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Riverview Trail
(AKA Sorenson or Upper Riverview Trail)
The Riverview Trail is located on the mountainside northeast of Heber at
an average altitude of 6200 feet. It's 5.2 miles in length and is best
done as a 10.4 mile out-and-back. This ride will have a total 600 feet of
gradual up-and-down climbing. The Riverview Trail can be done as part of
the Coyote Canyon loop (minimum 20.2 miles), or
as part of the Riverview Front-side Loop (see below).
View southwest over the Heber valley,
with Deer Creek Reservoir below Cascade Mountain. Photos and trail review
May 16, 2012 by Bruce.
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| A half-pavement loop ride is possible using US-40 and Highway
32. A loop descending
Coyote Lane to US-40 is 10.9 miles with 1000 vertical feet of climbing. You can loop on dirt via
Sheep Bones and Lower Riverview or the
Riverview Doubletrack an old dirt road just above the irrigation canal.
The loop returning via the doubletrack or singletrack is about the same distance (see
map). When sheep are present, you may need to deal with a couple of fences and gates.
Looking back toward the parking spot
100 yards up the trail. Gentle turns such as these continue for the length
of the trail.
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A shorter loop is possible by dropping down to the dirt road
via a descending trail at mile 3.3, then turning right (north) on the DT. The descending trail is 1.2
miles to Lower Riverview. Take Lower Riverview north. You can either climb
uphill on Sheep Bones back to Riverview (harder!), or continue Lower
Riverview to Highway 32 and make a quick pavement connection to the
parking area.
Typical switchback turn -- actually a
bermed climbing turn. Some turns are still a bit loose, especially those
near granite outcrops where the soil doesn't pack well. |
| Most riders prefer to start the Riverview Trail from the
north end. There's a trailhead on the south side of Highway 32,
one mile uphill from the traffic light where 32 turns right off US-40. Park in
the gravel
parking spot on the right side of the road, just opposite the upper entry
road into the Riverview condos. (There's also a trailhead behind the UVU
Wasatch campus and one on Coyote Lane on the south. These trailheads have
connecting singletrack that climbs uphill to Riverview.)
Trail view early in the ride, as we
look past the brush at Mount Timpanogos.
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Climb over the fence on the wooden stairs. The trail heads east uphill initially, then turns
southbound at mile 0.25. Fork right for the Riverview Trail, also signed
as the Upper Riverview trail. (Left takes you on the big Coyote Canyon loop.)
Stay left on Riverview at the fork
to Sheep Bones, a narrow more-technical trail that descends to Lower
Riverview.
Looking east from the trail, up the
ridgeline past a granite outcrop festooned with moss and lichen. |
| The terrain is mostly brush
with scattered clumps of Gambel Oak. Here and there you'll find
bitterbrush and juniper. Most of the trail surface is smooth dirt ribbon. Turns,
including the occasional switchback, are highly bermed and pretty easy to
roll downhill.
Two fences cross the trail, but they're easily stepped over.
Looking back at the Riverview condos
across from the trailhead. That's US-40 above the homes.
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The trail occasionally crosses outcrops of weathered
granite. This granite is a continuation of the same magma plume that
created the peaks above the Cottonwood canyons. (Intruding minerals from
the volcanic rock created the mineral deposits for the mines of Alta and
Park City.)
View along the trail. Views are
constant. That's Cascade Mountain on the left, Timpanogos on the right. |
| The next trail fork is at mile 1.6, and is a short spur to
a valley overlook.
At mile 3.3 is a descending trail (1.5 miles) that
winds downhill to the "Lower Riverview" doubletrack, then
further down across the canal to the UVU campus.
(Note: On the north, the Lower
Riverview DT ends on Highway 32. To the south, it joins the bottom of Coyote Lane
just above the subdivision. It can be used for a loop ride. See the ride
description below.)
Looking south as US-40 turns into
Heber.
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As mentioned above, the UVU Connector trail can be a nice
descent to do "half a loop" when starting from the north end on
Highway 32. 0.4 miles south of the UVU connector, you'll pass the entry to Chop'd
Coyote, also known as Coyote Middle, a trail that links uphill to the backside of the Coyote
Loop.
