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Cutler Flat Loop
Bicentennial, Long Loop, and Middle Fork trails in North Fork Park
The Cutler Flat Loop is a short ride at the north end of North Fork
Park. It includes Long Loop, Middle Fork, most of Bicentennial and a piece
of Cutler's Twist. This traditional ride has changed a bit in 2021 after the addition of new trail.
This page describes a 6.2 mile lariat-loop ride with around 1000 vertical
feet of climbing. Top elevation is 6300 feet; bottom is
5700. The expected riding season is June through October.
Looking up Cutler Flat as we begin the climb up the
Middle Fork to Bicentennial Trail. Original review and map October 12, 2010.
Update by Bruce on August 13, 2021. |
| Cutler Flat will seem quite non-flat to you. Although the
elevation change is not great, much of it occurs over fairly short distances. There will be
some granny-gear climbs with a pitch of 9-10%. The Long Loop downhill
portion is for expert or confident upper-intermediate riders.
View to the east near the top elevation of the ride.
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Picking a trailhead
If you begin from the traditional parking area down at the road fork
(see map), your ride will start as a climb on "you gotta be kiddin me" ugly
loose gravel road. As you approach a utility shed and pavilion, you'll pass two
singletracks. One is the Cutler Springs trail, and the other is Cutler's
Twist. Stay on the doubletrack and aim for the left side of the pavilion.
This is NOT my recommended route, so let's backtrack for a sec.
We're looking back at the pavilion we
just passed on the way to the trail. If you see this, you went the right
way.
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| Mule Ear
I'm going to suggest that you start at the trailhead on the northern
end of the Mule Shoe to Mule Ear loop. Catch the
connector at the northwest corner of the loop and turn left onto Mule Ear
climbing uphill. From there, you'll ride up Mule Ear, cross over the main
gravel road, and cross over Mule Connector. (In August 2021, the trail
markers at this intersection were not helpful. Of the three options, pick the
trail in the middle that goes uphill.) At the next trail fork at mile 0.2
uphill from the trailhead, turn right onto Cutler's Twist.
At the Mule Loop trailhead off the North Fork Park
main road. The connector trail is to the left of my car, below the big
tree. We're looking west.
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Cutler's Twist
Assuming you started via the Cutler's Twist
route, the trail will head north and arrive at the group area (the
pavilion) at mile 0.5 from the trailhead. Cross the first doubletrack. As
you reach the second gravel road, the singletrack starts uphill to a trail
fork. Don't go there. Instead, turn left onto the gravel road and ride
past the pavilion.
Heading north on Cutler's Twist. |
| Cutler Creek
The route veers to the west on the doubletrack
that sits on top of the water line. After descending into the canyon,
you'll climb gently along Cutler Creek. This is the Cutler Creek trail,
here combined with the Bicentennial route.
Around mile 0.4 from the pavilion, there's a singletrack on the left
that you can take for a short while. It rejoins after about 1/10th mile.
We're heading out onto the Cutler Creek DT. The
manhole cover is the only sign that it lies on a waterline corridor.
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Bicentennial trail
At mile 0.6 from the pavilion (mile 1.1 of the ride), there's a marked
singletrack on the right. This is the Bicentennial Trail. The doubletrack
Cutler Creek trail continues uphill. Turn right and pedal up to the bridge
to cross the creek. (Or splash through at the horse crossing. Your call.)
At the beginning of the Bicentennial singletrack. From
here, the trail will head west a bit before crossing the creek and coming
back east. |
| Climb Bicentennial for 0.3 miles to a saddle. Here you'll
find a trail fork. You're now at mile 1.4 of the ride. The Bicentennial trail continues on the right, and will be your return route.
Climbing northbound on Bicentennial.
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Long Loop trail
Straight ahead is Long Loop. The Long Loop trail is 0.8 miles, and will
drop 200 vertical feet. There will be a bit of climbing on the way
downhill.
View from the trail fork, looking down the Long Loop
trail. |
| The upper end of Long Loop has been rebuilt into a flow trail. But the
smooth swooping riding won't last long (as of 2021).
In the middle of the fun swooping part.
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| On the rebuilt upper part of Long Loop.
Pretty plush. |
Off the main trail onto a log ride. Nice
challenge |
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The trail turns tough for a while, with up-and-down riding
through thick maple forest. There are a lot of roots and tree-trunks to
get across. This is where the ride earns its expert rating. But it won't
last too long.
A bit of uphill that ends in a tree-trunk challenge. |
| The trail gets easy again as it falls onto an old
road-grade. You'll descend along a canyon, then reach a dirt road. This is
where the original Long Loop trail ends. (The traditional ride turned
downhill on the DT here.) Go across the road to continue on
singletrack. This is the Long Loop extension.
Looking down North Fork from lower Long Loop.
