Salt Lake City Mountain Bike Trail Guide
By: Danielle Vilaplana, Product Content Writer | Last Updated: April 15th, 2024.jpg)
Salt Lake City is known for its unbelievable skiing, and most people think of Park City and Moab when it's time to dust off the bikes. While it is impossible to compete with an IMBA Gold destination and a technical mountain biking dreamscape, Salt Lake City has its own under-the-radar mountain biking scene. Bobsled can easily rival the gnarliest jumps and berms that Park City offers, and Corner Canyon hosts some of the best trails in the entire area.
If there's one downside to Salt Lake City mountain biking, it's the short seasons. Though the valley stays significantly warmer than the mountains, the lower mountain bike trails still tend to hold snow, ice, and moisture from occasional storms. Utah's soil can't be ridden when it's wet, so most locations will stay closed throughout the winter. In the summer, Utah's temps skyrocket and the trails get very dry and dusty. There's still great riding to be had if you start early in the morning or late in the evening, but riders wanting to experience Salt Lake's best mountain biking should visit in the spring and fall.
Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST)
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail contours 100 miles through the foothills in Salt Lake City, along the ancient Lake Bonneville shoreline. Eventually, it could extend 280 miles from the Idaho border to Nephi, UT. The BST can be accessed all over the Salt Lake City area and is a great beginner mountain biking trail in itself. It'salso a great connector to some of Salt Lake's best intermediate and advanced mountain bike trails trails.
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Bobsled
Trailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB ProjectAdvanced | 1.6 Miles | 922' Descending
Bobsled is undoubtedly one of the most popular mountain biking trails in Salt Lake City. Though it's rated as advanced and is definitely a fast and loose trail, all of the large jumps and obstacles can be bypassed for a fun intermediate experience.
Salt Lake City locals usually stop riding Bobsled by mid-summer, when monsoon season starts and water creates a rough channel down the middle. Water often puddles at the very end of the trail into a huge pool as well, and the trail starts to get a little rough from brake bumps and the dry Utah conditions.
19th Avenue
Trailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB ProjectIntermediate | 2.1 Miles | 582' Descending
The 19th Avenue trail is a fast, flowy, directional trail that's great for intermediate riders. It features plenty of berms, jumps, and pumps that demand constant attention. It also provides a great view of the city and the Wasatch mountains.
Though it was built in 2021, the Salt Lake City foothills receive a lot visitation all year and the trail tends to be in rough shape after the winter. Which just adds a little more spice to an already exciting trail, but less experienced riders may want to check trail work conditions beforehand.
Wasatch Crest Trail
Trailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB Project
Intermediate/Advanced | 12.5 + Miles | 1,035' Climb | 2,595' Descent
The Wasatch Crest is a classic Salt Lake City mountain bike trail, with great high alpine riding and fun singletrack riding. There are many ways to include the Wasatch Crest in longer rides, with access from several different points, so the 12.5 mile route is only one option. The trail itself is descends 2,595’ over its length and has some punchy climbs throughout. From the nearly 10,000’ top, the Crest trail runs down the ridge separating Park City and Big Cottonwood Canyon. The trail has a great mix of fun flow, and a couple more techy sections. One rocky, skinny ridge line is hike-a-bike for most, but it’s short. While many mountain bikers shuttle the Wasatch Crest, there is definitely still climbing, including the infamous “Puke Hill,” although it’s totally worth it.The Shuttle route starts at Guardsman Pass, heads on Scott's Bypass, up Puke Hill, then onto the Crest trail itself. The Wasatch Crest is definitely a must ride trail for advanced riders in the Salt Lake City area. For visiting riders, or simply those looking for easier logistics, Big Rack Shuttles runs a Wasatch Crest Shuttle.
Wasatch Crest Trail Route Options
Wasatch Crest to Mill Creek Canyon
This route descends the Wasatch Crest, then on 3 miles of the paved Mill Creek Canyon Road, and ending with more 7.3 miles of singletrack on the Mill Creek Pipeline trail on the outskirts of Salt Lake City. The Pipeline trail is intermediate rated.