On the UVU Connector, a side-trail that descends to
Lower Riverview and then further downhill to the UVU Wasatch campus. |
| The Riverview Trail hits dirt Coyote Lane in Coyote
Canyon. A short jog uphill reveals a continuation that heads south 1/4
mile to the Coyote Canyon trail. You can drop down
this trail to Lower
Riverview if you're doing a loop ride. Looking down Coyote Lane toward the
valley. If you're southbound and don't know where to go from this point,
go uphill a bit to find the continuing trail.
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Coyote Loop: See Coyote Canyon
Loop page. Connects at north and south ends of Riverview.
Chop'd Coyote: See Chop'd
Coyote page. Connects Upper Riverview to the back side of Coyote Loop
on the ridge.
Sheep Bones: One-mile hand-cut trail from northern
Riverview down to the Riverview DT and to Lower Riverview. Advanced technical. Used as part of the
Front-side Loop, below.
UVU Connector: Very nice trail climbs the hill from behind
the UVU Wasatch Campus. Intersects Lower Riverview and ends on Riverview.
View southwest while descending Sheep
Bones. |
Other area trails: (See Lower
Riverview page)
Riverview DT: Doubletrack contours the hillside from
Highway 32 to Coyote Lane.
Sheep Pen: Short up-and-over with options for loop lariat ride
from Coyote trailhead.
Free Fall: Descends from Sheep Pen to Lower Riverview.
Lower Riverview: Singletrack from Coyote Loop trail on the
south, extending north to the UVU Connector where it crosses the canal,
then on to the DT just south of Sheep Bones. South of UVU easier
technical; north of UVU is advanced.
At the termination of Free Fall on the
Lower Riverview to Coyote singletrack. |
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Sample ride: Out and Back from Highway 32
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This is a favorite of locals. Park on the south side of Highway 32, one
mile uphill from US 40. Take the stairs over the fence. Fork right after
1/3 mile to stay on Riverview, then keep left and uphill where Sheep Bones
forks away a little bit later. Again keep uphill at the UVU connector at
mile 3.3. When you see that you're descending to Coyote Lane, that's a
good spot to turn around. Or, you can keep going to mile 5.3 where the
trail ends on the Coyote Loop singletrack (0.2 miles past Coyote Lane).
Southbound, as Sheep Bones (lower
trail descending right) forks away from Riverview. |
Riding notes, out-and-back:
0.0 Park south side of Highway 32
N40 34.398 W111 25.224
Eastbound uphill (straight away
from road)
0.3 R on Riverview (L = Coyote Loop)
N40 34.430 W111 25.060
0.4 Stay L uphill (R = Sheep Bones)
N40 34.327 W111 25.057 |
1.6 R to viewpoint (100 yards)
N40 33.707 W111 25.003
3.3 Keep left N40 33.210 W111 24.237
(R = descend to Lower Riverview
and UVU)
5.2 At Coyote Lane, turn around
N40 32.537 W111 23.397
(R = descend to US-40)
10.4 Back at parking |
Sample Ride: Riverview Front-side Loop
Loop with Lower Riverview and Sheep
Bones via UVU Connector |
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This is a nice 13-mile ride with 1300 vertical feet of
climbing. Start at the trailhead behind the UVU campus. Cross Lower
Riverview and climb all the way up to Riverview. (Yes, you could have
turned on Lower Riverview. But starting at the top of the loop gives you
two climbs -- and it ends with a great descent down the UVU connector.)
Fork left (north) and take Riverview to Sheep Bones (just before the
Coyote Loop fork). Turn hard left downhill. Compared to Riverview, Sheep
Bones (being hand-cut) is narrow, twisty, and much more technical.
Descending Sheep Bones, with the
handlebars aiming toward Mount Timpanogos. |
| Sheep Bones will dump onto Lower Riverview, an old dirt
road. Follow Riverview south (passing the UVU connector crossing) until
you see singletrack forking to the right downhill. Keep right as Free Fall
joins, then left as the Coyote trailhead connector forks downhill. Follow
the wooden "Trail" signs. Cross Lower Riverview's DT.
Lower Riverview is the trail on the
left. The bike is lying on the UVU connector as it continues uphill to
Riverview. |
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It can get a little confusing here, because the sea of sage
brush and meandering trail removes any frame of reference to where you're
going.
