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Utah Olympic Park (UOP) Trails
RTS, UOP (Iron Bill), Legacy Loop and Legacy Ridge
The trails at the Utah Olympic Park near Park City offer riding options
from beginner to strong upper-intermediate. The trails are located just a
mile south of I-80's Park City (Kimball Junction) exit. This page covers
RTS, Wild Bill, and the Legacy Loop/Legacy Ridge trails. See the UOP
Bobsled Loop page for another UOP ride option.
View south with The Canyons on the
right and Deer Valley in the distance. We're on the Legacy Loop. Photos
and review by Bruce on July 15, 2015.
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| RTS Loop
For beginning riders and families, I recommend the RTS loop,
on the northern end of the trail complex. The loop begins at the main
trailhead along the Olympic Parkway. You'll want the parking
lot on the north (right) side of the road. (The parking lot on the other
side is for dog walkers -- no bikes on those trails.)
At the lower parking area, with the
ski jumps to the southwest. We'll ride right up to the edge of the jump
area on Iron Bill.
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It's recommended that you ride the loop clockwise on
even-numbered days, and counterclockwise on odd-numbered days.
Unfortunately, that information isn't shared at the trailhead, nor at the connection of the loop to UOP (Iron Bill trail) -- you see the sign
only after you've been riding (July 2015).
Typical trail view with aspen and
wildflowers, as we climb up into a gentle turn on RTS. |
| The loop is 2.5 miles round trip. There's only 200 vertical
feet of elevation difference between the lowest spot (6475 ft) and the
highest (6675 ft). It's easy both technically and aerobically, and will
make a great first Park City experience for newbies and out-of-shapers.
The only bumpy spot on the loop:
rock armor plating as the trail passes through a sometimes-swampy area.
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| Tahooka Daisy |
Showy Goldeneye |
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The riding on the RTS loop is very mellow by Park City
standards. The slopes are easy, turns are generous in radius, and 99% of
the trail surface is butter-smooth. For more advanced riders, there are
plenty of swooping turns to keep your attention.
Looking north on a downhill segment. |
| UOP Trail (Iron Bill)
After hammering the loop, more advanced riders will head for
UOP (Iron Bill) at the top of the RTS loop. Shortly after the trail fork,
Iron Bill will cross the Olympic Parkway and begin climbing the ski-jump
hill. I recommend Iron Bill for upper-intermediate riders.
Note that (as of 2015) the trail is labeled "UOP" at the ends
and "Iron Bill" just about everywhere else.
At the trail fork where UOP (Iron
Bill) forks away from RTS.
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Although it starts out mellow, Iron Bill will become a more
typical Park City trail, with sustained climbing and a bit of embedded
rock. The pitch isn't that tough, though, and there are plenty of recovery
segments. On the way to the Legacy Loop, you'll climb about 500 vertical
in 1.5 miles.
Log bridge on UOP. There's also a
100-foot section of narrow metal plates passing through what I presume was
wet ground a month ago. |
| The turns here are fairly tight, but they have a good berm
and roll nicely both uphill and down. The terrain will vary depending on
sun exposure -- there will be a bit of cool fir and aspen forest,
alternating with bitterbrush and scrub oak. Typical for Park City, you'll
have to grab your views through the occasional gaps in the trees.
Approaching a turn (heading downhill
on the return trip), with Deer Valley in the distance.
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Legacy Loop and Legacy Ridge
At the highest point of Iron Bill, the lariat Legacy Loop
forks off uphill. (Meanwhile, Iron Bill heads over to Bear Hollow Drive,
about one-half mile uphill from the Rob's Trail parking lot. This is your
route up to Midmountain.)
View to the east. |
| The Legacy trails consist of an uphill stem then a loop around the
mountain (the Legacy Loop), plus a trail that cuts across the loop by going
up and over the top (the Legacy Ridge trail). The loop itself is short (0.7 miles) with no tough climbing.
It's suitable for experienced beginners, but does have some bumpy rock on
the southwestern side.
