Glenwood Hills at Richfield
Richfield Race Loop and Hot Lava Loop
The Glenwood Hills riding area lies on a bench area above Glenwood about 6 miles east of Richfield.
There's a five-mile race loop, plus optional trails such as the Twist
and Hot Lava.
The riding is easier-intermediate, with brief mild climbs and fast
descents. There are some nice views and the trail is fun to ride.
Heading north along the edge of the loop. Photos,
track, and ride description by Bruce on June 1, 2018.
Latest update to this page October 2021.
The riding season is late April through November. There's
some clay that will get sticky after heavy rains. There's no shade on the
trail, so it will be hot on summer afternoons. The race loop trail was designed to be
done counter-clockwise, completed in 2018.
The Hot Lava trail is
discussed after the Race Loop on this page. The Twist trail
is described on a separate page.
Just starting out. Riding clockwise, I've just
climbed away from the parking area.
The trailhead is at the Glenwood Hills OHV area, reached via
Highway 119 eastbound from Richfield. There's a 0.8 mile all-weather
gravel road extending north from 119 to the trailhead and race staging
area. (It's right outside the northwest fence corner of the motor sports park.)
As of October 2021 there's no kiosk or other
markers at the trailhead.
Typical riding for much of the loop -- sage and
occasional rock in rolling terrain.
The trail was a lot of wiggles, humps, and turns. Climbs are
mellow and usually short. The loop can be done in either direction. My
ride video goes clockwise, which is easier to navigate if there are no
flags or other markers east of the trailhead.
Occasionally a doubletrack, game trail, or older social trail will fork
away from the race loop in a way that could fool you. Now that the trail
is mature and ridden regularly, this is unlikely. Just follow the
carsonite posts.
Looking northwest. The cliffs in the distance lie
just west of I-70 between Salina and Richfield.
There will be some nice views over the Richfield valley as
the trail reaches its highest point on northwest side of the loop. The red
and white badlands to the west are home to the Twist trail -- a very nice
loop ride but with some navigation challenges.
Rolling the edge. Richfield is at far left.
The loop was built to ride counter-clockwise. You're allowed
to ride either direction, but all the trail signs are placed to be seen by a
rider going counter-clockwise.
From parking, head northeast on doubletrack. Cross another doubletrack
and continue all the way to the edge of the badlands. Here the singletrack
begins.
On the doubletrack when riding away from the staging
(parking) area, we've arrived at the badlands. Here the trail will veer to
the left and enter singletrack as it hits the junipers.
At mile 1.2 of the race loop, you'll join a dirt road uphill
northbound for another shakeout climb of 0.4 miles. Then you'll veer to
the left onto singletrack (where you'll stay for the remainder of the
loop).
Back on doubletrack for another climb.
The race loop has seen a lot of improvement since my first
ride in 2018. Almost every turn now has a nice berm. Riding lines are fun
and flow nicely.
Of note in 2021 is that there's a second loop to the south called Hot
Lava. It forks off the race loop to the right as the trail approaches the parking area at mile
4.6. See the description below.
Rockin' through badlands on the east side of the
loop.
Bottom Line:
Very nice trail! With the
other riding in the area (Twist and Hot
Lava) it's worth a visit when you're in Richfield.
Making the turn at the northern corner of the loop.
The drone camera is looking south.
Clockwise (backwards!) Race Loop ride
when the trail was brand new
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Hot Lava Loop
The Hot Lava loop is 3.7 miles in length. It forks away from
the Race Loop, then rejoins only 0.1 miles from where it left. While the
loop can be done in either direction, my description will assume you're
riding it counterclockwise after completing most of the main Race Loop.
Heading south on the loop, as boulders of lava
surround the trail. Mormon Mountain shows some fall colors in the
distance.
The western end of the loop is at mile 4.6 of the
counterclockwise race loop. The trail fork is unmarked as of October 1,
2021. Veer to the right to begin Hot Lava.
(If your target is a quick ride clockwise, just ride the race loop
backwards for 0.3 miles, then veer to the left when you hit the eastern
end of Hot Lava.)
Riding the Race Loop counterclockwise, this is the
fork to Hot Lava. Expect trail markers to appear soon.
The Hot Lava trail is nicely built, with generous banked
turns that ride well in either direction. The tracks indicate that most
riders are taking it counterclockwise (west to east) as an add-on to the
Race Loop.
On the initial climb from the Race Loop, we're
looking west. Note the nicely-banked climbing turn.
The trail climbs up to the top of several hills. So although
the area looks flat on a topo map, you'll do around 400 vertical feet of
climbing over the course of the loop, 100 feet at a time. At each hill
there will be nice views in all directions.
Up to the top of a small hill to enjoy the views.
You'll repeat this a few times.
View to the north at Rocky Ford Reservoir.
View over Glenwood at the southern end of
the loop.
The name "Hot Lava" is appropriate. The trail is
often surrounded by boulders of lava. And it's built to ride hot -- fast
both uphill and down.
There are a few bumps and ledge drops to hit when riding in the
counterclockwise direction.
Looking east as the trail passes through a pile of
volcanic boulders.
At the end of the loop, Hot Lava rejoins the Race Loop just
1/10th mile from where it forked away. Keep right to begin the descent
down to the parking area.
Northbound toward the Race Loop on the
counterclockwise ride.
Getting there:
On Main Street in Richfield, turn east on 300 North. This is Utah Highway
118, old US Highway 89. After 0.9 miles, Highway 118 turns north. Keep
straight to the single lane that becomes Highway 119. Continue straight
east and in about 4 miles the road will veer a bit right and climb up the
hill. At mile 6.4, begin watching for a gravel road on your left. It will
be just before the Glenwood Hills OHV sign. Turn left and drive 0.8 miles.
Turn right toward the fenced area and park outside the gate. To begin the
Race Loop, look for the carsonite post with the arrow pointing northeast.
Take the doubletrack it points toward (not the dirt road along the fence
of the motor sports area).