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Long Loop extension
As you cross the road at mile 2.2 of your ride, the singletrack will
continue another 0.4 miles down through forest of maple and oak. As you
reach a dirt road, turn right downhill. (The singletrack across the road
-- as of 2021 -- is a hike-and-horse trail named Scrub Oak. Don't go
there.)
Descending the extension to Long Loop, as the trees
change from maple to oak. |
| North Fork Ogden River Road
Go 0.3 miles southeast down the doubletrack. Keep left and downhill as
another dirt road (the one you crossed a while ago) joins. Once you're in
a sagebrush flat, watch carefully for the Middle Fork to Bicentennial trail. It will be on your right, hidden from view by a tree. You're now at
mile 2.9 of the ride.
Descending the doubletrack through Cutler Flat. The
Middle Trail to Bicentennial is behind that tree on the edge of the dirt
road.
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Middle Fork
Start uphill on the Middle Fork to Bicentennial trail. After cruising
gently uphill through the flat, it will cross over to forest and begin
climbing. There will be a bit of up-and-down riding as you work your way
uphill.
Looking west as we begin Middle Fork. |
| Middle Fork is 0.8 miles long and will gain 150 vertical
feet of elevation. It's a fairly easy climb with nothing technical on the
trail surface. As with 95% of this ride, you're constantly in shaded
forest of maple, oak, aspen, and the occasional fir.
Climbing Middle Fork through maple and ferns.
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At mile 3.7 of the ride, you reach the Bicentennial trail.
Turn uphill right.
This is the uphill trail junction between Bicentennial
and Middle Fork. We're looking north, the way we just came, toward Middle
Fork from Bicentennial. |
| Bicentennial trail, part 2
There will be some stiff pitches to climb here. Over the next 0.6
miles, you'll gain 300 feet of elevation. If the trail surface is loose,
some of these pitches may be hike-a-bikes for you. Once you reach the sign
indicating the trail's high point (elevation 6300), descend Bicentennial another 0.3 miles back to the Long Loop trail fork.
Trail summit. How nice of them to let us know the
grunt climbing is over!
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It's now around mile 4.7 of your ride. Consider another go
around the loop. This time, you could descend dirt road all the way to the
bottom of Bicentennial. Here you could climb back up via Bicentennial for a
longer loop, or take the very-much easier climb back to the pavilion on
the Traildemic trail. To
follow the traditional loop ride, turn left away from the top of Long Loop
and descend Bicentennial back to Cutler Creek and climb out to complete
your 6.2 mile ride. Descending Bicentennial back toward
Cutler Creek. |
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Ride notes, lariat loop as above
0.0 ST from parking off North Fork Park road
Immediate left uphill on Mule Ear
Cross gravel road
0.1 Cross Mule Connector
0.2 R on Cutler's Twist
0.5 Onto DT, pass L of pavilion
1.1 R onto Bicentennial ST
1.4 Keep L to descend Long Loop
2.2 Cross dirt road
2.6 R on DT
2.9 R on Middle Fork trail
3.7 R on Bicentennial
4.7 L to continue Bicentennial
5.0 Keep L on DT Cutler Creek
5.7 L onto Cutler's Twist
6.0 L to descend Mule Ear
6.2 Back at TH fork |
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| Getting there: Go up
Ogden Canyon. (From the north on I-15, take the 12th South Ogden exit and
head east on Highway 39. From the south, exit I-15 on US 89. Pass I-84 and
climb up the hill, then turn right on Harrison Blvd. Continue on Harrison
until you hit U-39 and turn R toward Ogden Canyon.) Turn left across the
dam at Pineview Reservoir. At the stop sign in Eden, turn left. Turn left
at the stop sign in Liberty. After about 1/4 mile, take the next right.
Just after you cross the river, veer left toward North Fork Park.
Mule Ear trailhead (recommended): Turn left
again at the North Fork Park sign. At the campground entry gate, you can
turn left into the 365 Trail trailhead for a longer ride. To park at the
Mule Loop trailhead, go
1.8 miles on the main North Fork Park road from where you turned off the main road. Look for a the
trailhead sign on your right. Pull into the little loop and park. Connect to the trail on the northwest side of
the parking area.
Traditional road-fork entry: Pass the
first entrance into the North Fork Park (on your left). Go another mile up
the road and turn left at the second entry N41 22.986 W111 54.298. Fork
left at the T intersection. When you reach a hairpin turn with a gate at
the apex (north side) of the turn, N41 22.979 W111 55.187, you're there.
There's a singletrack on the right as you face the gate. That's a shortcut
for a counterclockwise loop. Ignore it. The trail is the ST that sneaks around the left side
of the gate, and the trail is the soft cindered DT. |
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Copyright 2010 Mad Scientist Software Inc
updated 2021 |
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