Utah Trail Log
List of trails I have ridden. Non exhaustive list of trails in the area.
*** Dictates my personal favorite trails
Click on Underlined area for Trailforks link!
Park City, UT:
Park City Mountain Resort
Seems to be an overlooked trail system with Deer Valley nearby but it is an incredible time. Have the option for lift access to the top or you can Pedal to the top. We chose to pedal and had a fantastic time. There is also a lake at the top named Shadow Lake that appeared to be a decent swimming hole (we did not swim and did not see anyone else swimming so you should check with local bike shops/ check if it is safe to do so). Our route: Jennis to access road to Keystone to Shadow Lake. At shadow lake we stopped to rest and eat a snack. From Shadow Lake to Apex to Three Candles to Mojave to Mid Mountain to CMG to Eagle to Spiro to Silver Spur and back to car. Changes I would make is staying on single track the entire time rather than access road. IS a beautiful and great climb especially if you want some good mileage and and big climbing day.
Jennis (Uphill 1.4 – 5 mi):
Steady climb that links to CMG, Red Bull, Flat Cable, Johns, Loose Moose, right at bottom of Park City Mountain. Has a lower and upper section. Be careful as we ran into multiple people riding downhill on this trail as well.
Armstrong (Uphill 4 mi):
Long Climb that links to Mid Mountain Trail
Sweeny’s Switchbacks (2 mi):
Tough climb that loops to downhill that leads back into Main Street in Park City
BYOB (Olympic Park):
Easy climb using RTS with a decent 200 ft descent, nothing crazy but a quick ride
CMG (Downhill 1.2):
Fast easy ride with switchbacks, another section that comes off of Mid Mountain that is probably more fun. This is a very fast trail that gives the sense of surfing through the mountains.
Loose Moose (Downhill 1 mi):
Nothing exciting
Flat Cable (Downhill 1 mi):
Flowy and dusty trail that links back to Main Street
Mid Mountain (multi directional length varies heavily):
Super scenic ride with exposure and through the aspens. Can connect to many of the downhill trails once you’ve done the hard climb to get to the trail
This is an extremely scenic and incredible ride. Winds through the high aspens and pops out at multiple incredible vistas. Cannot recommend this trail enough for those reasons. Be careful of riders climbing this trail.
This is a decent trail with lots of pedaling. Fairly flat but can get going fast if you want. We used it to connect to Shadow lake but is also a good trail to get a good burn in your lungs at the altitude.
***Spiro (Downhill 3.2 mi):
Fast flowy downhill that connects from Mid Mountain
A fun connecting trail to Mojave from Keystone. Nothing crazy here and fairly short but obviously way better than taking an access road. Has a couple cool photo opportunities of the view.
Nothing crazy but is a fairly smooth (with a couple rooty sections) trail. Can bomb if you want but an also slow down and relax and enjoy the view.
Super short trail connecting CMG to Spiro. Extremely fast with very tight switchbacks. In somewhat rough shape but is definitely worth riding. Especially if looking to cut back a little earlier.
This is primarily a short connector trail back to the parking lot
Silver Queen (Downhill 1 mi):
A very solid Park City Mountain downhill trail. Hard hike up to the top using Mid Mountain and Meadow Road. Links back to Mid Mountain and then Sweeny’s Switchbacks to get back into town.
Deer Valley (Lifted Downhill $60)
A great beginner trail or warm up trail. Fairly small grade with lots of berms. About 4 miles of descending back to mid mountain. Also a good place to practice jumping if new to it or just wanting a little extra practice with very low risk prior to getting on some of the more main stream jump lines.
Good warmup trail to get into downhill flow again. Has some fun jumps and a few technical spots and large berms. Great step up from Holly Roller. Can link into/ with a number of trails.
Sunset (Blue):
Good warm up trails to get into the downhill tech feel again. Sunset upper is more technical than nail driver. A fun tech trail that isn’t too crazy. A good step up from Holly Roller.
Short and not a very exciting trail. Possibly a good step up from Holly Roller but may be better off riding Nail driver, Tidal Wave, or Sunset.
Freestyle and Dog Pound trails (Black tech):
Short trails at the end with some tight tech and wood features. Super fun additions to add a little extra spice to the end of whatever trail you are getting off of at mid mountain. There are multiple dog pound trails all are fun and all incorporate tech with wooden features.
**Tidal Wave (Blue Jump line):
Probably my favorite trail there, fast and easy jumps to clear, good for practicing whips, may have to brake on some because of the high speed. Tidal Wave upper is considered a black but do not be intimidated by this.
Tsunami (Black Jump line):
These are some cannons here with big lips, big tables, don’t use your brakes, but don’t go over the bars.
