UtahMountainBiking.com

wdwatson · Joined: 05 Sep 2009 Posts: 13

I'm planning on riding my two favorite trails from my riding this summer.
I'll be riding from three forks in Spanish Fork Canyon to Soldier Creek Dam. The route I'm planning will be about 25 miles of singletrack with about 5 miles of dirt road. This will take a full day. I'd like to leave a vehicle up at the marina the night before to save time. This will be a pretty challenging ride. I did the 54 mile DEpic from Alta to Little Dell, I think this would be a bit easier.
I need to do this soon most likely Oct 3rd, depending on weather forecast.
This will be a self supported ride for Adventurous and Experienced Riders Only.

wdwatson · Joined: 05 Sep 2009 Posts: 13

I'm riding this tomorrow. Leaving Three Forks Trailhead at dawn. I hope to be back by 4 O'clock.

wdwatson · Joined: 05 Sep 2009 Posts: 13

This morning at 5:40 AM I headed out from Three Forks Trailhead. I went up Cottonwood Creek Trail #018. It was quite chilly but my long shirt and fingered gloves kept me warm once I got moving. If you haven't ridden Cottonwood your missing out on one of the best trails in utah.
From Cottonwood I continued up Second Water Trail to Center Ridge Trail. Center Ridge over to Fifth Water is a decent trail but there are about four sections that are too steep and rocky to ride. Once I got past those sections there was plenty of good rideable singletrack to make it well worth the effort of a little push up.
The trail from Center Ridge at Fifth Water to Strawberry Ridge is quite nice I was dissapointed that it was only one mile. It wasn't very steep at all. I was going 8 mph plus for a good portion of that mile.
After about a one mile little grunt on Strawberry Ridge Road South over to Squaw Creek Road #110 I was once again rewarded with some fun riding. Down 110 was smooooth dirt road. The road had drainage crossings about every 1/4 mile, great for jumping at 30 mph. After parting a flock of sheep half way down I coasted lazily to paved road #131.
After 2 1/2 miles of boring pavement and another 1/4 mile of dirt road I was back on singletrack, Strawberry Narrows Trail #FS304. Like Bruce describes the first four miles from the south end is just a trail through sagebrush and is bumpy form cow/horse hooves. After that the trail is very desireable, in and out of pines with great views of the narrows and gentle ups and downs with only minor amounts of steep not so rideable trail.
All in all it was a spectacular ride with great views of Strawberry and Soldier Creek Resevoirs and a different perspective of Mt. Nebo, Mt. Loafer Spanish Fork Peak, Cascade Mtn. and Timpanogos.
Thirty three miles with only five miles of dirt/paved road. That's 28 miles of singletrack goodness.

Bruce · Joined: 02 Jan 2003 Posts: 1550 Location: Alpine, UT

That's an epic ride! I tip my helmet to you.

So was that rotting elk still in the middle of the trail on that first ugly climb of the Center Trail?

wdwatson · Joined: 05 Sep 2009 Posts: 13

No dead elk carcass but plenty of dead animal smell.