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Ensign Peak
City Creek and Bountiful Bonneville Shoreline Trail
This trail is located on the mountains above the farthest-north section
of Salt Lake City. Although called the "Ensign Peak Trail" by
bikers, it's actually the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST). While many
bikers will take a side trip to a mountain top viewpoint -- which makes a
good turn-around spot -- few actually drop down to Ensign Peak.
View up City Creek Canyon early in the
ride. Photos and ride description by Bruce, October 20, 2008.
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| This page describes three riding options: (1)
Straight-through trip from City Creek to Bountiful on the BST, 5 miles
each way. Hard-core types will then ride to North Canyon on city streets
and do the loop to descend Mueller Park, then backtrack. 27 miles, 3700
feet of climbing. Hard,
but not as hard as it sounds. (2) BST to Wild Rose
for a quick loop before heading back. (3) Climb from City Creek to the peak above
Ensign Peak and backtrack. 6 miles, 900 feet of climbing. This route has
my recommendation. (3) Up BST then drop down to Ensign Peak and descend directly
to the city. Loop back on road for 3.5 miles ST, 2.1 miles pavement.
Typical handlebar view during the
first 1.5 miles of the trail.
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The trail starts in City Creek Canyon, where the canyon
road meets Bonneville Blvd (the one-way road that loops from the avenues
to the state capitol). On the north side of the creek (at the road) is the
northbound BST; south of the creek is the southbound BST. One mile up the
canyon, the BST forks sharply left uphill off the City Creek trail. (No
bikes are permitted off-pavement beyond this point in City Creek.)
We've exited the forest, and the
singletrack is climbing steadily westward below conglomerate cliffs. |
| You'll
climb steeply up a dozen switchbacks, then the trail heads west as it
continues climbing toward the
ridgeline. Once the trail reaches the ridgeline at mile 2.2, you can
select among the various riding options. |
Viewpoint out-and-back:
You can follow the ridge west 0.4
miles to a viewpoint, then backtrack for an out-and-back 6-mile round
trip. The descent down the BST's switchbacks is fun fun fun. Or you can take that side trip then continue on the ST
of the BST
northward. But you definitely want to hit this viewpoint.
At the same point as the photo above,
we look down the hill over the rich folk subdivision and toward buildings
of Salt Lake. |
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| You might conclude that this mountain-top viewpoint is
Ensign Peak. It's not. Look west and down. See the stone spire? To get to
Ensign Peak, backtrack 0.1 mile to a less-used
trail that forks west and descends steeply. If you go to Ensign Peak,
you'll need to climb back out (a hike-a-bike) or commit to the loop ride. |
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Loop ride: From the fork 0.1 mile before the
viewpoint, descend the steep loose trail. It gets worse. Once you've gone down, you won't want to go back up.
Go straight across the little saddle as the trail from the valley joins.
Visit Ensign Peak, then backtrack.
From the viewpoint above Ensign Peak,
we're looking east into City Creek Canyon. |
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To make a loop, turn right (south) on the broad trail descending toward
the city. It
plunges down 1/2 mile to a monument on Ensign Vista Drive. There are a LOT of log-drops on
this trail. But on a weekend, there will also be a lot of people hiking
up. So if you descend this trail, be very careful.
At the top of Ensign Peak. Most bikers
don't go actually go
to Ensign Peak. If you go, your choices are: back up the steep
sloppy ridge, or down a short crowded trail to city streets. |
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Once you hit city streets, you'll need to go southwest quite
a ways to catch Bonneville Blvd, which will then turn you back northeast
along the side of City Creek Canyon. See the high-res topo map link below.
A bit of Utah history. If you descend
the trail from the peak,
be careful. Should you hit a hiker, you can be sure a "No Bikes"
sign will appear quickly on this trail! |
| Bonneville BST option: If you proceed north from the ridgeline on the
BST, you'll
ride a mile of fabulous singletrack that winds around small canyons. The
trail is bordered by low oak scrub with constant views. In the spring,
expect to see mules ear and other wildflowers. Great stuff. Then the trail
dumps onto gravel road near a radio tower.
Looking southeast at the Wasatch
Front.
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Climbing 0.1 mile to the ridgeline near the tower, you'll see a rocky
dirt road dropping into Jones Canyon. This is the continuation of the BST.
On the other side of the canyon, it turns into clay and dirt as it snakes
through an ocean of grassland. Not exactly high-voltage here. But go ahead
and crank out this easy 1.8 miles. You deserve some easy cruiser miles.
