Park City is a ski town, but in the summer it turns into a great spot for mountain biking. There are more than 350 miles of trails for non-motorized use that want to be explored on fat tires.
I rode the IMBA Epic loop that combines various trails of Park City and neighbouring resorts. It is over 26 miles (45 km) and you accumulate more than 3,600 feet (1250 m) of elevation gain. Perhaps, my breakfast wasn’t big enough… my energy level was fairly low after the initial climb. That climb after the start winds up through birch forests and lifts you up to an altitude of 3000 meters and makes your lungs and legs burn. After the long climb you ride along the ridge with some ascents and descents until the downhill part of the ride starts.
This time we took advantage of Park City’s skiing infrastructure and invested in a lift ticket with bike haul. We tried the different downhill options and concluded that the Mojave-Trail definitely was our favorite run with several berms and rollers. The biggest challenge however, brought an unmarked, rather vertical trail running right under the chairlift. Somehow, our visit to Park City felt like a skiing trip…
As a short ride before breakfast I went up the Spiro Trail and down the Crescent Mine Grade. The ride was short (7 km), but fun, because the Crescent Trail becomes a sort of giant slalom in the lower section.
Salt Lake City
There are not many large cities in which you can start a good, challenging trail ride in town. Starting at the Popperton Park in the northwest of the city, you take the Bonneville Shoreline Trail that climbs up to the hills north of Salt Lake City. Then the trail runs alongside the hills and offers great views. In a turn to the left the Bobsled Trail turns off left down the hill in an old creek bed (and is easily missed). The further you get down on Bobsled the better the flow and the bigger the berms. In the lower part of Bobsled there are optional lines with jumps and drops that connect back to the trail. Some of the jumps let you shoot in to the air over old, rusty cars, creeks or up a berm. Serious fun.
allmountaindinger's mountain bike meccas 