Eagle Mountain Race Loop
Jackrabbit, Road Runner, and Deadwood trails
...with access route via Hidden Canyon and Cow Tracks trails
The Eagle Mountain
race loop lies to the south of Eagle Mountain, making a circuit around the
edge of Hidden Canyon. The loop can be reached directly by dirt road, or
by singletrack on your mountain bike for a longer lariat ride. Many of
these trails -- and connecting routes -- are also covered in detail on the Lake
Mountain, Treadstone, and south
Eagle Mountain pages. See the Overview
Page for all area trails and links to riding areas.
View
northeast from the ridgeline, with the tips of Mount Timpanogos (L) and
Cascade Mountain (R) hidden in clouds. Photos and ride review August 8,
2015 by Bruce. Updated April 2018.
The race loop itself is 5.6 miles in length, easier
intermediate in tech requirement, with 600 vertical feet of climbing per
lap. The altitude ranges from a low of 5100 feet to a high of 5425 feet.
There are three segments of dirt road for a total of 1.6 miles of
doubletrack. These DT sections join three trails (Road Runner,
Jackrabbit, and Deadwood) that together yield 4 miles of singletrack
trail. You can add to the classic race loop by taking singletrack options
at a couple of points (Treadstone, Wile E Coyote).
View northwest as the bike rests near
a limestone outcrop (on the way back down).
The lariat ride is 9.1 miles with around 1000 vertical feet
of climbing. It's a satisfying ride, but is significantly more strenuous
and technical than riding just the race loop itself.
The lariat-loop mountain bike route starts on the Pony Express Parkway,
right where the Hidden Canyon Road heads toward the loop. The Hidden
Canyon trail forks off the paved bike path on the south side of the
parkway (just east of the Hidden Canyon road). It climbs from 4950 feet elevation
to 5150 before heading over to the hill above the Mountain
Ranch Bike Park.
Outward bound on Hidden Canyon looking
southeast. We'll cross the doubletrack near the saddle, then cross it
again as we turn to the right.
On Hidden Canyon, there will be a couple of man-made tech features to roll
over (or roll around). The trail has a few rock outcrops, but overall it's
intermediate in tech requirement. The grade on the initial climb is 200
vertical in 0.4 miles, which is very manageable by an intermediate rider.
After the initial climb, the trail undulates along the hill with nice
views to the north and east.
View from Hidden Canyon as we pass
above the homes of Eagle Mountain.
Shortly after crossing a doubletrack, take the right fork,
then cross the doubletrack again, going over the wooden entry bridge.
You're now on the Cow Tracks Trail, or maybe it's considered part of the
Ridgeline Trail. Start climbing southbound.
Note that you can also reach Cow Tracks via the Mountain
Ranch Bike Park. Follow the Access Trail uphill as it turns to rocky
road and gets steep. As it turns to the left on the ridge, you'll see the
singletrack entry bridge on your right.
The entry bridge to Cow Tracks remind
us that there's some slightly more tech riding ahead -- especially if you
decide to do a little lap around the Ridgeline Flow trail.
The trail will get steep for a while, but it's still a very
ride-able pitch. The rocks roll nicely, so a strong intermediate should
have no problem grinding right up. At the trail fork, keep straight (right
and south) as Ridgeline heads north uphill. The trail now levels out and
rolls along the west face of the hill as you head south.
The steepest spot is the climb just
before the Ridgeline trail fork. There's both embedded and loose rock, but
it's very do-able.
The Cow Tracks trail dumps into the race loop staging
area. Drop down to the middle of the valley. Here the southbound dirt road
splits. Head for the right fork (on the far side of the narrow valley from
the end of Cow Tracks) on the west shoulder of the valley and continue
heading south. After 2/10 mile, the road splits. This is the race loop.
Keep straight south another 1/4 mile until you see the singletrack Road
Runner forking off on your left.
We're passing through a juniper grove
on Road Runner, temporarily northbound.
Note: The "no trespassing" signs on School
Trust Lands apply to motorized vehicles. Not to you, noble biker.
Road Runner will turn back northbound as climbs gently. When it reaches
doubletrack, turn right uphill. As you reach a wide treeless area on the
ridgeline, you'll see the Jackrabbit trail turning back southbound to the
right. Take a detour here to ride forward and enjoy the view, then
backtrack a few feet to Jackrabbit.
We've gone up to the ridgeline to take
in the views. We're looking north, with Traverse Ridge standing in front
of the mountains of the Cottonwood canyons east of the Salt Lake Valley in
the center.
This first portion of Jackrabbit follows (approximately)
the ridgeline ATV route southbound. It's a bit of a maze through the
trees, as every clearing seems to have branching tracks. Just keep heading
south on what appears to be the main path. The interweaving tracks should
rejoin before you hit the singletrack.
Finding our way through the junipers.
The race-day markers won't be there when you ride, so just keep meandering
south.
You'll emerge from the trees to cross a doubletrack.
Now you're on Jackrabbit proper, a narrow winding non-motorized
singletrack.
The scenery is inspiringly desolate and has its own ugly Great Basin
type of empty beauty. There's plenty of very nice riding surrounded by a
unique landscape.
Looking south as we enter Jackrabbit.
The sign says "no motorized vehicles."
At the southern end, 1.4 miles from the ridgeline,
Jackrabbit drops rapidly through a series of smooth banked turns to the
dirt road in the valley floor. Keep straight (left and southbound).
Jackrabbit
will cross the Wile E Coyote singletrack shortly before joining a
doubletrack on the edge of the valley. As you hit the doubletrack, keep
heading south.
