Zooropa, Vertigo and Levitate
Downhill-only Trails on Traverse Mountain
The Vertigo trail was built by
Gravity Logic in late fall 2016, with Levitate added in June 2017 and
Zooropa in May 2018. All are one-way downhill trails, extending from the
Eagle Crest trail to the bottom of the South Maple
Hollow and Woods Hollow trails. They
should be considered upper-intermediate trails. A fourth beginner-level
downhill flow trail called Rattle and Hum is discussed on the Woods Hollow
page.
View
northwest early in the descent, as Bruce lands a little hop. At this spot, Levitate and Vertigo
temporarily join so they can cross over. Photos and track of Vertigo by Bruce
on November 8, 2016; for Levitate June 5, 2017.
The top altitude is 6200 feet. The trails have 520 vertical feet of altitude loss.
Zooropa and Vertigo are 1.7 miles in length, while Levitate is 1.3 miles. They branch off the
Eagle Crest trail about 0.1 mile west of the Eagle Crest
trailhead on the
south side of Suncrest. Levitate and Vertigo are within feet of each
other, while Zooropa's entry is about 100 yards west. All end at the South
Maple Hollow trailhead.
The trails descend the south side of Traverse Mountain, facing Utah
County. Much of the area is sun-exposed, but shady areas can hold
moisture in early spring. The usual riding season will be May through
November. DO NOT RIDE these trails when muddy!
Looking east to Timpanogos through the gambel oak.
It's possible to do the trails as a shuttled ride. The launch
spot is the Eagle Crest trailhead, with pickup on Brookside Drive (see the
map). The vehicle route is Suncrest Drive to the 4-way stop, then left on
Traverse Ridge Road to the Eagle Crest Trailhead.
Most riders will want to do a loop ride. The trails have a
common ending on Brookside Drive. The South Maple
Hollow trail is just across the road to the west. The Woods
Hollow trail hooks off the bottom of Vertigo east of the road, right
at the "one-way do not enter" sign.
South end of the Eagle Crest trailhead, as my Rocky
Mountain Element waits for me to join it. From here, it's 0.1 mile west to
Vertigo.
A nice four-mile loop is to climb Woods
Hollow to
Eagle Crest and turn left (west). Pedal past the Eagle Crest
trailhead, then drop down Vertigo. Climbing is 550 vertical.
For a shorter but somewhat harder loop, you can take South Maple
Hollow to the Eagle Crest
Connector trail, then turn hard right on
Eagle Crest for the trip back to
the top. This little loop is 3.7 miles per lap for Vertigo; 3.3 for
Levitate; and 3.5 for Zooropa. My featured
ride below uses all of South Maple Hollow, so it's about 0.7 miles longer
than the short loop.
View northwest up South Maple Hollow as I climb
toward Eagle Crest for a loop ride.
You can also use Mercer Hollow as your climbing route for a
larger loop. After descending, drop down Brookside Drive to Suncrest
Drive and continue downhill. (This loop will put a mile of pavement at the bottom of the
loop.) Cross to the small parking zone at the bottom of Mercer Hollow and
climb uphill. Go down Suncrest Drive 100 yards and cross the street to
Eagle Crest,
continuing west back to the Eagle Crest trailhead.
A rider pauses at the spot where Eagle Crest skirts
the trailhead parking area, looking west.
Levitate Trail
Levitate is the westernmost of two trails that branch off Eagle Crest
as it crosses a doubletrack 0.1 miles from the Eagle Crest trailhead in
Suncrest. Note that Levitate is an expert-level trail, specifically
designed for launching your bike into the air.
When coming from the east, when Eagle Crest temporarily joins the
doubletrack, pass Vertigo then veer left on Levitate. If you're approaching from the west
on Eagle Crest (from South Maple Hollow
or Ann's Connector), you'll need to do a hard 180
degree turn to get onto Levitate.
The Levitate trail heads is broad, with high berms on
turns and multiple table-jumps on the straights.
After an initial turn, Levitate drops downhill. Levitate immediately gets down to
business. And its business is
throwing you up into the air. The jumps start right away.
While never uncomfortably steep, Levitate has a steeper
and more sustained pitch than Vertigo. It's also more straight, leading
to the higher speeds required to send you up and over the tabletops.
Bruce lands a little hop
at a "step-up," the last of four table jumps in this photo.
Levitate will join Vertigo on your left just 0.2 miles from the top.
The trails are about to cross over. Prepare to veer to the left. (It's easy to be
suckered into descending Vertigo instead.) The routes split again after about
100 feet, with Levitate to your left, out of sight behind a grove of
gambel oak until you're almost at the trail fork. There are plenty of
signs, but I still went the wrong way on my first try.
Approaching the cross-over. Vertigo is coming in to
our left. After the trails merge, veer to the LEFT to continue on
Levitate.
Levitate is heavily machined in order to create a
controlled flow of jumps as you descend the mountain. Most are simple
table-top jumps of varying steepness. Some are step-ups (where the landing
puts you at a higher level than the launch lip).
