 |
Bill's Sandy
Bill's Sandy is a short trail in the Wood Hill
riding area north of Price. It's not a stand-alone ride, but is a fun
and quick option while playing around in the area. The trail is 1.2 miles
long, tilting gently downhill from east to west (the trail is designed to
ride in this direction). It's a very easy cruise, but with some stunts
built in as options.
View north from Bill's Sandy near the western end.
Photos and ride description by Bruce on
May 22, 2017.
|
| If you don't know the area, the trail is easy to find by
taking Solis Way north from the new Wood Hill trailhead. Bill's Sandy will
cross after 0.8 miles, just before you'd reach the cliff edge and Luke's
Trail. Turn right on Bill's and pedal to the north end, then turn
around and ride it.
Looking north as we ride out of the Wood Hill parking
area to Solis Way (across the doubletrack). |
|
 |
For riders who know the area, you can take Luke's Trail.
From the end of Solis Way, turn right along the cliff edge on Luke's. When
you reach the fence and the cattleguard ride-over, turn right on Dick's
Cutoff. Just before you reach the dirt road, Bill's Sandy will fork to the
right. Winding through juniper on the way to Bill's. |
| A nice option -- but harder to navigate -- is to ride the
Luke's Loop counterclockwise to Bill's. At the junction of Solis Way and
Luke's, turn left. When Luke's ends, keep straight on the doubletrack
until you find Knott Pete's Rim across Wood Hill road.
Fork left on Smo' Joes when you reach the Knott Pete's-Wyatt's Way
intersection. When Smo' Joes reaches the cattleguard (with Therapy
continuing straight), turn left on the broad trail out to the road. Cross
the road to Dick's Cutoff, then fork left when you reach Bill's.
Typical trail on the eastern end. Dirt ribbon winding
through juniper, with an occasional pinion. |
|
 |
The trail...
The trail begins with twisting but easy turns in the
junipers. There's not much rock work here. And I found that, despite the
name, the trail surface wasn't "Sandy" but was firm and easy to
ride.
Redneck artwork along the trail for your viewing
pleasure. |
| The trail has an almost-imperceptible but steady slope,
dropping 150 vertical feet over 1.2 miles. Some areas were very slightly
trenched due to the fall-line orientation of the trail.
As you ride along, man-made stunts invite you to try something. (No
guarantees here. Wood structures deteriorate, so you may not find the
stuff you're seeing in my photos.)
Approaching a ladder rollover. |
|
 |
Bill's Sandy ends on the western side of Luke's Trail. A
right turn takes you toward the cliff, where the northern side of Alan's
Alley joins Luke's going eastbound. This is your route if you're looking
to do another run.
Love teeter totters, but they tend not to last long. |
 |
Getting there:
Eastbound on US 6, take the
first Price exit. Turn left and enter town on 100 North. About a mile
after leaving the freeway, turn left (north) onto 300 East. Drive to 900 North and turn left. The road
will turn to dirt and/or narrow asphalt, and will veer right and climb the
mesa.
Classic trailhead: One-half mile later at the top of the mesa, just after
passing the mound of dirt that hides the city water tank, fork left (west)
and proceed 100 yards to a primitive parking area. the trail begins on the
west side.
Wood Hill trailhead: On the dirt road, drive to the top of the mesa
as above, but continue north another 1/2 mile. The prominent trailhead is
on your left.
Water: no
Camping: primitive, none near trailhead
Toilet: Wood Hill trailhead
GPS track files (right-click link,
then save as a file):
GPX area
file with individual trail tracks
Maps for printing:
Luke's
topo (area of loop) Full
area topo
Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Price area resources
|
|