View back to the north at the Oquirrh
Mountains.
Wile E Coyote option...
To have a bit more fun (and a bit more work), you can divert to the
Wile E Coyote singletrack as you approach the doubletrack.
Wile E Coyote begins near the bottom of Road Runner. You may have
noticed it on the way up. It runs 0.9 miles from Road Runner to the corner
where the doubletrack of the race loop turns northward to Deadwood. It
crosses Jackrabbit on the way.
View back to the north at the Oquirrh Mountains as
Bruce rides Wile E Coyote.
Wile E Coyote is generally uphill, but has some up-and-down
that make it a bit tougher. It's a much harder bit of riding than the
doubletrack. While it gains only 150 feet in absolute altitude as you
progress south, the rolling hillside makes it seem like more.
A bit of late spring snow persists under the cedars
on Wile E Coyote.
Whether you took the doubletrack or the alternate Wile E
Coyote singletrack, it's now time to turn right, back to the north. Just
100 feet after the doubletrack turns around,
find the Deadwood singletrack on the left.
At its south end Deadwood crosses, and joins, some newer trails
(Fistful of Dollars and Eastwood). See the Eagle Mountain southern
area page for details of these trails.
Deadwood climbs away from the road heading westbound. After
it skirts the low hill at the southern end of Hidden Valley, it will drop
down and cross a dirt road. It will climb a bit up the opposite hillside
before turn north.
Traversing west on the first section
of Deadwood.
Deadwood now begins a steady descent as it heads
northbound. The terrain here is grass and low scrub, with the trees having
burned away in a recent fire. There are wide views of the valley area,
extending north to the Oquirrh Mountains.
When Deadwood ends, keep straight across doubletrack and
through a wash, then turn right (east) on the doubletrack on the far side
of the wash. Keep straight as an ATV trail joins on the left. When you
reach the next road fork, you're back where you entered the loop. Turn
left to head back to the staging area.
Northbound downhill as the riding
speeds up!
An option to the doubletrack at the end of Deadwood is Treadstone,
a singletrack that climbs and contours around the mountain (it's found
straight across the DT from Deadwood). It also offers a longer
return-to-town option, without backtracking on Cow Tracks. See the Treadstone
(Prayer Flags hill) trail page.
If you arrived via Cow Tracks, find your singletrack and pedal north.
The return trip via Cow Tracks and Hidden Canyon is hardly any work at
all.
Passing through a scorched former
juniper forest. Juniper inhibits undergrowth, so the formerly bare ground
now shows grass and scrub.
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Riding notes: Lariat loop from Pony
Express
0.0 From Hidden Canyon Rd, east on paved trail
Veer right uphill on Hidden
Canyon trail
N40 21.344 W111 59.483
0.7 Cross DT N40 21.069 W111 59.065
100 feet, then fork R (Cow
Tracks)
N40 21.049 W111 59.032
50 feet, cross DT N40 21.038 W111 59.036
1.0 Keep R (L = Ridgeline ST)
N40 20.943 W111 58.911
1.6 R on DT N40 20.597 W111 58.592
100 ft across to far west side
L (south) on DT
1.8 Keep straight and L (R = return)
N40 20.428 W111 58.622
2.2 L on ST (Road Runner)
N40 20.137 W111 58.484
2.9 R uphill on DT N40 20.529 W111 58.343
3.0 R on ATV at ridgeline
N40 20.562 W111 58.263
3.3 Cross DT N40 20.338 W111 58.179
Begin ST (Jackrabbit)
4.4 Join DT, keep L (south)
N40 19.838 W111 58.094
4.8 Fork R on DT N40 19.568 W111 57.791
4.9 L on ST (Deadwood)
N40 19.577 W111 57.839
5.4 Cross DT N40 19.469 W111 58.144
6.8 End ST, cross DT, straight through ravine
N40 20.252 W111 59.209
R on DT far side or ravine
N40 20.292 W111 59.208
7.0 Keep straight (R) N40 20.296 W111 58.999
7.4 End loop, veer L (north) and retrace
N40 20.406 W111 58.636
7.7 Back at Cow Tracks
9.1 Back at Pony Express
Getting there:
Take the I-15 Lehi Main Street exit and turn west. Continue west on SR-73,
crossing Redwood Road (11600 West). Continue westbound uphill. Just after
climbing the hill, turn left at the stop light onto The Ranches Parkway.
At Pony Express Parkway, turn right. The road will veer a bit south
(left), then back west (right). Now immediately turn left to the Hidden Canyon
road, 1.1 miles from Ranches Parkway. (Note 2020:
construction may block your access through this area.) Find a place to park to take the singletrack lariat. If you're
driving to the loop, keep generally left and heading southeast at all road
forks, staying just below the slope of the hill on your left. When you
reach the broad valley and see a bunch of competing road forks at mile 1.3
from Pony Express Parkway, you're
there.
To start from the bike park, stay on Ranches Parkway as it narrows and
begins to wind around. When you come to a T intersection at the end of The
Ranches Parkway, turn right on Golden Eagle Road. Drive about 1/3 mile and
watch for the trail kiosk on your left. Park by the trail kiosk and begin
your ride by climbing up the trail heading south.
For a map showing the singletrack trails from Pony
Express (the lariat loop), click the link for the topo map below.
Bathrooms: None. Porta-Potty at the Mountain Ranch
Bike Park.
Water: None.
Camping: No developed or designated campgrounds. Flat spots can be
found in the race
staging area.
Bike services: UtahMountainBiking store in Lehi.
Copyright 2015 UtahMountainBiking.com
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