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Tuhaye Trail System
West Oak, North Star, HooDoo, Kings Light plus flow trails
The Tuhaye trail system lies in a private community north of Jordanelle
Reservoir. The 11 miles of singletrack is open to the public. The most
popular route among local riders has been a loop ride -- consisting of a
mix of road and trail -- called the Tuhaye Loop. Newer trails have added
enticing ride options, making this area worthy of your attention.
View south to Jordanelle Reservoir from the HooDoo
trail. Initial Tuhaye review June 21, 2020 by Bruce
with this update October 5, 2022. |
| The trails lie at an average 6800 feet elevation, for a
riding season of late May through November. With the exception of HooDoo
-- the more-difficult route downhill to the Jordanelle Perimeter Trail --
the trails are easy-intermediate in technical and aerobic requirement, and
are suitable for experienced beginners.
Looking east as the Kings Light Loop climbs the
hillside on a counterclockwise ride. |
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In 2022, there is extensive construction underway within the
community of Tuhaye. This has resulted in the temporary closure of the
southern end of the West Oak trail, with a detour onto residential
streets. Road construction also affects other routes, such as the usual
path between Uintah Court and the Old Kamas Road at the southeast corner
of the Tuhaye Loop. While this update reflects current status, GPS tracks
and descriptions may become inaccurate.
View to the west on the North Star trail as we ride
the Tuhaye Loop counterclockwise. |
Trailheads and Connections |
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Tuhaye West Oak Trailhead (West Oak and western North
Star access)
At the highest elevation of Highway 249 between Park City and Kamas, turn south into Tuhaye. Keep
to the right at the road fork immediately after entering, and drive 1/10th
mile downhill on Longview Drive. The trailhead is on your right, with the West Oak trail at
the far end of the trailhead parking. The west end of North Star is back
at the road fork, on the uphill side of Tuhaye Park Drive immediately
after the roads separate.
The West Oak trailhead from Longview Drive (gravel
road at the time of my latest visit), looking west. |
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Moondance Park Trailhead (quick access to Kings Light
Loop and flow trails)
Tuhaye is a private gated community. You'll need to check in at the
entry gate for permission to park at this trailhead. As you enter Tuhaye,
fork left on Tuhaye Park Drive. Stop at the guard station. Now drive 0.3 miles downhill and
turn right on Uintah Drive. Stay on Uintah for another mile, then turn
left at Midnight Court and park in the lot below the clubhouse.
To reach the Link Trail (which will take you uphill to the Kings Light
Loop), backtrack to Uintah Drive, turn left and climb over a hill. At mile
0.3 from parking, find Link on the right side of the road.
Looking west down the Link trail. The green is golf
course that surrounds Moondance Park. |
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Jordanelle Rock Cliff State Park Trailhead
On the far southeast corner of the Jordanelle Reservoir is the Rock Cliff
trailhead. The parking is at the end of the campground road within the
state park, next to the bathrooms at the small-boat launch area.
There's a campground and picnic area along the road through the park.
(Parking here requires a fee.) Pedal 1.8 miles on the Jordanelle Perimeter Trail, then turn to the right
uphill in a shallow canyon. This is the HooDoo Trail. It will connect
uphill to the other Tuhaye trails.
Looking west in the small-boat launch parking lot.
The trail is just to the right of the bathroom. |
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North Star Old Kamas Road Trailhead
About a mile west of Kamas on Highway 248, turn south onto Old Kamas
Highway. The road will head west and turn to gravel. At mile 2.2 from Highway
248 watch for a dirt road on your right, just after you pass a fenced
commercial area on the right side of the road. Go 100 yards to a fence and
find a spot to park. The singletrack is on the left side of the dirt
road.
North Star doesn't look too promising from this end,
but it gets better. In this photo the singletrack's entry is seen near the
middle of the trail sign post, center of the picture. |
South ( Jordanelle Area) Trails |
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The HooDoo trail is a fun and interesting ride, with great views
of the surrounding mountains and the Jordanelle Reservoir. The trail is
named after the igneous hoodoos seen at the midpoint of the ride.
