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Traverse Ridge Pipeline
(Old Canyon Hollow Trail)
return via Ghost Falls Trail
Note: this trail is being replaced by a
new route to the east. Pipeline can still be ridden, but it will be
crossed multiple times by the new bicycle-preferred downhill trail. This
trail may be abandoned as the new trail opens, or may continue to serve as
a horse route.
This is a nice tough hill-climb that's open early in the season.
It starts across from the Draper rodeo grounds and climbs to the top of
Traverse Ridge. If you ride the loop at the top, then head straight down,
it's 5.5 miles. Altitude gain is 1200 feet. There's singletrack much of
the way, with the upper Corner Canyon road linking the two sides of the
loop.
The creek breaks into Ghost Falls on the
eastern side of the loop. All photos by Bruce
Argyle, May 1, 2002. |
| Fair warning: Most riders will prefer climbing to the top via Clarks
Trail or New Canyon Hollow Trail instead of
the Pipeline/Canyon Hollow Trail. This
stiff granny-gear climb is intended for skilled and very conditioned
riders. |
| From the rodeo arena, go under the bridge to the west. As
you exit the tunnel, turn left uphill and connect to the upper of the two
Corner Canyon singletracks. (There is one-way traffic on the lowest
section.) Keeping left, climb south about 1/2 mile and join the Lower Corner Canyon
dirt road. At 0.9 mile, keep straight (left) as the road forks (right goes
to the race loop). Keep straight ahead whenever doubletracks branch
off. The trail alternates between doubletrack and singletrack. At
mile 1.7, you may notice a singletrack coming in from the left. This will
be your return loop.
Long-leaf phlox blooms on sunny
hillsides of the Wasatch Front.
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The trail becomes steeper, and turns right then back left.
It arrives at the gravel Corner Canyon Road just below Traverse Ridge at
mile 2.5. If you want to peek into Utah County, turn right and go 0.25
miles.
Looking up the singletrack, a cluster
of Oregon Grape grows in the shade of the maples.
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| Go left downhill on the Corner Canyon Road about 1/2 mile. After the
trail has turned out of a small canyon and is going back west, look for a
broad parking area on your left. Drop over the far edge of the dirt-pile,
and find the singletrack about 40 feet later on your right, heading
downhill and north. |
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Leaving the dry oak and sage of South Mountain, the Traverse Ridge trail runs
through maple and choke cherry. The ground is covered with Oregon Grape and
Dwarf Waterleaf. This is a cooler, more moist ecosystem.
Looking north from the top of Traverse
Ridge, the Salt Lake Valley fades into the distance. |
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Dwarf waterleaf blooms under the
maples along the trail.
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Stop at the falls for a photo. 0.75 miles from the Corner
Canyon road, you'll rejoin the uphill track. After another 0.8 miles, you
have the opportunity to turn left at the original fork in the road, which
will take you onto the South Mountain Race Loop.
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Getting there: Take the Bluffdale exit from I-15 and turn
east towards the mountains. Continue straight through the stop sign, under the railroad,
then continue east through the South Mountain development right to the end of the road.
Park at the end of the road. On your left, you'll see a corral with a white fence. On the
right, the Lower Corner Canyon road heads uphill (GPS N 40° 30.351' W 111° 50.721'). 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 the end of the
road.
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| There's a toilet at the upper Ghost Falls trailhead
(where it meets the Corner Canyon road), at the point where the BST meets
the Corner Canyon road, and at the Equestrian Center parking. Water is
available only at the Equestrian Center. There are no facilities (except
parking) at Coyote Hollow. |
Copyright 2002 Mad Scientist Software Inc
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