Wasatch Crest to Park City
Riders have the option to turn off of the Wasatch Crest trail onto Crest Connector and head back towards Park City. There are many options here including riding the downhill trails to the Park City Mountain Canyon’s base area, or traversing back to Park City Mountain on the Mid Mountain trail.
Climbing to the Wasatch Crest
For mountain bikers who like to earn their descent, there are several ways to climb to the crest trail, from both sides of the ridge.
Corner Canyon
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Corner Canyon is about a 45-minute drive from downtown Salt Lake City, about the same distance as Park City. But it can definitely hold it's own against the best trails in Park City and it hosts multiple trails built by Gravity Logic. It has trails for every skill level and plenty of shuttle opportunities. If there's one place to bike on your Salt Lake City mountain bike trip, it's Corner Canyon.
Jacob's Ladder
Trailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB ProjectAdvanced | 1.1 Miles | 719' Descent
Jacob's Ladder is a fast and steep downhill trail with plenty of chunky rock sections. It's fairly wide in some areas, allowing for multiple different lines, and features a few drifty, sandy areas. Connecting it to Rush is one of the best lines in Corner Canyon.The Jacob's Ladder trail itself can't be shuttled, but riders taking on Rush and Limelight can reducing their climb by leaving cars at the Peak View Trailhead and either the Draper Cycle Park or Coyote Hollow Trailhead.
Rush
Trailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB ProjectIntermediate | 2.5 Miles | 841' Descending
Rush is one of the most popular mountain bike trails in Salt Lake City. It is a fast flow trail that attracts everyone from cross-country riders to downhill shuttlers. It's a tight, twisty trail with tons of berms, jumps, and drops. It can be shuttled easily from the Peak View Trailhead or accessed by parking at the Draper Cycle Park or Coyote Hollow Trailhead and riding up the pleasant Canyon Hollow Trail. Be sure to jump on Limelight at the end for similar riding back to the Draper Cycle Park.
Levitate
Trailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB ProjectAdvanced | 1 Mile | 536' Descending
Levitate is a very advanced trail on the south side of the Corner Canyon system. It was built by the renown Gravity Logic group and features mandatory gaps and plenty of fast, flowy sections. It's a local favorite, but visitors may want to get their bearings on Vertigo first.Levitate and Vertigo are located on the south side of the hill from Rush and Jacob's Ladder and have a different access points.
Vertigo
Trailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB ProjectIntermediate | 1.5 Miles | 531' Descending
Vertigo is a true Gravity Logic trail, wtih massive berns and plenty of table tops and jumps. Beginners can bypass many of the obstacles but the trail has a lot of blind corners and attracts a lot of very fast traffic, so first time riders may want to visit at a slower time of day. Riders can shuttle from the top or ride up the Woods Hollow trail.
Eagle Mountain
Eagle mountain is a bit of a drive from downtown Salt Lake City proper, but it's one of the only true spring mountain bike areas near Salt Lake City. Unlike most Wasatch terrain, Eagle Mountain is fairly exposed and doesn't have aspens and conifers to block the sun, so it dries out quickly and is good to go while other people are still skiing in Park City.
Flintstone
Advanced | 2.5 Miles | 432' Descending
Trailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB Project
Flintstone is a rowdy, loose downhill trail with a lot of technical features like rock drops, gaps, bridges. The trail was formerly unsanctioned but as of 2024 it is open to mountain bikers.
Ridgeline
Intermediate | 2.5 Miles | 432' DescendingTrailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB Project
Ridgeline is an intermediate trail with a few technical rocky sections. It hass tight corners and tends to get dry and loose. It's best ridden downhill and is often looped with Deadwood.