Rolling
up to a table jump. Note that the jumping lip is well-defined. We want it
to stay that way.
At this time, there are no "gap jumps." So it's a
good learning trail for very experienced upper-intermediates and experts
who are just getting into "taking air." However, if you're
simply not interested in jumping, may I suggest you skip this trail. Slow
riders who "roll" the jump will flatten the lip, making it less
fun for those who want to launch their bikes.
OK, so my jumps are measured in inches instead of
feet..
There are a few turns on Levitate. They're highly banked
and designed for speed. Again, if you don't have the skill or the nerve to
maintain a good speed through these turns, Levitate is not the right trail for
you.
Rolling a turn. You need speed to stay up on the
wall.
After 1.3 miles, Levitate rejoins Vertigo as it approaches
the parking area on Brookside Drive in South Maple Hollow. Time to go up
for another lap, doing Vertigo this time! As you approach the
"one-way" sign in the meadow area, the Woods
Hollow forks away to your left as a second climbing route back to the
top.
Heading south. In a few years, vegetation will take
over the sides of the trail where the jumps were machined.
Levitate, looping via South
Maple Hollow
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Vertigo Trail
The Vertigo trail starts at the spot where Eagle Crest crosses a
doubletrack, 0.1 miles from the Eagle Crest trailhead in Suncrest. When
westbound, it means a 180 turn when you hit the doubletrack.
If you're approaching from the west (from the Maple Hollow trailhead or after
climbing the South Maple
Hollow trail), you'll see Levitate as a 180 hard turn to the right,
and two trails ahead virtually
side-by-side. Vertigo is the lower trail, on the right.
The trail heads southeast from its initial drop-in at
the doubletrack.
Vertigo immediately begins sweeping high-banked turns. The
trail is designed for continuous high-speed flow. Hit the sidewalls and
rail on around.
After 0.3 miles from the top, Vertigo will temporarily join Levitate --
but only to cross over. The trails separate after about 100 feet. Keep to
the right to stay on Vertigo.
Typical turn, just downhill from the trail's start.
Lots of room, high banks to keep your speed.
There are a few bumps on the straightaways. You can take air at the top or simply roll over
them. If you're looking for big air, though, try Levitate next time.
Vertigo is considered an intermediate-skill flow trail.
Below me, a rider rails the bottom of a big S turn.
If you can take your eyes off the trail, there are great
open views of Utah Valley. Utah Lake is to the southwest, with the scarps
of the Wasatch Fault forming a line up the east side of the valley.
The terrain is oak brush, becoming shorter and less dense as
you descend the mountain. Near South Maple Hollow, grasses dominate.
View southeast from trailside, showing the depth of
the banks on a left turn.
Vertigo and Levitate join in South Maple Hollow, and the trail
heads over to Brookside Drive. At the sign, continue straight if
you're shuttling or riding a loop with Mercer Hollow
as your climbing
route. To climb Woods Hollow, fork to the
left right at the sign.
To climb the South Maple
Hollow trail, veer right as you pass the "one-way" sign and pedal
slightly uphill to the road. Veer right uphill as you cross the road to
South Maple Hollow.
Looking uphill toward Lone Peak from the end of the
ride. Going to go again.
Larger Vertigo Loop from Eagle Crest trailhead
This is a 4.5 mile loop that drops down Vertigo, starting from the Eagle
Crest trailhead at the end of Traverse Ridge Road. It's 0.1 miles west
from the trailhead to the top of Vertigo. After descending, this loop
climbs to the underpass near the Maple Hollow trailhead (offering the
option to cross over the mountain for more riding). This loop is larger,
and has a bit of downhill on Eagle Crest that you'll need to pay back by
climbing again. So it's more work than the shorter ride (below) that
"short circuits" the northeast corner of the loop via the Eagle
Crest connector trail.
Riding notes, loop with South Maple Hollow
from Eagle Crest:
0.0 West from Eagle Crest trailhead
N40 28.319 W111 50.160
0.1 Veer L on DT, L on Vertigo
N40 28.353 W111 50.251
1.8 Uphill and cross paved road to South Maple Hollow
N40 27.722 W111 50.215
2.3 R uphill (L = down to DT)
N40 28.042 W111 50.591
2.8 R (L = old trail downhill)
N40 28.291 W111 50.756
3.0 L (R = connector to Eagle
Crest)
N40 28.360 W111 50.718
3.5 R on Eagle Crest
N40 28.493 W111 50.999
3.8 Keep L (R = connector)
N40 28.397 W111 50.711
4.4 Vertigo vs Eagle Crest to TH
N40 28.353 W111 50.251
4.5 Back at trailhead
Vertigo Loop from the lower South Maple Hollow trailhead
This is a 3.7 mile loop that drops down Vertigo. The parking is along
Brookside Drive at the bottom of South Maple Hollow. Navigation is pretty
simple -- just go right at every trail fork. Four loops would be about a
2-hour ride for a conditioned intermediate, with about 2200 feet of
climbing.
