The Spork Trail lies within North Fork Park at the northwest corner of Ogden
Valley. This 5.1 mile directional lariat loop trail was added in 2022. Spork
is an easier-intermediate ride available year-round (when conditions
permit) with grooming for fat biking in the winter.
Looking northeast as Bruce
rides the trail. Review on October 14, 2022.
The Spork trail is for bikes only. It's an engineered
trailcut with swoops and twists, created for a fun riding experience.
Spork is not a "destination" or a view trail -- it's simply fun
and satisfying riding.
Spork starts on the 365 trail as a two-way, then after 0.3 miles
becomes a one-way loop trail. The
direction of riding will change day-by-day. Reached via 0.7 miles of the
365 trail, the minimum ride to complete this loop from the south gate
trailhead is 6.6 miles.
Riding a turn with the slopes of Ben Lomond in the
background.
The trail starts at 5550 feet elevation and lies in dense
oak forest. The top elevation is just over 5800. The expected riding season will be late May through October.
The trail can be done by strong beginning riders, but given the
power-turns and rollers I'd recommend the trail for intermediates or
better.
A final rock-drop as an alternate line rejoins the
main trail, designed to be ridden on days when the riding will go
counterclockwise.
Getting to the trail
365 (North Fork South Entry) Trailhead
The main trailhead for bikes is right at the south entry gate to North
Fork Park. See below for driving instructions. The gravel parking area is
to your left as you approach the park gates. The 365
Trail will take you
to Spork. The 365 trail is found on the southern side of parking at the kiosk.
South gate trailhead, looking at the entry to the 365
Trail.
The Spork Trail has a 0.3 mile stem, then a loop of 4.5
miles. The loop is one-way riding, but with
alternating direction based on the day. Starting at 5550 feet elevation,
it will climb to 5800, an elevation change of only 250 feet. But because of
constant up-and-down riding, your actual climbing total will be closer to
400 vertical feet as you ride the loop.
Rolling downhill in a grove of aspens on Spork.
Spork lies in a rolling foothill area at the base of Ben
Lomond Peak. It's heavily forested. Most of the forest is mature gambel
oak, but there are plenty of maples, aspen, and an occasional fir. The bottom of Spork is found on the 365 trail, 0.7 miles from the entry
gate trailhead.
View of Ben Lomond from the Spork Trail, looking
west.
Spork is a higly-engineered bench-cut trail. Overall there's
a mellow rate of climbing or descent, but the trail has swoops that may
require a bit of attack in the uphill direction. The path is constantly
twisting. It's obvious that it was built to give riders a fun experience
in either direction.
Note the hump, the dip, and the quick turning climb.
The trail is almost always in motion.
Spork has alternate riding lines for experts. As you ride along, there will be an occasional opportunity to launch
off a rock at trailside. There are a couple of log balance
rides and the occasional rock rollover challenge.
There are two
short drop lines, one for each direction. An easy riding path is
provided as an alternative. The alternate lines are plainly marked.
Riding clockwise: the right fork is a twisting
descent, while the left path descends more steeply through two mandatory
log drops.
Clockwise, there's a twisty path with two log drops. The
second (bigger) drop is around 24 inches.
In the other direction, you're offered a short alternate trail with
three rock drops, a bit bigger with each one. The final rock is about 2
feet.
Approaching a two foot log drop on the alternate
line.
There's a lot of well-built fun stuff
here! Riding clockwise, here are two challenges, a long split-log balance
ride and a dipping
twisting line of rock on an alternate line. Yes, I cleaned the rock line
on the first try! Video proof below.
Turns are nicely banked and roll well either in the uphill
or downhill direction. The finish work -- fine tuning -- on this trail is
excellent.
With the 0.7 miles on 365 to reach
Spork, a full ride from the trailhead at the gate will be 6.6 miles with
500 vertical feet of climbing overall.
Powering up and around a turn.
Because of the dense forest, there will be only an
occasional brief spot where you'll be able to see Ben Lomond or the
valley. So while those views are pretty, this is a trail you'll ride for
the joy of riding.
View southeast into Ogden Valley as the trail hugs an
oak-covered slope.
Two spots on the trail to show the
changing "feel" of the Spork loop as you ride. On the left is
the initial climb in aspen and fir
forest. The photo on the right is while descending through a dense grove
of mature maple trees.
Bottom Line
Excellent trail. Well built and fun to ride. One of the best new trails
I've ridden, which is saying a lot. Destined to be a favorite for many
riders! Once you've done this loop, continue on the 365 loop around and
down Pipeline. You won't be disappointed!
Clockwise fall ride on Spork...
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Getting there: Go up Ogden Canyon. (From the
north on I-15, take the 12th South Ogden exit and head east on Highway 39.
From the south, exit I-15 on US 89. Pass I-84 and climb up the hill, then
turn right on Harrison Blvd. Continue on Harrison until you hit U-39 and
turn R toward Ogden Canyon.) Turn left across the dam at Pineview
Reservoir. At the stop sign in Eden, turn left. Turn left at the stop sign
in Liberty. After about 1/4 mile, take the next right. Just after you
cross the river, veer left toward North Fork Park. Turn left again at the
Ben Lomond Trailhead - North Fork Park sign. As you approach the
campground entry gate, turn left into the 365 Trail trailhead and park.
The 365 Trail is at the southwest corner of the parking lot. The Spork
Trail begins on your left at 0.7 miles down 365.
Camping in formal campground in North Fork. Bathroom at trailhead.
Riding resources for this trail:
GPS track files (right-click, "Save as..."): Multi-track GPX area file
Wider area map to view or print: pending completion of the
trail
Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Ogden area resources