Aspen Slalom (Double Black tech):
A lot of mini drops with roots, switchbacks, easier double black compared to others
**Thieves Forest (Double Black tech):
Harder than Aspen but easier than Fireswamp. This is a fantastic trail and is a blast. Very steep and very loose. Good bike control is absolutely necessary. A handful of very large drops but the 2 biggest ones have the options to go around. Highly recommend this trail if you are feeling up to the challenge.
Fireswamp Upper (Double Black Tech):
Very difficult chunky with sharp rocks, large size drops that lead into turns. Be cautious and be ready to bail when needed. This is an extremely technical and sketchy downhill trail.
**Fireswamp Lower (Double Black Tech):
Still very difficult and technical but not nearly as sketchy as the upper portion. Handful of large drops into tight loose turns and is very steep. Is a very fun trail however.
Twist and Shout (Black tech):
Nothing super crazy but a good tech trail with a few fun and interesting spots. Loads of braking bumps in the berms. Goes under the Tsunami bridge sender which is kind of fun.
Trailside Park (Bike Park)
This a small park where you climb for about 5 min and do quarter mile downhill trails (green, blue, black) that you can lap for a few hours easy, good place to practice jumps, drops, features.
Good warmup trail or trail for new mountain bikers. A fair amount of pedaling is involved for it being a downhill trail. No crazy features and all features have the option to go around. Perfect place to build confidence and skill. It is fairly loose in some turns however.
Bronto Jam (Blue):
Easy flow and jump trail with some wall rides. A large wooden berm is a blast to hit hard. Hitting both wall rides well seemed to be a fun challenge but hitting one hard is great.
Mr. Muchrocks (Black):
A solid flow- tech trail. Its name does not lie. There are quite a few rocks along the trail. There is a large rock garden near the end that is fairly challenging. It does have a ride around. Contains a fair amount of wooden bridges as well. Very fun trail that is short and sweet.
This trail probable ahs the biggest features in this trail system. A pretty good sized drop at the start and another mid trail. A large, steep rolling drop in shortly after starting the trail. Be sure to roll up slowly to this. Wall rides, jumps, and a cool roller coaster are farther down the trail. An absolute blast of a trail.
Salt Lake City, UT
Foothills:
Bobsled (Black Downhill Flow/Jumpline):
This trail is gnarly with the most features I have ever seen on a trail. Multiple drops varying in size, jumping over cars, a lot of gap jumps, berm wall rides that make you feel you are on a bobseld. Highly recommend doing it twice so you know where everything is.
Lost Lad (Blue Downhill Flow):
Good flow with a lot of small gap jumps and some big boys. Take wild rose loop to get to the top or Woodfrieer, do not take eagle crest.
19th Avenue: (Blue)
This trail was fast flowy and full of laughs! I rode this trail as part of my Bachelor party the day before I got married and it was an absolute blast! The climb to the top isn’t too bad. There is definitely some exposure along this trail. It is enough to freak out some beginner riders but the rail itself is not difficult to ride. Mostly a smooth fast flowy descent. After crossing a trail junction, this trail gets really fun. Some super steep “whooptiedoos” and big berms for maximum speed.
19th Avenue Lower: (Blue)
This section continues the flow but has a couple rocky sections along the way. I enjoyed this section almost more than the upper section. Be careful at the end of the trail. There is a very loose gravely turn on an exposed bit straight into a VERY loose and tight berm.
Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST): (Blue)
We took the same climb as we did for 19th Avenue then connected to BST. This is a very long stretch of trail across the Foothills. Nothing really crazy or interesting about this but was still a fun trail to connect to Dry Gulch with.
***Dry Gulch: (Blue)
A VERY fast and exhi8lerating downhill. Cross back and forth across a creek and some big rocks. Swoop up and down the valley all the way to the bottom with some fun rock gardens, poppers, and drops along the way. This trail had my entire party hooting and hollering the whole way down. An absolute must ride if in the area. Wouldn’t miss this trail!
Moab, UT
***Slickrock Trail (Black XC 10 mi 2-4 hours):
Legendary, world famous, bucket list XC trail that is rode all on the shear rock of Moab. Highly recommend doing the practice loop (2 mi) (very well marked) one day and then the actual trail another day. This trail will kick your butt, but you can climb things you didn’t think were possible. Ride with friends and get a lot of laughs in. Very scenic. Bring A LOT of water.
