Round Valley
is a mountain biking trail complex located between the eastern edge of
Park City and US-40. The terrain is sagebrush and oak at an
altitude of 6800 feet. There are over 35 named trails in the area, varying
from broad cindered pathways for families to intermediate-technical
singletrack.
Typical scene along the trail, with
gambel oak, brush, and distant hills of Park City.
Original review August 22, 2002 by Bruce.
Latest update July 20, 2018.
The main trailhead is at the Park City Sports Complex just
off US 40 on Kearns Blvd (Highway 248). Within the complex, Quinn's
trailhead on the west side puts you on the doubletrack trails. At the
northeast corner of the complex, you'll find the entry to the singletrack trails Rambler, Practice
Loop, and Matt's Flat.
There are four "community" trailheads in residential areas
(see below). You can also connect to Round Valley via a paved spur from
the paved Rail Trail.
Riders descending the last portion of
Rambler, which is the trail that ties everything else together. You
will encounter some shade, but most of the riding is sun-exposed.
Four hills of varying size provide opportunity for climbing
and descent. The trails intersect to provide unlimited riding variations.
Pick the type of ride you want -- climbing, downhill bliss, rocky-techy,
or cruising. You can ride every trail in the complex in one day if you're
willing to invest 40 miles and 4000 feet of climbing.
Carving a turn on the Rambler trail.
There are so many intersecting trails that it's hard to
recommend specific routes, although I make an attempt at it below. In
general the easiest trails are in the sagebrush valley in the southwest
quadrant or the riding area. But none of Round Valley's trails are
particularly hard or technical.
The trails are heavily used by local families. On the broad
doubletrack trails, there will be kids and bike trailers. On singletrack,
you'll pass many muscular trail-runners accompanied by very large but
well-controlled dogs.
Typical view of the doubletrack
trails, suitable for kids and bike trailers. We're looking southwest on
Hat Trick.
Trails are well-marked with carsonite posts at intersections.
And there are a LOT of intersections. At some major intersections there's a trail
map on the signpost. (There are minor inaccuracies
on those maps, but don't sweat it. And my area map -- see below -- is
usually outdated within a year as the system evolves. You may not be where
you think you are, but you can find your way.)
While Round Valley is known for its mellow trails,
you can find techy stuff if you go looking for it. This is a tricky spot
on western Rambler.
The trail rolls through scattered clusters of gambel oak,
with small meadows of sage, bitterbrush, and rabbitbrush. Because of the
low altitude and sun exposure, this is one of the first Park City area
trails to clear of snow in the spring. The riding season is May through
early November, weather permitting.
Serviceberries, ripe and ready to munch.
We're on the east side of PC Hill.
One trail deserves special mention. The new PC Hill trail
(which forks off the doubletrack Hat Trick at the southwest corner) is a
hiking-preferred trail. It's not illegal to bike it (as of 2013), but you might not
enjoy it. The climb from Hat Trick to the summit is do-able for expert
riders, but you'll find the turns very tight. If you want to do this
trail, climb to the viewpoint and descend the way you came.
Heading uphill on the PC Hill trail.
Hand-cut, very narrow, encroaching woody shrubs with tight turns.
The descent (or climb) on the west side of PC Hill will
have you picking up the bike at every sharp switchback. And there are a
lot of switchbacks. Not switchbacks you're used to -- these are
"two-foot radius" turns. So I'd just leave the western portion of this trail to the
hikers.
View over Park City from PC Hill. Turn
around here and coast back.
In 2016, the trail system was extended north to connect to
the Trailside Bike Park in Snyderville (see the map). Happy Gilmor
connects the west Rambler trailhead to Silver Creek Parkway (just east of
the bike park), with a formal trailhead at its north end. Happy Gilmor
also has a short connecting trail to the ridgeline
trail of the park, located a bit west of the trail fork where TM ends on
Happy Gilmor.
View west on Happy Gilmor,
near the connector to the bike park.
TM (Tin Man) is a new favorite. It begins high on the mountain on the west side of
Round Valley, at the intersection of Rambler and Rademan Ridge. (This is
where Rambler begins its descent westbound to the trailhead.) TM swoops and
dips down to join Happy Gilmore in the sagebrush flat behind the Trailside
Bike Park.