Looking toward Jordanelle as we begin the descent
southbound. |
| The HooDoo trail connects the Jordanelle
Perimeter Trail to the southern side of the Tuhaye Loop. It's 1.3
miles in length with 500 feet of elevation change. This trail would rank
upper-intermediate in technical requirement and is a fairly strenuous
climb.
The trail has some switchback riding to mellow the
pitch. We're about to pass through a grove of bitterbrush.
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The upper end of the trail lies on the Tuhaye Loop
singletrack, just downhill from the
Moondance Park trailhead, at a well-marked intersection.
The lower end forks away from the Jordanelle Perimeter Trail 1.8 miles
west of the Rock Cliff trailhead.
Looking west from the Tuhaye Loop trail. The HooDoo
trail forks to the left here. |
| The trail hugs the side of a shallow valley descending from
Tuhaye to the Jordanelle Reservoir. The terrain is dry sage with groves of
scrub oak and bitterbrush.
The surface of the trail is a crumbly volcanic breccia that tends to
erode easily. When the trail becomes loose due to storms or aggressive
riding, it makes the traction slippery.
The trail is fully sun-exposed on a south-facing
slope. Small groves of oak are visually interesting but provide no
coolness or shade.
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This trail is fun to ride. In the downhill direction, it has
the best views of any trail within the Tuhaye system.
The trail makes a turn above a set of igneous
hoodoos. |
| Most riders will do this trail as an out-and-back, first
climbing uphill from the trailhead at Jordanelle, then hitting the Kings
Light area trails before descending back. It's also possible to ride the
Jordanelle Perimeter out to the Keetley trailhead and take the shoulder of
Highway 249 back to the Tuhaye entrance.
A shorter option is to descend from the Tuhaye Loop 0.5 miles on HooDoo
to sample the views, then loop back uphill on the newer Lone Peak trail
(see below).
Approaching the reservoir, looking west toward the
main body of the lake.
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The Lone Peak trail joins the middle of the HooDoo trail to
a residential street off the Lone Peak Drive loop. This trail would mostly
be of interest to local riders. It's an easy-intermediate ride on
bench-cut trail.
Climbing Lone Peak. In this photo, the trail is new
and hasn't seen enough riders to suppress grass growth. |
| Lone Peak forks away from HooDoo at 0.5 miles below the
Tuhaye Loop. It's 0.8 miles in length, with 150 feet of elevation change.
At the top, the trail falls onto a utility corridor, where it becomes both
steeper and more eroded.
Cranking uphill on the utility corridor.
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Once you arrive at the subdivision street, turn to the left.
You'll need to climb up and over a hill, turning to the right when you
reach Lone Peak Drive. The Tuhaye Loop singletrack crosses Lone Peak just above Uintah
Drive. (This crossing isn't well marked in 2022, so you'll probably coast
past it. You can find your way back to the Tuhaye Loop on Uintah Drive.)
View of the upper end of Lone Peak from the
subdivision street. |
Kings Light Loop and Flow Trails |
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The Link trail connects Uintah Drive to the Kings Light
Loop. There's a plan to have the singletrack of the Tuhaye Loop connect
directly to Link, but at this time you'll need to spend 0.2 miles on the
pavement. Link and the lower Kings Light trail are considered part of the
Tuhaye Loop.
From the Moondance Park trailhead -- or from where the temporary end of
the singletrack Tuhaye Loop diverts on doubletrack up to Uintah Drive --
take Uintah Drive 0.2 miles east and find Link on the right side of the street.
View up the trail as Link climbs through three
switchbacks. |
| Link is 0.3 miles long, with 100 feet of elevation gain. The
trail lies in a dense forest of gambel oak. Just before the top of Link, a
connector to Shadow Ridge Circle forks to the right as the trail turns
left. Shortly after this turn, Link ends as it hits the Kings Light Loop.
The left fork is the lower limb of Kings Light and the Tuhaye Loop.
Forking right takes you uphill to the top of the flow trails.
Almost to the Kings Light Loop.
