Clark's Trail can be part of a great bike ride that's close to civilization.
One of the first trails completed in Draper's Corner
Canyon, Clarks remains a key climbing route. Many riders use Clark's
Trail as their uphill for a wide variety of excellent loop rides. The
trail is 1.4 miles long and intermediate in technical requirement. Because
of the sustained pitch of this trail, Clark's is a strenuous climb.
In 2014, Clark's
was converted to an uphill-only route for bicycles. (Hikers can go
either direction.)
View about half-way up Clarks Trail in 2007. Original review
by Bruce in 2007, latest update 2017.
The surface is firm dirt with an occasional rock and many small roots.
Turns are broad and sweeping (no switchbacks). While I've rated it
intermediate, experienced beginners with monster-strong legs can manage
this climb. There's nothing tricky here -- just tough pedaling.
Clark's Trail will be easily damaged if ridden when muddy. Do NOT ride
in wet conditions! See the Corner
Canyon trail closure page for the current status.
View over the Rocky Mountain Element's handlebar as
we climb mixed forest of oak and maple. October 4, 2016.
Clark's Trail is 1.4 miles with 750 vertical feet
of climbing, from Coyote Hollow to Ann's Trail
near the Peak View
Trailhead. It will be 1.6 miles to Peak View. That's an average grade of
just under 10%. There are many riding options once you get to the top, but
you'll need to select another trail for your descent. Popular options include the Clarks
to Ghost Falls Loop, the Clarks
to Canyon Hollow loop, the Rush downhill flow
trail, and Ann's Trail either as the big Draper
Rim loop or the smaller loop via Potato Hill.
View toward Traverse Ridge with Box Elder Peak above
and Jacob's Ladder at far left, from about 1/2 mile up the hill.
The many ways to get to Clark's Trail...
You can quickly hop onto Clark's from the Coyote Hollow trailhead, but
most riders arrive via the westbound Corner
Canyon Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) or the eastbound Draper
BST. The BST is the key to using Clark's. First, let's consider how to
get there from downhill.
Downhill on the BST connection between Coyote Hollow
and Clark's bridge. This section has two-way traffic.
The Corner Canyon Trail climbs from the Equestrian Center
parking to the BST at the big
doubletrack-junction a mile uphill.
Orson
Smith climbs to Aqueduct (which connects to the Corner Canyon
BST) or the
north BST near Bear Canyon. You'd go westbound to get to Clark's.
Looking east from the BST as Clark's heads across the
bridge to begin its climb.
In the west, Oak Hollow and Spring Hollow climb to the Draper
BST, or
you can access it from the Red Rock trailhead on Mike Weir Drive. Take the
BST eastbound and connect to Clark's just 1/10th mile above Coyote Hollow.
Looking northwest from the trail as we begin the climb.
View of the forested riding, back when Clark's was
just a newborn.
Now begin climbing,
first through gambel oak, then through mixed oak and maple. For over 95% of
your climb, the trail is shaded
riding in forest.
Once you cross the bridge above Coyote Hollow, there are NO trail forks
on Clark's until you reach Ann's Trail near the trailhead on Traverse
Ridge.
The trail meanders a bit, but without any sharp
turns. The biggest challenges are steeper spots where you need to grunt a
little.
There will be occasional breakout views north over the Salt
Lake Valley.
Straight ahead, you'll see Traverse Ridge. As you gain altitude, the
mountains east of Utah Valley will begin to appear -- Box Elder, then
Timpanogos.
Higher on the mountain, looking north. At
the bottom, you can see the doubletrack fork between the Corner Canyon
trail, Canyon Hollow DT connector, and the Corner Canyon BST. Coyote
Hollow is out of the photo to the left.
The trail has a bit of rolling. But it's in the form of
increased pitch rather than grade reversal. So don't count on coasting.
Not for one second. This is a sustained climb at an average grade of
around 10%. Take a break if you need to. (A trail photo is a good excuse.)
Little Rocky takes a break against a stout maple.
Clark's joins Ann's Trail near the top of Traverse Ridge.
Ann's is two-way traffic. To head toward Potato
Hill, fork right.
(Descending Potato Hill back to the BST makes a nice little 6-ish mile
loop.) This direction also takes you on the big rides using Ann's with a
BST return. It also connects to Eagle Crest for a back-side loop, or to
the Maple Hollow DH.
A rider eastbound on Ann's arrives at the spot where
Clark's joins Ann's Trail just west of the Peakview Trailhead.
If you fork to the left, you'll pedal gently uphill another
0.2 miles to the Peakview Trailhead. Here you can connect to Rush,
Brocks
and Canyon Hollow, or to the Corner Canyon Road to coast down to the Ghost
Falls Trail. If you're good at route finding, you can make the climb to
Jacob's Ladder from Peakview.
