 |
Catherines Pass Trail
at Albion Basin
The Catherines Pass trail is not something the typical mountain biker
will want to do. It's very steep with technical sections and more than a
little hiking with your bike as baggage. It's reserved for tough and
skilled riders looking for a challenge. It can be done as an up-and-back
trip to the viewpoint, but is primarily used to access the Great Western
Trail for long brutal trips by adventurous souls.
View uphill from Alta. The low spot on
the skyline is Catherines Pass. Photos by Bruce
on July 28, 2015.
|
| The trail is reached via the Albion
Basin Road. You can drive it, or pedal it. The Little Cottonwood
Canyon paved road turns to hard-pack gravel at an entry shack above Alta.
Find a spot to park and pedal uphill past the entry station.
Heading up Albion Basin Road.
|
|
 |
Your first opportunity to grab the trail is 2.1 miles up the
road. There's a big parking lot and a bathroom on the right-hand side as
the road veers left. The singletrack trail is across from parking, on your
left as you pedal uphill. This main Catherines Pass trail is a shorter --
but steeper and more techy -- climbing route up to where the cushier
campground route joins.
View back toward Alta from near the
parking lot at the start of Catherines Pass. |
| This lower part of the Catherines Pass trail climbs from
9350 feet elevation to 9750 (that's 400 feet of climbing, math guys) in
0.7 miles. Some stretches are a pleasant cruise; other spots are steepish
or have technical rock to bang through. It's not an easy climb, but the
scenery is fantastic. This will give you an excuse to stop pedaling and
look around while you catch your breath.
Heading uphill early in the climb.
Beautiful country.
|
|
 |
Some rock outcrops provide a little fun, but most of the
tech challenge is slamming your way uphill through embedded pedal-bangers.
On this lower section, it's all ride-able, although not my me. There's one 100-foot steep
spot with embedded rock and water-bar logs (photo below) just below the
trail fork that you'll probably hike.
Banging uphill over a granite outcrop. |
| At 0.7 miles up the singletrack (2.8 from Alta), you'll
reach a trail fork. The trail on the right is the mellower route coming up
from the campground, which in your biking-god vanity you decided not to
take. Fork left uphill, and get prepared for some hiking.
We're near the junction between
granite intrusion and limestone bedrock, looking toward the Devils
Castle.
|
|
 |
While there are some nice stretches to pedal, the trail
gets very serious about climbing at this point. On some ride-able
stretches, it may not seem worth getting on the bike as you eyeball the
next hike a short distance up the trail. The trail climbs 300 vertical
feet in 0.7 miles for an average 8.5% slope.
It looks like you could ride this --
and some super-bikers can -- but
at this altitude I couldn't even begin to make that happen. When you
stall, stop and gasp
for air before trying again. Or get off the bike and start pushing. |
| The alternate route to the trail fork takes you through the
Albion Basin campground. Just stay on the Albion Basin road all the way to
the campground. Stay straight until you hit the uphill end of the
campground, then turn left
and go 1/10 mile until the road turns left northbound. Catch the
singletrack there, 0.9 miles since you passed the lower Catherines Pass
trailhead. The first 100 yards is pretty steep and loose, then it gets
better.
Trail fork as the Catherines Pass
trail reaches the campground connector.
|
|
 |
Now grind on uphill 0.5 miles, doing 200 vertical feet of
climbing. Much mellower than the main trail. You've climbed the same
overall 400 vertical, but you spread it out over 1.4 miles instead of 0.7
miles.
Lupine blooms in a meadow. |
| At Catherines Pass, you can look at the scenery before
backtracking (perhaps to take the Devils Castle
singletrack on your way down). Or, you can head on to the rest of your
adventure. The Great Western Trail to your left takes you around the
cirque above Lake Catherine, Lake Martha, and Lake Mary toward the
Brighton area.
The campground connector has
waist-high flowers. Lupine on the left, paintbrush and sticky geranium on
the right.
|
|
 |
Right on the GWT takes you towards the Mineral Basin area of
American Fork Canyon and the Ant
Knolls portion of Ridge 157. Very scenic
but not easy riding. Few riders choose to do this.
Bottom Line:
Tough high-altitude techy ride reserved for strong and adventurous riders
who already have extensive remote-trail experience.
Looking north toward Alta. |
Riding notes, Albion entry station to
pass:
0.0 Pass guard shack to Albion Basin road
N40 35.526 W111 37.865
2.1 L onto Catherines singletrack
N40 34.969 W111 37.102
2.3 Keep left and uphill at lift road fork
N40 34.958 W111 36.812
2.8 Fork L uphill (R = to campground)
N40 34.740 W111 36.476
3.5 At pass, Great Western Trail
N40 34.851 W111 35.921
L = to Ant Knolls, Ridge 157
R = to Mineral Basin |
Route through campground:
0.0 Pass guard shack to Albion Basin road
N40 35.526 W111 37.865
2.1 Stay on Albion Basin Road (L = Catherines)
N40 34.969 W111 37.102
2.6 Straight south in campground
2.8 Turn L (east) N40 34.503 W111 36.736
2.9 R on ST as road turns left
N40 34.554 W111 36.605
3.4 R uphill (L = to Albion Basin road)
N40 34.740 W111 36.476
4.1 At pass, Great Western Trail
N40 34.851 W111 35.921 |
|
