Little Valley
Little Valley Trail and Instructional Trail System
The Little Valley Loop Trail forks from, then rejoins Ann's Trail just
across Traverse Ridge Road from Potato Hill. The area is just east of
Draper's Corner Canyon. The main Little
Valley trail was completed in 2013. The Little Valley Instructional Trails and trailhead
were added in December 2014 and expanded in 2015.
Looking north as we approach a rock
outcrop from the uphill end of the main Little Valley trail. Photos and
Little Valley trail review by Bruce
on August 11, 2013. Instructional trail system added December 11, 2014 and
updated August 11, 2015.
The main Little Valley trail is only 0.7 miles in length, joining to Ann's Trail at both ends.
Because it starts a
short distance from the Potato Hill Trailhead on Traverse Ridge Road, it's
possible to ride the trail as a short lariat loop of only 1.4 miles. Or
ride a simple loop from the Little Valley trailhead. Just go to the uphill
trail kiosk (where you enter the downhill trails) and you'll find the
Little Valley trail there.
The
new Little Valley trailhead. The exit off Traverse Ridge Road to the trailhead is
still seeing some construction activity (August 2015). If there's a
barrier across the gravel road, drive a bit further uphill to the Potato Hill
trailhead and take Ann's Trail under the road and down to Little Valley.
The Instructional Trails lie to the west of the main Little
Valley Trail. All of the Little
Valley trails are suitable for beginners. Grades are mild and the surface
is smooth. This little trail system was built specifically for families
and beginners to work on their biking skills.
This
is the main access (beginner) trail in the middle of the Little Valley
Instructional Trails system. We're looking north. August 2015.
Little Valley Main Trail
From its beginning on Ann's Trail about 200 feet south of
the tunnel, the Little Valley Trail will descend only about 60 vertical feet, then
regain 80 vertical to reach the high spot as it rejoins Ann's further
southwest. There are occasional views of the valley, but most of the
riding is in thick oak forest.
Typical riding view. Lots of deep
gambel oak forest.
There are three trail forks on Little Valley. Unfortunately,
the first one is right at the point where Little Valley forks off Ann's.
Two separate riders came by while I was taking a photo of this spot and despite the nice trail sign they were confused. When you reach
the first trail fork on Ann's 200 feet from the tunnel, veer to the right
(you're now on Little Valley). Keep straight. The immediate left fork
takes you back up to Ann's.
The trail on the right (between the two big rocks heading west downhill) is
a steeper narrow route that crosses the east side of Little Valley Loop
trail before ending on the broad middle trail.
The ride's Oh Wow spot. The trail
climbs around this rock outcrop. Later, we'll be on top of this rock.
The next fork, on your right, is the connector to the loop
trails. For now, keep straight and left to stay on the main Little Valley
route.
The neighborhood connector trail is plainly marked
and non-confusing. It's found just a bit past the half-way point of Little
Valley (when riding counterclockwise east-to-west) and descends 1/10 mile to
Maple Park Court. Yes, I suppose you could ride the road to the trailhead to
make a loop-on-the-loop.
View to the west from the trail as we
approach the connector to the homes.
The highlight of the ride is the rock outcrop you'll pass,
first on the underside and then over the top. Looks like some type of
marble.
We've now climbed and reversed
direction and are riding across the top of the rock cliff we skirted
below.
Most riders will do Little Valley as an alternate route
while riding Ann's Trail or Potato
Hill. It's an interesting little trail
that adds to the riding options in Draper, but few riders would
consider it a destination in itself. The exception would be true beginners
and young riders for whom a 1.4-mile loop is plenty.
The upper trail fork. We're looking
west. That's Ann's on the left, and Little Valley to our right.
Riding notes, mini-loop from Potato Hill:
0.0 North through opening in fence, right
0.1 Keep R (L=Potato Hill Trail) N40 29.285 W111 50.845
50 feet, then R and through tunnel
0.2 Fork soft R then keep straight N40 29.176 W111 50.817
(90-degree R = to streets)
0.6 Keep L (R = to streets) N40 29.072 W111 51.102
0.9 Straight onto Ann's N40 29.061 W111 50.920
(hard R = uphill on Ann's)
1.2 Keep R past first fork - After tunnel, fork L
1.3 Keep L (R = Potato Hill Tr)
1.4 Back at trailhead
View north from the junction of Little
Valley with Ann's on the uphill end.