You'll hit pavement at Tunnel Springs Park. Good spot to turn back. Or to
connect to another trail. See below.
On the BST singletrack, we're passing
through waist-high oak scrub. |
| Getting to
North Canyon for the Mueller Park Epic: At the northern end of the
dirt BST at Tunnel Springs Park, continue north on the asphalt version
along Eaglepoint Drive. (Cross the street when it turns to cement
sidewalk.) When you reach Eagle Ridge Drive near at the golf course,
turn right. (Left on Eagle Ridge will take you, eventually, to US-89.)
Stay on Eagle Ridge Drive as it becomes Bountiful Blvd. Keep going a
couple of miles until you hit Canyon Creek Drive, where you turn right. At
the end of Canyon Creek, doubletrack leads you up to the North Canyon
singletrack. When you've finished the trip down Mueller
Park, ride down
the Mueller Park Road and turn left on Bountiful Blvd to retrace your way
back to the BST.
View north on as we approach North
Salt Lake and Bountiful on the BST. Some cruising here. |
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Wild Rose trails: At the northern end of the dirt BST at
Tunnel Springs Park (mile 5.0), continue north on the asphalt version
along
Eaglepoint Drive. When the asphalt ends in cement sidewalk at mile 5.4,
cross the street, looking for singletrack in a grove of maples on the
uphill side of the continuing BST. Turn right uphill to begin the Wild
Rose Loop.
View northwest from the BST, with the
marshlands of the Great Salt Lake on the west side of I-15. |
Riding notes, BST to Bountiful (bypass
peak):
0.0 ST uphill at City Creek Road - Bonneville Blvd
N40 47.416 W111 52.740
0.05 Fork R uphill N40 47.411 W111 52.793
0.4 Straight (R = to road) N40 47.652 W111 52.592
1.0 L uphill (R = no bikes) N40 48.089 W111 52.351
2.2 Fork R on ridgeline N40 48.088 W111 53.225
(Option: short ridgeline jaunt
to viewpoint and back, adds 0.8 mile)
3.2 Fork R on DT N40 48.197 W111 53.708
3.3 Straight, down on BST N40 48.291 W111 53.808
5.0 End of dirt. Cross road N40 49.356 W111 54.141
5.4 Asphalt crosses to E side of road
5.6 At Eagle Ridge Drive
Tunnel Springs Park. End of the dirt
for the BST. Photo 2012. |
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Riding notes, Ensign Peak Loop (from City
Creek Trailhead):
0.0 ST uphill at City Creek Road - Bonneville Blvd N40 47.416 W111 52.740
0.05 Fork R uphill N40 47.411 W111 52.793
0.4 Straight (R = to road) N40 47.652 W111 52.592
1.0 L uphill (R = no bikes) N40 48.089 W111 52.351
2.2 Fork L on ridgeline N40 48.088 W111 53.225
2.5 Fork L up to viewpoint N40 47.914 W111 53.257
2.6 Viewpoint. Backtrack N40 47.878 W111 53.206
2.7 Hard L (at previous fork) and drop down west
2.9 Keep straight, head up to peak N40 48.291 W111 53.808
3.0 At monument. Backtrack
3.1 R downhill (at previous fork)
3.4 Straight (L), R = view N40 47.590 W111 53.305
3.5 At road (Ensign Vista Drive), go L N40 47.734 W111 53.445
3.8 Fork R on East Capitol Blvd N40 47.523 W111 52.964
4.7 Fork L onto Bonneville Blvd (ignore "One Way" - applies
to cars) N40 46.800 W111 53.129
5.6 Back at parking
View back uphill on the trail downhill from Ensign
Peak -- a typical series of log drops. |
| Getting there: From North Temple in Salt Lake
City, head north uphill on E Street (around 5th East). At 11th Avenue,
turn left and drive until 11th Avenue ends at the edge of City Creek
Canyon. Turn right on the one-way (no passing: the left lane is for bikers
and pedestrians). As you reach the turn to cross the creek, pull over at
the small parking area at the bottom of the canyon (GPS N 40° 47.388' W
111° 52.709'). The trail starts across the creek, on the north side of
the paved City Creek road. If the parking spot is full, find roadside
parking around the bend. Riding resources for this trail:
Single-page riding guide
GPS track files and route (right-click and "Save as..."):
GPX multi track Ensign
Peak from BST Only
Bonneville Shoreline
Trail Only
High-res topo map: View
Lodging, camping, shops:
Links
to northern SLC resources
Links to Ogden area resources
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