Dutch Hollow Trail System is a series of interconnected
singletrack loops. The typical segment of
trail is about 1.5 to 3 miles, so you can put together an amazing variety
of rides. The full system offers over 20 miles of singletrack. These trails were built specifically for riding, not as a
route to a destination.
Typical trail view on
Dutchman Way, with narrow
singletrack twisting through small groves of trees -- usually gambel oak,
but occasional maple and choke cherry. Original photos and trail write-up June 2, 2003 by Bruce.
Updated June 2017.
Note that Dutch Hollow lies in a state park and is a fee area. You'll
need to deposit a fee envelope at the trailhead if your vehicle is parked
within the Hollow.
The Cottontail Trail forms an easy loop beginning at
the trailhead in the hollow.
The Dutch Hollow trails are located in a foothill area just northeast of
Midway, southwest of Jordanelle Reservoir. Trailhead altitude is 5750
feet. Peak singletrack altitude is 6800. Trail distance is up to you.
There are dozens of riding combinations -- and the same trail is a
completely different experience when taken in the opposite direction.
View from the Overlook (Lookout) Loop as we approach
the overlook.
One issue! Trail signs here are often bassackwards. Many give the name
of a destination for the trail you're about to enter, not the actual trail
itself. So as you're entering the Cottontail trail, the sign may say
"Sage Loop" -- the name of the next trail you'll reach if you
ride Cottontail. Hopefully, somebody will fix this eventually.
There are many ridgelines from which
to grab a fabulous view. The snow-covered tops of Provo Peak (left) and
Timpanogos (right) are visible from many trails.
You're riding through a scrub forest of Gambel Oak, with an
occasional maple and choke cherry. Areas between oak groves are filled
with sage. The trail base is mostly red dirt, with occasional outcrops of
rough conglomerate. The dirt is veeeerrrry soft and sticky when wet.
Horses can severely damage these trails in early spring.
View back towards the farms of Midway
from lower altitude, on Dutchman Way.
You can create loop rides from trails
that are smooth and reasonably easy (Aqueduct, Cottontail, Sage). Or
hit the tough stuff (Boneyard, 1000 Turns, Enchanted Forest) if you want
something narrow
and rough with roots, rocks, and stumps. Or Barrel for a buckaroo DH. It's your call. The tougher
singletrack on the "backside" is very narrow, with close-in oak, so you can have yourself a
pretty mean ride.
View from the Boneyard trail, looking
northeast towards US-40. The tan area is the Jordanelle Dam.
Easiest stuff:
Cottontail Loop. Go either direction. Clockwise, find the
Sage/Cottontail trail as the road enters the parking area on the north.
Shortly after starting the climb, fork left on Cottontail. Pass Aqueduct
and merge again with Sage, then rapidly fork right on Cottontail. As the
trail reaches Burnt Ridge, consider doing the loop to the viewpoint, or
just drop down the other side of Cottontail back to parking.
View of the newer The Barrel, a
downhill-only trail. There aren't any drops, jumps, or rock gardens --
just dipping swerving singletrack.
Hardest stuff:
From the trail kiosk, take the southern end of Cottontail up to Burnt
Ridge. Do the loop, then head UP the rocky ridge trail. Pass Connector,
Gobblers, and merge with Sage. Now turn left right on Enchanted Forest. At
the bottom, climb up 1000 Turns. Merge with Enchanted Forest and turn left
on Sage then left on Gobblers/Boneyard. Fork R on Boneyard and ride it to
the bottom, then climb UP Enchanted Forest. This time, drop right (west)
on Sage and take Aqueduct to Barrell.
Paintbrush and scarlet gilia dot the
trail sides with red color.
Intermediate stuff:
Take Cottontail at the kiosk up to Burnt Ridge. Do the loop at the
viewpoint, then drop off on northbound Cottontail. At Sage, turn uphill
and climb to the top. Turn left, then keep left to drop west down Sage to
Aqueduct. Fly down Aqueduct to Cottontail again.
From 1000 Turns, we're looking out
over the Provo River along US-40 north of Heber.
Loops:
There are a lot of linked loops for riders or varying endurance. North of
Sage is higher difficulty; south is easier. The race loop is a good
intermediate-distance ride combining a variety of terrain. See the 2011
Intermountain Cup race loop GPX link below and follow the GPS track for a
nice tour of the east-side trails.
View north on Prospector, new in 2012.
This trail is now the longest cruise in the Hollow, and makes it
worthwhile heading over to the west side of the road.