Deadwood
Beginner | 1.9 Miles | 353' DescendingTrailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB Project
Deadwood is a great flowy trail with just the right gradient for speed and nice berms. It runs through a former burn area, so the trail will be hot in the summer. It is best ridden from East to West.
Solitude Bike Park
Solitude's mountain bike park has four new trails as of the fall 2023. Phase 1 included four new downhill trails designed by Gravity Logic and options for beginners to advanced riders. Park at Moonbeam Lodge and take the lift up for of easy-access downhill riding.
Holy Shist
TrailforksAdvanced| 3,274ft | 516' Descending
Holy Shist is a rowdy downhill line with jumps, rock gardens, roots, and more. It has several tight corners and rough, newly constructed sections that will have even the most advanced riding tapping the brakes.
Mine Shaft
TrailforksIntermediate | .8 Miles | 544' Descending
Mine Shaft is so new that we haven't had a chance to ride it yet - stay tuned!
Cobalt Cruise
TrailforksIntermediate | 1 Mile | 410' Descending
Cobalt Cruise is a fast and steep intermediate trail with tighter turns and occasional jumps. Mother Lode and Cobalt Cruise frequently intersect, making it a great run for groups of varying ability levels to split up and come back together throughout the trail.
Mother Lode
TrailforksBeginner | 2.3 Miles | 693' Descending
Motherlode is an easy flow trail with nice berms and a wide track that winds through shady aspen groves.
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Little Cottonwood Canyon
Most us know Little Cottonwood Canyon as some of the best ski terrain in the country (world?), hosting famous ski resorts like Alta and Snowbird. This epic canyon also hosts some pretty fun mountain bike trails when the snow finally melts, and is definitely a fun place to consider riding on your Salt Lake City mountain biking trip.
That being said, it takes about the same time to drive to Snowbird as it does Park City from most places in Salt Lake City. It's hard to recommend Snowbird's limited trails over the IMBA Gold moutntain biking in Park City, and riders with limited time should check out our mountain biking guide to Park City and Deer Valley.
Quarry Trail
Intermediate | 6.7 Miles | 1,141' DescentTrailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB Project
The Quarry Trail is good to go as long as there isn't snow on the ground. It's a fun out-and-back that parallels the canyon road and the creek and features sections that are loose and sandy or technical and rocky. It's not particularly steep, so it's a great trail for intermediate riders to work on their technique.
The trail is multi-use, so riders should be aware of hikers and dogs on the trail. The trail is pretty wide and doesn't have many turns to navigate so riders shouldn't encounter many surprises on trail.
Snowbird
Trailhead Directions | Trailforks | MTB ProjectSnowbird offered lift-accessed mountain biking once-upon-a-time, but as of 2019 they are no longer taking bikes up the tram. Nonetheless, the 6.3-mile Big Mountain Trail is still an excellent downhill trail, if you can manage the 2,500ft climb.
The Park City and Deer Valley bike parks offer significantly more trails than Snowbird and take about the same time to reach from the evo Campus Salt Lake. Though the Big Mountain trail is worth a shout out, riders wanting to beat the heat and have access to IMBA Gold-Level trails will likely enjoy the offerings at those bike parks more than Snowbird.
Antelope Island State Park
Trailforks | MTB Project
Antelope Island is a beautiful destination north of Salt Lake City that offers year-round riding and beautiful views of the Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Mountains. The island also hosts wild bison, which generally keep their distance but riders should be cautious in the spring. Some parts of the park are closed seasonally for wildlife, so check for regulations ahead of time
The easiest and most popular trail is the 7.4 mile White Rock Bay Loop. Elephant Head is an intermediate trail with incredible views of the lake and surrounding grasslands. The rocky Lakeside Trail will challenge riders looking for something more technical.
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About the Author
Danielle is a product content writer for evo. She has lived seasonally in Salt Lake city since 2018 and has worked for other local bike shops. Her favorite trail system is Corner Canyon and you can usally find her at Chickqueen after skiing or biking.