The Little Valley Instructional Trail System
The Little Valley Instructional Trail system is designed to
help new riders develop their skills. There's a broad Beginner Trail that
ties everything together top-to-bottom, and four fun flow trails that
twist and roll but are easy for a beginner to ride.
If you're already on the bike, you can reach the system just after
passing under Traverse Mountain Road. When westbound from the Potato Hill
area, you can enter the trail system just 0.1 miles down the Little Valley
trail from Ann's Trail. There's a staging area with a map kiosk as you
turn off Little Valley.
Map-post kiosk at the upper end of the
trails. We're standing just a few feet from the main Little Valley Trail,
looking north toward Potato Hill. A-Line is to our left. The trail by my
bike is the foot trail to the top of the hill. B-Line and C-Line are to
the right.
Most riders with children will want to use the new Little Valley trailhead.
The Beginner Trail (the heart of the system) starts at the southeast
corner of the parking area and quickly connects to other options. This trail continues up
to the kiosk at the intersection with the main Little Valley Trail.
A very young rider heads into A-Line.
When climbing the Beginner Trail, you'll first pass the
bottom of the D-Line trail on your right, then the A-line on the right and
C-line on the left opposite each other.
You can ride the system using the Beginner Trail for all the climbs,
having your choice of A, B, C, and D Lines downhill. Or, you can ride
loops using one of the narrower trails for your climb. Most riders head
for the C-Line trail (furthest east) as a climbing route.
View northwest on the east side of
A-Line. The path is wide enough for Moms to ride alongside their
little bikers.
A mini-loop of A-Line and C-Line is 0.6 miles long. A-Line
(located south of the Beginner Trail) is very easy riding. C-Line on the north has some humps,
tighter turns, and a little bit of slope, but it's still within the range of a
brand-new mountain biker.
The upper end of the D-Line Trail connects to the Little Valley trail
itself, and is the only trail that's not directly available at the upper
kiosk. To take this trail downhill, pedal to the upper map signpost at the
end of the Beginner Trail. Find the Little Valley trail, which passes just
south of the clearing by the kiosk, and turn right. It's about 0.2 miles
to D-Line. D-Line is the narrowest and most twisty of the trails, but I'd
still consider it easy.
There are occasional breaks in the oak
brush groves. We're heading downhill (counterclockwise) on C-Line.
The easiest possible loop is to ride up the Beginner
(Access) Trail, then down
the A-Line Trail just to the south. This will be about 0.4 miles
total, and the entire route is flat and wide with very easy pedaling.
There are two trails here that are foot-traffic only. (Signage is still
pending in August 2015.) One is the short path to the top of the little
hill near the upper kiosk, and the second is the skinny trail that drops
steeply from the spot where Little Valley forks away from Ann's at the
north end. You'll see this trail as it crosses C-Line.
A series of rollers on C-Line on the northern
half of the mini-loop, eastbound clockwise.
There's some fun stuff built into the trails. For example,
the multiple rollers let kids and newbies practice keeping
their weight centered as the bike tilts. Occasionally the trail gets a bit
narrower, but in most areas it's possible for the little beginner and the
big instructor to ride side-by-side.
The one-way B-Line trail is narrower and a
bit more challenging, but would still be considered very easy.
B-Line is a short one-way downhill trail that starts just
east of the upper kiosk. It joins the A-line a bit before the parking lot.
Although narrower, it's also an easy ride. The turns have nice berms
to herd the little ones along the path.
Bridge over a ravine around the
highest point of the mini-loop of A-Line and C-Line.
Bottom Line:
The Little Valley Instructional Trail system is going to be your
best choice in the Corner Canyon area for children and beginning riders.
And for advanced riders, it's worth a detour off Ann's to check it out.
In
August 2015, newly planted signposts are waiting for their signs. We're
looking down the start of B-Line.
Off-season look at the trail system
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Getting there, Little Valley trailhead:
Take the Bluffdale exit from I-15 and turn east towards the mountains on
Highland Drive. At the light at the top of the hill, turn right on
Traverse Ridge Road (also called Traverse Mountain Road). After one mile,
pass Mike Weir Drive on your left. Continue uphill past the paved turnoff
into the homes on the right, then turn right into the Little Valley
trailhead. The trail begins at the southeast corner of the parking area. N40 29.203 W111 50.994
Potato Hill trailhead:
Drive up the Traverse Ridge Road as above, but go past the Little Valley
turnoff. About 100 yards further uphill, turn left into the Potato Hill TH,
N40 29.300 W111 50.925