Within a few feet of crossing the Lower Riverview doubletrack, fork
left uphill on the Coyote Loop trail. Next cross the gravel Coyote Lane,
staying on singletrack. Climb uphill just over a mile until you reach the
Riverview Trail fork. Fork left and descend to the gravel Coyote Lane.
Veer a bit downhill and cross the road to continue the Riverview Trail.
When you reach the UVU connector, drop left downhill and descend to the
trailhead.
Overview of the Front-side Loop. If
you skip the climb up the UVU connector, your ride will be two miles
shorter. |
Riding Notes, Big Front-side Loop**:
0.0 Find the wooden stepover gate
Uphill on singletrack N40 32.792 W111 24.743
0.2 Merge w DT N40 32.828 W111 24.631
then L after canal on ST N40
32.837 W111 24.614
0.5 Cross Lower Riverview N40 32.927 W111 24.535
1.6 L on Riverview N40 33.207 W111 24.238
3.4 Keep R (L = to viewpoint)
N40 33.706 W111 25.004
4.5 Hard L onto Sheep Bones
N40 34.327 W111 25.057
(straight = to north TH and
Coyote)
5.4 Straight onto Lower Riverview
N40 33.615 W111 25.280
6.9 Straight as UVU connector crosses
N40 32.927 W111 24.535
7.2 Straight as DT joins steeply from downhill
N40 32.857 W111 24.304
7.9 L on singletrack (to Coyote TH)
N40 32.387 W111 23.919 |
8.2 Keep R (L=Free Fall)
N40 32.162 W111 23.983
8.5 Fork L to Coyote (R = to TH)
N40 32.126 W111 23.925
Cross doubletrack (Lower
Riverview)
8.7 L uphill on Coyote (R = to TH)
N40 32.124 W111 23.815
8.8 Cross Coyote Lane N40 32.188 W111 23.746
9.8 L on Riverview N40 32.365 W111 23.403
10.0 L and cross Coyote Lane to ST
N40 32.541 W111 23.391
11.5 Keep L (R = Coyote Middle)
N40 33.053 W111 24.030
11.9 L downhill on UVU connector
N40 33.207 W111 24.238
13.0 Cross Lower Riverview N40 32.927 W111 24.535
13.3 R across canal on DT then R on ST
N40 32.837 W111 24.614
13.5 Back at TH |
**See the Lower
Riverview trails page for a loop version from the Coyote Trailhead
that includes the new lower singletrack.
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Getting there:
Highway 32 (Riverview) Trailhead:
From Salt Lake, take I-80 eastbound to Silver Creek Junction (just
past Park City). Go south on US-40, past the Jordanelle reservoir and
descend past the dam. At the traffic light at mile 14.2 from I-80, turn
left on 32 and climb 1.1 miles. When you see the second entry into
Riverview on your left, note the gravel parking area on your right. That's
your spot.
From Utah County, drive up Provo Canyon to Heber. At the traffic
light on US-189/US-40, turn left and drive north through Heber. 4.7 miles
from the intersection, turn right on Highway 32 and climb 1.1 miles to the
parking area as above.
Bathrooms: None nearby.
Water: Gas stations in Heber, campgrounds.
Camping: Hailstone campground at Jordanelle on US-40, about 6 miles
away.
Bike services: Slim and Knobby's bike shop, Heber |
UVU Wasatch Campus trailhead: One mile south
of the junction of Highway 40 and 32, turn east (toward the mountain) at
the UVU campus. Northbound from Utah County, it's a couple of miles past
the major business area. At the uppermost level of parking behind the UVU
buildings, look for the duck-under and kiosk N40 32.798 W111 24.735. A
singletrack trail climbs 1.5 miles to the Riverview Trail.
Coyote Lane trailhead: On US-40 just north of Heber, turn east on Coyote Lane.
Just after the road crosses a canal, turn left into the parking lot. The
singletrack starts at the northeast corner at the step-over, where you'll
also find a repair stand and a kiosk with a trail map. The Coyote
singletrack takes you uphill, where you can connect to Riverview after
climbing 2.1 miles. |
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