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The Kings Light Loop begins at the top of Link. There are
connector trails to the loop from subdivision streets: On the west, Shadow Ridge
Circle sends a trail to Link near the western Kings Light loop fork, and Twin Peaks Drive
on the east has a connector trail to the loop that doubles as a piece of
the Tuhaye Loop.
Looking west at the entry to the Kings Light Loop
from Link. |
| The loop is 1.6 miles around and can be done either
direction. Two flow trails (see below) link the top limb of the loop to
the bottom. There is only 100 feet of elevation difference between the top
and bottom limbs of the loop.
Looking east on the upper limb of Kings Light.
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The connector trail at the far eastern side of the loop is
your route to join paved roads to continue the Tuhaye Loop ride.
This is the connector trail to the Kings Light Loop
as seen from North Twin Peaks Drive. Note the prominent trail signage.
This is typical of the Tuhaye system. |
| The terrain on Kings Light is sage with groves of scrub oak.
The surface is smooth dirt but with a region of bumpy volcanic rock on the
eastern side. The loop is suitable for beginning riders.
Returning to the west on the lower limb of Kings
Light on a counterclockwise ride.
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On the upper side of the Kings Light Loop, 0.5 miles from
Link and at the ride's highest point, two DH flow trails fork away side by
side. The left trail is called Flow and the right is called Roll. Both are
one-way downhill flow trails.
Photo from Kings Light, showing Flow heading left and
Roll heading right. |
| The Flow trail is an easy ride. While the signage indicates
an intermediate rating, the slope and tech factor are very suitable for
beginners. Turns are wide and banked on a dirt slope in a sea of sage
brush.
Typical trail, looking west, with gentle slope.
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Flow descends 100 vertical feet over 0.5 miles. The bottom
of Flow merges into the lower limb of the Kings Light Loop, with the
direction of the trail fork tending to push you counterclockwise
(westbound).
Trail fork where Flow joins Kings Light. |
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The Roll DH flow trail is on the right from the common entry
from Kings Light. Roll is slightly shorter than Flow at 0.4 miles. It
descends the same 100 vertical feet.
Looking to the east as Roll makes a turn in the sage
brush. |
| Roll is a bit more exciting than Flow -- which isn't saying
a lot -- because the turns tend to be tighter with higher berms. But it's
still a trail that beginners can ride.
Roll ends on the lower limb of Kings Light with the trail fork tending
to send you east (clockwise) on the Kings Light Loop.
Another sample banked turn on Roll.
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Tuhaye Loop Trails |
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The main trail of the Tuhaye Loop is North Star. This trail
runs from the Old Kamas Highway to the Tuhaye entry road. There is parking
on each end of the trail: a tiny trailhead off Old Kamas Road on the east
(see below), and a trailhead on Longview Drive 1/10th
mile downhill from the end of the North Star trail on Tuhaye Park Drive.
Looking east as the North Star trail follows the
ridge on a clockwise ride. |
| The trail runs parallel to a ridgeline on the northern side
of Tuhaye. It tends to stay a bit below and north of the top of the ridge,
no doubt so the ridgeline can be turned into homes. On the eastern
half, there are two short connectors from North Start to paved roads (see
GPS track file).
The terrain is sagebrush and low gambel oak. The trail surface is
mostly smooth dirt, but with occasional erosions and bumpy rock sections.
The ride would rank early-intermediate but should create no problems for
experienced beginners.
Pedaling through a stunted area of oak heading west
(counterclockwise ride).
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When done from east to west, the ride angles gently uphill
until just before you reach the Tuhaye entry area. At the Old Kamas
Highway trailhead, you're at 6150 feet elevation. You'll climb to 6600.
For a ridgeline ride, there aren't a lot of open views. Mostly, you'll be
looking into a small valley between the trail and Highway 248.
A rare moment where the view is better! We're looking
at Timpanogos on the skyline. |
| At the eastern end, the trail winds down through a set of turns
near the Tuhaye entry, with around 100 feet of elevation loss. Once you
reach the road, turn right then immediately left to descend Longview Drive
(currently a gravel roadway) 1/10th mile and turn right into the trailhead
to continue the ride on West Oak.
That's the main entry area below us, with Deer
Valley's ski runs forming a backdrop.