You can drive directly to the Legacy Loop. Two short trail spurs take you
from the pavement to the loop: one is
found on Bear Hollow Drive opposite the Bobsled facility, and the other is
in the parking area as you approach the top of the Slide. The most obvious
use for these connections is a shuttled downhill run.
The north side of the Legacy Loop is
cool aspen, chokecherry and fir forest. The south side is rockier, with
oak brush, bitter brush, and sage.
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My sample ride hits Legacy Loop and Legacy Ridge as a loop-de-loop. At the far side of the
Legacy Loop on your first pass around the loop, climb up and over the hilltop on Legacy Ridge. Then you
repeat the 1/4 mile of Legacy Loop trail between the south end of Legacy Ridge and its
north end. This second time you go straight to complete the loop. Note:
the UOP Bobsled Loop has an entry on the
other side of the bobsled facility (reached via a spur from the Legacy
Loop).
Now you head
down the stem of the lollipop, or lariat or whatever, back to Iron Bill
and retrace your ride back to the lower parking lot. (Remembering to use
the opposite side of RTS so you obey the
clockwise-even/counterclockwise-odd direction recommendation.)
Looking west into Bear Hollow. Rob's
trail is near the bend in the road. |
Bottom Line:
Quick, smooth, non-threatening ride for beginners on the RTS loop. More
advanced riders may catch themselves riding laps for time. The ride to the
top of Legacy is short and fairly quick; advanced riders will find this
ride of interest when time is limited. Quick trip up Parley's; three
minutes off the freeway; 7.7 miles with 1200 feet of total climbing
hammered out.
Almost to the top of Legacy Ridge.
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Ride notes, 7.7-mile tour, odd-numbered
day:
0.0 Olympic Parkway TH, through fence
R (then stay L, ignore
smaller "cheat" route)
N40 42.970 W111 33.254
1.9 R uphill onto UOP N40 42.856 W111 33.446
2.0 Road; cross downhill to ST
2.5 Turn L (R = to slide unloading)
N40 42.685 W111 33.376
3.5 R uphill onto Legacy connector
N40 42.308 W111 33.433
3.8 R on Legacy Loop N40 42.398 W111 33.492
3.9 R to stay on Loop N40 42.450 W111 33.546
(L = return from Legacy
Ridge)
Pass foot trail to skills
area on L |
4.0 Keep L (R = to parking
for slide)
N40 42.497 W111 33.596
4.2 Keep L (R = to Bobsled facility)
N40 42.374 W111 33.713
20 feet, then hard L
uphill Legacy Ridge
4.7 Keep L to join Legacy Loop again
N40 42.450 W111 33.546
4.9 Keep straight to unridden part of Loop
N40 42.369 W111 33.713
5.3 R downhill (exit loop) N40 42.398 W111 33.492
5.4 L on UOP (Iron Bill) N40 42.308 W111 33.433
7.0 Cross road again
7.1 RTS loop, go R (odd day) N40 42.856 W111 33.446
7.7 Back at parking. |
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Getting there:
From I-80, take the Park City Kimball Junction exit. Turn south toward
Park City. 0.4 miles from the freeway, turn right on the Olympic Parkway.
At the roundabout, go 3/4 around (effectively a left turn) to head south
on Olympic Parkway. The road will begin climbing. At one mile from I-80,
turn right into a gravel parking area. The RTS loop is just inside the
break in the fence.
Upper-mountain access: You can reach connectors to the Legacy Loop
from the top of the Utah Olympic Park area. Using either the Olympic
Parkway or Bear Hollow Drive, head up the mountain to the ridgeline. An
entry trail is found on the east side of the road opposite the Bobsled
facility, and on the south side of the road as you approach the Slide
loading area.
Bathrooms: None at trailhead.
Water: None at trailhead.
Riding Resources for this trail:
One-page printable riding
guide
GPS Track Files (Right-click and "Save as...")
7.7-mile ride
track
Olympic Park
multi-track area file
Park City
area file (>140 tracks)
Topo map for printing: View map
Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Park City area resources
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