Riding notes, Vertigo Loop:
0.0 Brookside Dr, L on S Maple Hollow
N40 27.717 W111 50.209
0.7 Keep R (L = down to DT)
N40 28.041 W111 50.587
1.1 Hard R (L = foot trail down)
N40 28.286 W111 50.756
1.2 Keep R to Connector (L = S Maple)
N40 28.359 W111 50.714
1.5 Hard R on Eagle Crest
N40 28.397 W111 50.706
2.0 Doubletrack, take trail on R
descend Vertigo
N40 28.353 W111 50.250
3.7 Back at Brookside
Vertigo via South Maple Hollow
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Zooropa Trail
The Zooropa trail is 1.7 miles long with 550 vertical feet
of descending. It descends a bit more than the other flow trails because
it has a little bit of gentle climbing after the first 1/4 mile. It's
intermediate in skill requirement.
Zooropa forks eastbound off Eagle Crest
about 100 yards to the west of Vertigo and Levitate.
Looking
east on Eagle Crest as my Rocky Mountain rests against the entry to
Zooropa.
The upper half of Zooropa is relatively easy. Turns are
bermed and generous, and the slope is gentle. Early intermediates will
find this section fun and non-threatening.
After an initial gentle descent of 1/3 mile and 100 vertical feet, the
trail will start to climb the top of a small hill. It's only about 50
vertical feet; hardly worth calling a climb. But you'll need to pedal for
about 1/4 mile.
Looking south as we approach a broad turn on the top
of the little hill. That's Utah Lake in the distance.
There will be nice views of Utah Valley to the south and
the mountains of the Wasatch to the east. Occasionally the twists of the
trail will give you views of Suncrest and Lone Peak to the north.
Looking back uphill at Suncrest and Lone Peak.
As the trail reaches the steeper slope on the south face of
the hill, the turns will get tighter and steeper. The jumping bumps get
bigger. The berms get higher and more vertical. Intermediates can still roll the tabletop jumps easily, but the
large size of the features on Zooropa will deter intermediate riders from
practicing their jumping skills.
Rolling into the real downhill on the south side of
the hill. Lots of berms and kickers.
At the time of this review (June 2018), the trail is still
"chunky." Riders have increasingly chosen the "Grom
line" on the bottom of the features. So if you're looking to hit the
turns high and fast, you'll find things a bit bumpy -- with a sharp
transition between the wall and the riding line at the bottom. This will
get better by next year.
Looking east. On the lower trail, berms are very high
-- sometimes 5 feet -- and near-vertical. Note the bumpy surface above the
"newbie" riding line, as many riders have been riding slow and
avoiding the berms on the new trail.
At the bottom, Zooropa rolls to the road from the west, just
uphill from South Maple Hollow -- and across the road from Vertigo,
Levitate, and Woods Hollow. You can cross the road to climb Woods Hollow,
or make a 180 to climb South Maple
Hollow.
Approaching the parking area in South Maple Hollow.
Getting there: From I-15
in Salt Lake City, take the Bluffdale exit and head east on Highland Drive
toward the mountains. As you reach the traffic light at the top of the
hill, about 3/4 mile after leaving the freeway, turn right on Traverse
Ridge Road. Drive about two miles up to the top of the mountain to the
stop sign.
From Utah County, get on the Timpanogos Highway. At the Lehi-Highland
border, go north on Highland Blvd at the big stop light east of Smiths.
This will become Suncrest Drive as it enters Draper. Climb to the stop
sign at the top of the hill. Deer Ridge (Maple Hollow) trailhead: At the
stop sign in Suncrest, get on Deer Ridge Drive (right turn from SLC,
straight from Utah Co). Go 0.9 miles.
Just before the road crosses a bridge, turn right onto Elk Glen Drive and
immediately turn left to park at the small picnic area.
Eagle Crest trailhead: From the hill-top stop sign above, go
south on Traverse Ridge Road (straight from SLC, left turn from Utah Co).
To to the end of the road and park. Vertigo is about 1/10 mile west of the
trailhead on the Eagle Crest trail.
Brookside Drive Trailhead (South Maple Hollow): Brookside Drive
turns to the west off Suncrest Drive, just uphill from the Maple Hollow subdivision.
This is about a mile uphill from Utah Valley. Drive past the homes and
uphill to the end of the road. The South Maple Hollow trail is on the west
side of the road. It will take you uphill, where you can connect to the
Eagle Crest trail then continue east to Vertigo.
Top of Mercer Hollow: There is some roadside parking off Suncrest Drive near the top of the trail,
on the east side of the road 1/2 mile downhill from the four-way stop in
Suncrest. But there are some cautions. In 2016 this is an active
construction area, so be sure you're not in an access-point or work zone! Bottom of Mercer Hollow: There's room for 3 or 4 cars at the
bottom of the doubletrack portion of Mercer Hollow on Suncrest Drive.