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To find the west end of North Star for a clockwise ride, look
for the trail sign on the uphill side of Tuhaye Park Drive just after it
forks away from the main entry road. Don't look for a "trail,"
because it's covered with landscaping material. Just go to the sign and
you'll spot the singletrack 20 feet away.
Entry to the trail for an eastbound ride. Note the
trail sign in front of the pine, typical for Tuhaye-area trails. |
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The West Oak trail starts at the West Oak trailhead, just
off Longview Drive 1/10th mile downhill from the Tuhaye entry. It heads
generally south, winding around and through small valleys in the oak. It
will cross a couple of roads.
Heading south on West Oak. |
| The West Oak trail is narrow singletrack with multiple sets
of turns. It has some nice views of Timpanogos to the south and Bald
Mountain to the west. The oak here tends to be taller. When combined with
the twisting alignment of the trail, West Oak has a different feel from
other Tuhaye trails.
Heading into an uphill turn to the left as we reach a
set of turns.
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West Oak angles generally downhill when done from north to
south, but with frequent short gentle climbs. I would rank this trail as
intermediate but suitable for experienced beginners. The trail is 1.6
miles long. The Tuhaye Loop will join Uintah Drive eastbound.
Timpanogos forms our background as the trail breaks
out of oak forest. |
| At the time of this update, West Oak has been interrupted
for road construction for future homes. At mile 0.8, a detour sends you up
to Uintah Drive. Turn right on the road. I'm not sure what the future holds for this bypassed
section of West Oak. It will either have to go through a subdivision
piecemeal, or be rebuilt downhill from the subdivision perimeter.
Detour on West Oak. Bummer!
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Follow Uintah south and east until you see the trail again
on your right. Cross Lone Peak Drive and keep left at the trail fork with
HooDoo, then resume road riding on Uintah Drive. Link will be on your left
in 0.2 miles.
Roads used for Tuhaye Loop from the end of the connector trail on the
eastern end of Kings Light (see above): Twin Peaks uphill right;
left on Uintah Drive; right on Uintah Court; at circle, ride down utility
corridor then keep left as you reach new road construction; right on
Tuhaye Hollow as it becomes Old Kamas Highway; 0.7 miles to West Oak
trailhead entry. I recommend GPS navigation, as the road system can be
confusing!
Here's the continuing Tuhaye Loop at the western limb
of Lone Peak Drive. |
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Getting there:
West Oak trailhead: From US-40, take the Keetley exit and
go east on Highway 248. After around 5 miles, the road will crest a hill.
On your right is the main entry to Tuhaye. Immediately fork right again on
Longview Drive and drive 1/10th
mile downhill. The trailhead is on your right, with the West Oak trail at
the far end of the trailhead parking. The west end of North Star is back
at the road fork, on the uphill side of the eastbound road immediately
after the roads separate.
Moondance Park: Fork left immediately on entering Tuhaye
onto Tuhaye Park Drive. Stop at the guard station to check in. Now drive 0.3 miles downhill and
turn right on Uintah Drive. Stay on Uintah for another mile, then turn
left at Midnight Court and park below the clubhouse. To reach the Link Trail (which will take you uphill to the Kings Light
Loop), backtrack to Uintah Drive, turn left and climb over a hill. At mile
0.3 from parking, find Link on the right side of the road.
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| North Star Old Kamas Highway: About a mile west of Kamas on Highway 248, turn south on Old Kamas
Highway. It will head west and turn to gravel. At mile 2.2 from Highway
248 watch for a dirt road on your right, just after you pass a fenced
commercial area on the right side of the road. Go 100 yards to a fence and
find a spot to park. The singletrack forks is on the left side of the dirt
road. Note that Old Kamas Highway will be your return route for the Tuhaye
Loop, and it's heavily and constantly trafficked by huge construction
vehicles in both directions.
Jordanelle Rock Cliff State Park: Just south of the dam on
US-40, turn east at the light on Highway 32. After six miles, just as the
road drops to the valley floor and crosses the Provo River, turn left to
Rock Cliff. Proceed to the pay station. Keep straight until you reach the
small boat launch parking. |
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