New in 2017 on Round Valley's west side, Porc-u-climb is a new easy
uphill-only trail from Seventy 101 to Nowhere Elks. A bit south on Nowhere
Elks, Down Dog is an easy descender all the way to Matt's Flat. See the map
for an easy lariat loop ride using these trails.
The TM trail swoops through a series of
hairpin turns.
New in 2018 is a downhill-only trail on the west side of
the riding area. Pulp Friction is 1.5 miles long, descending from
the intersection of Rambler, Rademan Ridge, and TM. It drops 450 vertical
feet to the Old Ranch Road trailhead.
Snaking through a series of turns on Pulp Friction.
Summary:
Very nice riding area, heavily used by locals but also of interest to
out-of-towners. Free of snow much earlier than other Park City rides.
Navigation can be complex simply because of the multitude of trail options,
but you can pick a day of riding from quick and mellow to brutal and
exhausting.
Riding west from Rademan Ridge.
Sample Ride: Classic Round Valley Loop
14 miles with 600 vertical feet of climbing. TH: Prospector
This ride has 5.5 miles on singletrack and the rest on paved trails. There's 600 vertical feet of climbing total, but the steepest
gain is about 200 feet per mile. Top altitude is 7075 ft. Start either at
Quinn's or at the
Rail Trail at Prospector Square. Link via the paved connector to Rambler in the sports complex. At
the west end of Rambler hop on Old Farm Road southbound then westbound.
Turn left when you see the Farm Trail and follow it to McCleod Creek
southbound. At Park Avenue join the paved trail to Kearns Blvd and go east
on the bike path back to the Rail
Trail. (See link to one-page riding guide below for map and mile-by-mile
instruction.)
Easy (Family) Ride: Fast Pitch to Round Valley Express
6.1 miles with about 200 vertical feet of climbing. TH:
Quinn's
From Quinn's Trailhead, head southwest (to the left of the small hill) on
Fast Pitch. Keep straight at the intersections and join Hat Trick. Go to
the right as you reach the Cove trailhead and climb up Matt's Flat,
staying on the broad trail. Keep straight on Cammi's, then fork right onto
Round Valley Express. Zoom downhill. As you approach US40, turn south and
right on the paved path and follow it back to the sports complex.
Intermediate Ride with minimal climbing: Valderoad
to Ramble On Loop
6.2 miles with about 300 feet of climbing. TH: Rambler
Find the Rambler trail as it leaves paved road just east of the stables.
Climb uphill a short ways and fork left toward "Practice Loop"
and "Matt's Flat". Keep straight past Nowhere Elks and two forks
for the practice loop. Fork right uphill on Valderoad. Keep straight until
you reach Round Valley Express. Veer right on RV Express. At the gate, turn 90 degrees
right uphill on Rambler. 100 feet later, fork left to Ramble On. Stay on
Ramble On until it rejoins Rambler. Continue south back to the trailhead.
Upper-intermediate loop ride: Matt's to La Dea Duh to Rambler
7.4 miles with 750 vertical feet of climbing. TH: Quinn's
This is a less-complicated (and slightly shorter) variation of the USCS
Round Valley race loop. From Quinn's, go north (to the right as you face
the sign), then after 200 feet drop to the lower DT trail (Fairway Hills,
going the same direction you were). Fork right at the next intersection
onto Fast Pitch.
Head uphill as other trails join. Veer right just before the Cove TH. Turn left on the singletrack Backslide
and cross the mountain. At the bottom, fork hard left on Matt's. As you
near the road, fork hard left uphill on La Dea Duh for some rocky tech
stuff. Descend and join Rademan Ridge, then fork 90 degrees right on
Rambler. Now follow Rambler all the way back.
Climber/descender figure 8 ride: Nowhere Elks to Rusty Shovel to Rambler
9.2 miles with 1000 vertical feet of climbing. TH: Rambler
Find Rambler just east of the stables. Go a bit uphill. At the first intersection, fork
left towards Matt's Flat / Practice Loop. Quickly fork right uphill onto
Nowhere Elks. Climb to the top of the mountain, then cross Rambler onto
Rusty Shovel and have a nice downhill. At the bottom, go left on Ramble
On. When you reach Rambler, fork left uphill. Climb to the ridge again on
Rambler,
then descend Rambler and follow it back to the trailhead.
