic after pic, and crashing drones into cliffs. While the drone will never be the same, the crew came away unscathed and eager for the ride home. As we ascended the trail toward home the sun began to set and its rays played in the dust as the group made its way up the sleepy hills putting a stamp on a great day of riding and relaxing at Toquerville Falls.
If you’ve never made the trip from Sand Hollow to Toquerville Falls do yourself a favor and put it on the list. The pools and falls make for a great reprieve from the dusty trails and the views just don’t quit. Taking the time to go see something new will forever be the best thing about this sport we love and the opportunities for seeing new things is endless in southern Utah.