Pedaling on the combined Ann's and Clark's route to
Peakview. Gotta get my Rush.
Bottom Line:
Much-loved climbing route, fastest way to downhills via Rush, Ghost Falls
or Canyon Hollow, or to connect to Ann's westbound. Requires good
aerobic conditioning and sustained leg strength. Less-strong riders should
consider Canyon Hollow as a mellow but longer climbing alternative.
Approaching the trailhead (fence at bottom right).
The white mark on the ridge at mid-left is Jacob's Ladder.
Riding notes, Clark's to Rush from Coyote
Hollow:
0.0 East from parking N40 29.612 W111 50.333
50 feet then R uphill on BST/Clark's
N40 29.615 W111 50.309
0.1 L, cross bridge to Clark's
N40 29.561 W111 50.234
1.4 L on Ann's N40 29.206 W111 49.383
1.6 Peakview TH, L on Rush
N40 29.292 W111 49.247
2.0 Keep L (R = The Trees)
N40 29.266 W111 49.429
2.4 Straight (The Trees rejoins
on R)
N40 29.461 W111 49.431
3.2 Keep L (R = from Canyon Hollow)
N40 29.672 W111 49.585
3.8 Cross Canyon Hollow
N40 29.715 W111 49.928
4.0 Join DT Canyon Hollow
N40 29.762 W111 50.081
4.1 L uphill on BST N40 29.762 W111 50.120
4.4 Keep R (L = Canyon Hollow
50 feet, then R to TH
Getting there, Coyote Hollow trailhead: Take the Bluffdale exit from I-15 and turn
east towards the mountains. Climb the hill as above, but turn right at the
light on Traverse Mountain Road. After one mile, turn into Mike Weir Drive
on your left. Pass the Mike Weir trailhead 1/2 mile later and continue
another half mile until the road veers left downhill. Take the next right
turn, turn right again, then left. You should now be on Gray Fox Drive.
Take the next right into Coyote Hollow Court. The parking is on the right
at the end of the pavement.
Lower Corner Canyon (Equestrian Center) Trailhead: Take the Bluffdale exit from I-15 and turn
east towards the mountains. Continue on Highland Drive until you reach the
ballpark parking lot. Directly across the street from the parking, the Lower Corner Canyon
trail heads uphill. To
reach the trailhead from the north (Sandy area), take 13th East southward until it ends at
the stop sign just past the underpass. Turn left and drive 1/4 mile. To
reach Clark's from the Lower Corner Canyon Trail, pedal 1 mile uphill then
turn right and climb 1/4 mile west on the Corner Canyon BST to
Coyote Hollow.
Bonneville Shoreline TH on Corner Canyon Road: From Draper, take 123rd South to 13th
East and turn south (right). At the roundabout just down the hill, turn east
(the equivalent of a left turn at the roundabout) on Pioneer
Road. Go around one mile to 20th East, then turn right going south on
Highland Drive. Turn left to the parking lot of Orson Smith Park, but
immediately turn right as you enter the parking area. Drive on the gravel
Corner Canyon Road 1.1 miles uphill. Turn right into the BST trailhead.
Then northbound BST is on the uphill side of the road, across from the
trailhead parking entry. Orson Smith TH: From 13th East, turn to the east on Pioneer Road
and go to 2000 East. Turn right (south) on Highland Drive. (From the
Corner Canyon area, follow Highland Drive east, then north.) Turn east
(toward the mountains) into the Orson Smith Park at 12625 South Highland
Drive. Find a parking spot. The lower singletrack trail starts at the
north end of the sidewalk between the parking lot and picnic pavilion. To
climb the road, backtrack to the parking lot entry and aim for the gravel
road heading south. Water and bathroom are at the park.
Potato Hill trailhead: Take the Bluffdale exit from I-15 and turn
east towards the mountains on Highland Drive. At the light at the top of
the hill, turn right on Traverse Mountain Road. After one
mile, pass Mike Weir Drive on your left. Look for the Potato Hill TH on your left about mile 1.3 from the
light.
Mike Weir (Red Rocks) trailhead: Leave I-15 and climb the hill as above,
but turn right at the light on Traverse Mountain Road. After one mile,
watch for Mike Weir Drive on your left. The trailhead is on your right,
1/2 mile later. At the fork, head east (left) on BST to arrive at Clarks. Traverse Ridge (Peak View TH, top of Clarks): Under development. Will
be served by paved road; expected to have bathroom, tables, paved
hiking/view loop.
Bathrooms: Equestrian Center, Orson Smith TH, Corner Canyon
BST trailhead and upper Ghost Falls
trailhead on the Corner Canyon road
Water: Equestrian Center, Orson Smith.
