Eats and Feets

I’m not good at longboarding. That’s an understatement. Picture Mr. Bean trying to ride a longboard and you’ve got the picture. Maybe it’s not that bad but that’s how I feel every time I step on. Because of the clumsiness, I’ve never done any big hills longboarding. I’m positive that as soon as started going faster than 25mph I’d lose all control and crash. That’s why this post is for my fellow longboard newbies, the ones who aren’t looking to crush it, the ones just looking for a nice ride.

Starting at Sullivan Virgin River Soccer Park

To the left is where the soccer fields will eventually go

Technically we started in Washington, Utah, although the trail travels through both this city and St. George. I’ve been to Sullivan Virgin River Soccer Park a few times. Initially I was confused as to why it was called a soccer park seeing as there aren’t any soccer fields anywhere, but looking on their website, it is part of the future development plans. Right now there’s a nice pond which they stock with trout between October and April.

On the east end of the park, the trail for the Virgin River Parkway extends in both directions. From what I know, heading south will take you to the Dixie Center in St. George. We decided to head the other direction as it was part of the path we had never taken.

This is one of the most casual paths flanked by red rocks on one side and the river on the other. There were a few hills, but nothing a beginner on a longboard couldn’t handle, or couldn’t get off the board and walk down.

Riding a longboard along the Virgin River Parkway finally made me feel sympathy for the cars on Frogger. It was next to impossible to avoid hitting the lizards that kept darting out in front of the board, and finally, I understood.

The Virgin River

The Virgin River, at least at this point, is very calm. In late spring it starts evaporating and isn’t nearly as full. At one point we left the path and walked to the edge. It must have been the just right place because there were tadpoles in the water! There are a few easy places along the path that let you walk down to the edge of the water to do more exploring if you want. We mostly stayed on the trail besides this instance.

About 2 miles later (this is a complete guess) we came to a “pavement ends” sign and had to turn around. Because there aren’t any super big hills it was just a little faster going back then it was going there.

Getting There

Getting to Sullivan Virgin River Soccer park is really easy. Head towards Washington Fields, which is just outside of St. George. If you know where the St. George Costco is, it’s just a little further than that. Below are directions between the two. There are other ways to start the trail, but I am pretty sure this has the best parking.

Take a walk, bike, roller blade, or longboard on the Virgin River Parkway. It’s a lot of fun, casual and not too crowded. The view’s not half bad either. Once you’re done, reward yourself with some El Coyote Charro, you deserve it.