***The Whole Enchilada (Shuttled XC (Poison Spider) $32, 30 mi, 4-6 hours):
The most interesting trail ride you’ll probably do in your entire life. Starting from a tough climb to the top of Burrow Pass at 11,150 ft, you descend 8000 ft and ascend 2000 ft total all the way back to Moab going from Alpine downhill to classic Moab slickrock. Trail goes from Burrows to Hazard County to Kokopelli to UPS, LPS, and finally Porcupine Rim. Need at least 5 liters of water (summer), and plenty of tools for flats because it can get sketchy if something happens (very remote area). A lot more pedaling than you may think because of the total downhill. Highly recommend riding other Moab trails to prepare for this. Pick good lines, don’t risk the flat tire. Ride with friends and have a fantastic time. Used Poison Spider Bike Shop to shuttle us and would highly recommend them.
Klondike Bluffs
Nothing crazy here. Just a fun flowy ride on boulders and red dirt
We rode it from the top and did it as a downhill. Was incredibly fun straight shot down over sand stone. Almost feels like you’re floating or surfing through the bumps. Fantastic time.
Nothing crazy. Decent connector.
Arguably the most popular trail by locals in Klondike Bluffs. Is an XC style ride with some flow and some hard edges. Scenery is amazing and probably a great trail to train on.
Navajo Rocks
Connector trail
Personal favorite in the area. Ride as a loop with Rocky Tops for an amazing ride. Incredible scenery with big slick rock domes. fun fast descents and climbs on open rock face and down on the desert floor and through trees.
One of my favorite rides of all time. Has lots of flow on dirt and sandstone alike. Areas you feel like you are surfing out on open rock face super high up. Has punchy climbs that make the descents that much sweeter. Amazing scenery and trail winds through canyon that looks like honeycomb. Contains just about everything you want from a single loop.
Very fast downhill section that is very fun
Like most trails in the area, has amazing scenery. Perfect introduction to what Moab riding is like. Contains some flow and some tech on dirt and slickrock.
Fun flowy sections and tech. Winds around the bottom of a large Mesa. Bring lots of water when hot. Take Middle Earth as a connector back to the parking lot.
MAG 7 Trail System
This is another famous 26 mile point to point route in the Moab area. Take a shuttle to the top (we used Poison Spider and would highly recommend) and ride Bull Run, to a small bit of Gemini Road, to Arth’s Corner, to Little Canyon, to Gold Bar ST and upper Gold Bar Rim, to Golden Spike, to the north end of Poison Spider, and finally to the infamous Portal Trail. If you ride Portal be extremely cautious. Exposure here is extreme and there are signs posted warning people have unfortunately died there. Be prepared to walk if needed. No thrill on the trail is worth losing your life over. This is an intermediate to advanced trail system. Bring tools, food, and lots of water. Make sure your bike is ready for the ride. Ride with friends. Bailouts are at the Poison Spider trail using the 4×4 road as the exit to SR-279.
Amasa Back
Park at the bathrooms at the bottom of the Amasa Back access trail. This is a super lively parking lot and people are very friendly in the area. Captain Ahab is probably the most popular trail in this area and seems like an amazing trail however I have not ridden it yet.
Cliff Hanger: (Black)
A challenging climb up to Captain Ahab or Hymasa and a few other trails or a fun descent full of ledges. Beware of creek crossing at beginning that can be full of moving water after rain storms or during winter months. Keep an eye out for Jeeps.
There is an upper and lower section. Upper section is a black diamond and lower is blue. Many people use this trail to climb up and ride Captain Ahab. Fun fast descent with tech. Much less technical than Captain Ahab however so makes for a good place to warm up before Captain Ahab or for intermediate riders. Personally found this trail to be an incredibly fun descent.
***Captain Ahab upper (Black) and Captain Ahab Lower (Double Black):
This is one of the must ride trails in Moab. It is one of my personal favorite trails to ride altogether. An extremely technical trail with lots of fun lines. One of those trails where you see new lines every time you ride. It is rated as a double black and it most definitely lives up to it. Be warned, there are multiple sections with significant exposure risk. Worth riding once to learn the trail before fully sending it. I recommend using Hymasa as a climbing trail to reach this trail, but Cliff Hanger is a fun challenge as well if looking for a more technical climbing challenge. It is also important to note that the trail is split into an upper and lower section. I haver personally only ridden the lower section, but everyone will tell you the upper section is equally as fun.
Moab City
Fun place to practice jumps and drops on the outskirts of the city
Probably the most technical trail we rode in Moab but also one of the most fun. It is located in town and is very easy to get to. Also probably one of my personal favorite trails of all time. I recommend parking at the southern most parking lot and starting the trail from there as well then follow the road back to your car. The trail is on the side of a canyon wall so is very narrow and has lots of exposure. it will get your adrenaline going and heart pumping. Flows well but in the sense that it is planned out well. More of a slower speed bike handling tech trail than a blistering speed trail. Be confident in your bike handling before attempting this trail but well worth it once you do.