Up Rambler and down Pulp
Friction
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Getting there, "Classic Loop" trailhead on the Rail Trail:
Southbound on Park City's Park Avenue, turn left onto Kearns Blvd., as
though you were heading to US 40. About 1/4 mile later, turn right on
Bonanza Drive. At the "Rail Trail" sign about 200 feet later,
turn left onto Prospector Avenue, then right into the parking lot for the
Rail Trail. The trail is at the far (south) end of the parking lot.
N 40° 39.684' W 111° 29.894' Start your ride
heading east.
Sports Complex Trailheads
On I-80, turn south at Silver Creek Junction (towards Heber). At the second exit
(about 3 miles later) turn right towards Park City on Kearns Blvd (Highway 248).
Less than 1/4 mile from the exit, turn right at the light onto Round
Valley Drive. Quickly turn left onto Gilmor Way. Follow it around (pass the first parking lot) and veer north.
You'll pass parking lots on your right. Head to the top of the parking area.
Quinn's TH is across Gilmor Way. The other trails can be reached by
heading toward the Ice Arena building. Bathroom and water are found in the
middle of the parking area. Quinn's TH: Directly across Gilmor Way from the top of the
paved parking area. N40 40.764 W111 28.204. Rambler trail: Pedal on paved trail or road to the north.
Go the entry to the parking lot on the south side of the Ice Arena. At the
road crossing, turn north toward the stables. Rambler is the singletrack
immediately on your right, just a few feet up the road. N40 40.889 W111 28.318 Practice Loop trail: Go to Rambler as above, but don't turn
onto the trail. Instead, go up the paved road toward the stables 1/10
mile. Just as
it turns to the left, fork right on the yellow cinder path (Ability Way).
The Practice Loop singletrack is about 100 feet up the path on your right.
N40 40.945 W111 28.493 Matt's Flat trail: Pass the Practice Loop trail and keep going
uphill another 1/10 mile. Matt's singletrack forks hard right off Ability
Way. N40 41.000 W111 28.703
Trailside Park trailhead: (for access via
Happy Gilmor and TM, bathroom and water available)
Leave US-40 (189) at the Silver Creek exit and turn west (toward
Snyderville). Stay straight on Silver Creek Parkway until it ends in the
Trailside Park parking lot. To connect to Happy Gilmor, you have two
options: (1) You can climb the broad trail right at the parking lot
entry to the top of the saddle ridge, then head south when the main trail
turns left to climb to the twisty DH trails. When you reach Happy Gilmor,
turn right to head for the Old Ranch (Rambler) trailhead, or go left to
find TM. (2) Backtrack on Silver Creek Parkway, past the church, and turn
right at a dirt road with a gate. Veer left from DT to ST, and you're on
Happy Gilmor. NOTE! A new trailhead has been constructed at the point
where Happy Gilmor leaves Silver Creek Parkway, about 1/10th mile east of
the entry to the Trailside Bike Park lot.
Community Trailheads: (No water and
bathrooms at these acess points.) Round Valley Way. Meadows Drive to Sunny Slopes Drive to
Round Valley Way. Parking lot,
access to the doubletrack trails just downhill from Somewhere Elks and
Backslide singletracks. N40 40.979 W111 29.121 Cove (Meadows Drive). Meadows Drive turns east at traffic
light on 224 (Park Ave north of town). Parking on the north side of the street. Connects
uphill to La Dea Duh and the west end of Matt's Flat. N40 41.066 W111 30.112 Fairway Hills. Meadows Drive to Silver Cloud Dr to Morning
Sky Court. No dedicated parking. Go to the end of Morning Sky
Court. Street dead-ends at entry to
Fairway Hills Connector. Room for a couple of vehicles. N40 40.664 W111 28.984 Silver Summit Parkway. (First southbound exit US-40) Unmarked, about 1/3 mile east of the church.
Minimal roadside parking. Two singletracks
head south. They join and connect to Round Valley Express DT. Further uphill, ST
connects to Ramble On at mile 1.4. N40 42.759 W111 29.523 Silver - Quinn TH. From Silver Summit Parkway just west of
US-40, south on Highland Drive. Parking after road turns to gravel. N40 42.726 W111 29.012 Old Ranch (Rambler) TH. From 224, go east on Old Ranch Road. Turn north as
you approach the hill. Parking is on the east side of the road. N40 42.055 W111 30.442
