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Bonneville Shoreline Trail
Herriman Section
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) on the western side of the Salt
Lake valley consists of a single segment at this time (May 2019). Herriman
has a 1.5 mile trail linking the Diamondback
trail at Blackridge to Wide Hollow Drive in the west. The plan is that
eventually the trail will extend all the way to the trails of Rose Canyon,
and will also extend to the south beyond Juniper
Crest.
A trail runner approaches the junction between
Diamondback and the BST. Photos and review by Bruce
on May 13, 2019.
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| This section of the BST is easier-intermediate in technical requirement.
It's machine-cut, so it's fairly wide and straight. But embedded rock
creates a few bumps, and the climbing grade, while modest, will be
difficult for true beginners. Total climbing for a 5.2-mile out-and-back
ride from Blackridge is 750 vertical feet.
With a top elevation of 5700 feet, the riding season is expected to be
late April through late November.
Westbound, the trail climbs past an outcrop of
mineralized limestone.
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The trail has nice views of the southern Salt Lake Valley, and
of the Wasatch Front across the valley. To the east, you'll be able to see
all the way from Mount Timpanogos in Utah County to Parley's Canyon in the
northeast. On the west are the Oquirrhs and the Bingham Canyon mine.
The trail is fully sun-exposed with zero trees, so expect it to be a
toasty warm ride on a midsummer afternoon.
View as the trail heads into a steep side-canyon. |
| On the eastern side, the BST forks away from the Diamondback
trail on the northern slope of Blackridge hill. Most riders will head for
this end of the trail, parking at the Blackridge Pond trailhead.
The most direct path is to ride the Blackridge
trail from the pond, turn right onto Sidewinder in 0.2 miles, then
continue left (and uphill) when Sidewinder ends on Diamondback at mile
0.9. At the next switchback of Diamondback, 1.1 miles from the trailhead,
keep straight onto the BST as Diamondback turns to the left uphill.
Almost to the top. The Bingham Canyon Mine tailings
are at mid-right.
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The western end is a little harder to find. The trail starts
on an under-construction (as of May 2019) extension of 6600 West, just
north of the end of Wide Hollow Drive. See the driving directions below.
Broad trail on an old 4-wheel drive route. Don't try
to fly down this. There are water drainage channels with downhill humps
that are sharp enough to throw you. |
| From the trail's origin on Diamondback, the first 0.7 miles
are generally uphill. Here the singletrack contours a fairly steep
hillside without turns or switchbacks. The trail then joins an old 4x4
road that's been re-purposed as a trail. The trail will descend 100
vertical feet over 0.4 miles. Then it leaves the old road for new
singletrack, twisting through a series of turns for
the final descent. The singletrack on this western end sheds 150 vertical
feet over 0.5 miles.
The western end of the trail ends on the dirt extension of 6600 West --
which was blocked by construction equipment to the north. Trail
runners are parking at the eastern end of Wide Hollow Drive, then heading
north on the gravel road to the trail.
West end of the trail in a construction zone.
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Bottom Line:
Nice trail that rides well in either direction, best suited for an
out-and-back ride -- or a lollipop ride looping around Blackridge Hill by
combining Diamondback and Sidewinder. This bit of the BST will serve primarily
local residents, but can be an extra-miles add-on for those who've
traveled to enjoy Herriman's trail system.
Looking southeast. Mount Timpanogos is visible in the
middle. |
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Facilities:
Bathroom at Blackridge Pond trailhead
Getting there: First, let me caution you.
Street names in this area often change as you go through a stop sign. And
the names on the signs are often not the same as what you see on your auto
GPS or on Google Maps. Yeah, it's messed up. But print my map (link
below) and take it with you. Look carefully at the street layout as you
follow my directions and you won't get lost.
From the Bangerter
Highway, turn west onto 13400 South and drive 2/3 mile. Turn left (south) at the Mountain
View Corridor and drive about a mile. At the traffic light, turn right onto Rosecrest Road.
After 1/2 mile, turn left onto Juniper Crest. (Watch out! From Rosecrest, the street signs
to your right give the northbound continuation of Juniper Crest another name!) |
Blackridge trailhead: As you go south on
Juniper Crest, you'll
see that you're leaving the dense homes and are approaching a bridge across a
ravine. Before you reach the bridge area, turn right onto Ambermont Drive. (Again, caution. The continuation
of Ambermont east of Juniper Crest has a different name.) Over the next
half-mile, Ambermont goes
southwest, then west, then turns to northwest. Now fork left on Aurora
Vista. Quickly turn right onto Esher Street, then left at Ashland Ridge
and enter the parking area for Blackridge Pond. The
trail starts at the far end of the parking strip. (If you reach a
"do-not-enter" exit from Blackridge Pond on the right and a
"bozos-stay-out" sign for a private neighborhood straight ahead, you went too far on Aurora
Vista. Turn around and go back to Esher Street.)
Wide Hollow Drive access: As above, proceed south on Juniper
Crest, but you'll turn off to the right one street earlier, on Emmaline
Drive. Go about a mile and a half on Emmaline, then turn left on
Butterfield Park Way. After about 3/4 mile, there's a roundabout. Follow
it 3/4 of the way around so you're southbound on Spring Canyon Drive.
After 1/2 mile, turn left (east) on Wide Hollow Drive. At the end of the
pavement, the gravel road to the left will take you to the trail, about
200 yards downhill on your right. |
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