Another good loop is the Prospect Loop. Take Donkey Ridge on the west side
to Prospect and head north. When you hit the doubletrack at the far north, drop down the road to Sage. At the top of Sage, take
Enchanted Forest to 1000 Turns. Cross the bottom of the valley to climb up
the east side of Boneyard. Head to Burnt Ridge, loop around, then drop
down on Cottontail. See the track file below.
Note: there are no marking signs on the trail
forks west of the Dutch Hollow road (last checked 2015). A map, odometer,
and/or GPS track is recommended if you're in a hurry to get somewhere
specific.
View of Heber to the south from the
high ridge on Prospect.
New in 2015, the Phosphate Trail offers a nice loop for
stronger riders. From the trailhead, take Donkey Ridge over to Prospect.
Turn left when you reach the Phosphate Trail for the clockwise loop. When
you rejoin Prospect, you can keep right to complete the loop. But I
suggest you make a hard left and take Prospect up to the top of Dutchman
for a bigger ride.
Looking northwest from the saddle
north of Phosphate Hill at the highest spot on the Phosphate Trail.
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Add-on: WOW Trail
At the far west side of the riding area, a connector joins the western
side of the Phosphate Loop to the WOW
(Wasatch Over Wasatch) trail. The
connector descends 1-1/4 miles to SR 224 just uphill from the campground
in the Wasatch Mountain State Park. The WOW trail is across the road. As
of 2016, 10.7 miles of trail are complete.
5 miles and 1500 vertical feet above
the Wasatch Mountain State Park campground on the WOW trail.
Add-on: Dutchman Road
Upper Dutchman Road is pretty. After two miles the road
begins climbing in earnest, 500 vertical per mile, with rocks, creek
crossings, and loose tilted stuff. As you gain altitude, you enter maple,
then aspen forest. The ridgeline is a long 4 miles away at 7400 feet
elevation.
Handlebar view on the Dutchman Road.
Although you may think the "road" should be easy, it's a pretty
tough ride after the first two miles.
Add-on: Flatline
At the northeast corner of the main riding area, where the bottom of
1000 Turns meets the bottom of Enchanted Forest, the Flatline trail heads
north. This trail extends two miles -- generally flat but very slightly
uphill -- to a dirt road that passes under US-40. And no, don't use this
"secret entrance" as a way to avoid the state park fee. Don't be
"that guy."
Looking south toward the Heber Valley
from Flatline.
Bottom Line:
Varied riding system with a lot of fun trails, good for a wide range of
ability levels. Route-finding can be confusing. In part, it's because
there are a LOT of trails. But trail signage is often non-existent, and
many signs will mislead you because they list the next trail you'll
encounter instead of the trail that the sign is on.
To ride all the singletrack in the Dutch Hollow system in a
single day will mean duplicating
some trail sections, and will yield about 30 miles. See if you can put it all
together!
Be on your best manners when you
encounter horses on these trails -- which you probably will. Like
beginning mountain bikers, "beginning horses" may be poorly
trained. Give the horse plenty of warning, and a wide margin
for passing. If a horse is skittish, it helps to lay your bike down in the
brush and turn so you're facing away from the trail as the horse passes.
State Park FEE: In 2021, $10 per car
($5 seniors). The fee station is the self-service insert-the-envelope type, so bring
a pencil or pen, plus exact cash or a checkbook. Before dumping your bucks
in the slot, detach the pay voucher from the envelope and put it on your
dashboard.
Getting There: From Provo Canyon, drive east to
the end of Deer Creek Reservoir. Right where the water ends, turn left
(north) on U-113. Zero your odometer. Drive north 3.8 miles into Midway,
and turn right (east) as U-113 turns right in the middle of town. 0.4
miles later (mile 4.2), turn left (north) on 400 East (River Road). This
is the road that goes just to the west of the memorial hill. At
mile 5.4 you'll hit a traffic circle. Take the first exit (not the
driveway, though), so you'll turn from north to east. At mile 6.1, a sign points you to Dutchman Hollow
- Dutch Canyon. Turn left and drive 0.5 mile on pavement. The pavement
ends at a turnaround where the Dutchman Way trail begins, GPS N 40°
32.495' W 111° 27.224'. Turn right
downhill at the sign for Wasatch Mountain State Park. The preferred
parking area is 0.3 miles down the gravel road to your right. Trailhead
info, fee drop-box and bathroom are at GPS N 40° 32.704' W 111° 27.187'
From Salt Lake City, go up Parleys Canyon on I-80, then turn right
(south) on US-40. Just after descending from the dam, watch for River Road
on your right. Drive about 2 miles, turning right at the Dutch Canyon
sign. Find the trailhead as above.
