Bonneville Shoreline Herriman Section

A trail runner approaches the junction between Diamondback and the BST. Photos and review by Bruce on May 13, 2019.

Herriman Section, Bonneville Shoreline Trail

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) on the western side of the Salt Lake valley consists of a single segment at this time (May 2019). Herriman has a 1.5 mile trail linking the Diamondback trail at Blackridge to Wide Hollow Drive in the west. The plan is that eventually the trail will extend all the way to the trails of Rose Canyon , and will also extend to the south beyond Juniper Crest .

This section of the BST is easier-intermediate in technical requirement. It's machine-cut, so it's fairly wide and straight. But embedded rock creates a few bumps, and the climbing grade, while modest, will be difficult for true beginners. Total climbing for a 5.2-mile out-and-back ride from Blackridge is 750 vertical feet.
With a top elevation of 5700 feet, the riding season is expected to be late April through late November.

Westbound, the trail climbs past an outcrop of mineralized limestone.

View as the trail heads into a steep side-canyon.

The trail has nice views of the southern Salt Lake Valley, and of the Wasatch Front across the valley. To the east, you'll be able to see all the way from Mount Timpanogos in Utah County to Parley's Canyon in the northeast. On the west are the Oquirrhs and the Bingham Canyon mine.
The trail is fully sun-exposed with zero trees, so expect it to be a toasty warm ride on a midsummer afternoon.

On the eastern side, the BST forks away from the Diamondback trail on the northern slope of Blackridge hill. Most riders will head for this end of the trail, parking at the Blackridge Pond trailhead.

The most direct path is to ride the Blackridge trail from the pond, turn right onto Sidewinder in 0.2 miles, then continue left (and uphill) when Sidewinder ends on Diamondback at mile 0.9. At the next switchback of Diamondback, 1.1 miles from the trailhead, keep straight onto the BST as Diamondback turns to the left uphill.

Almost to the top. The Bingham Canyon Mine tailings are at mid-right.

Broad trail on an old 4-wheel drive route. Don't try to fly down this. There are water drainage channels with downhill humps that are sharp enough to throw you.

The western end is a little harder to find. The trail starts on an under-construction (as of May 2019) extension of 6600 West, just north of the end of Wide Hollow Drive. See the driving directions below.

From the trail's origin on Diamondback, the first 0.7 miles are generally uphill. Here the singletrack contours a fairly steep hillside without turns or switchbacks. The trail then joins an old 4x4 road that's been re-purposed as a trail. The trail will descend 100 vertical feet over 0.4 miles. Then it leaves the old road for new singletrack, twisting through a series of turns for the final descent. The singletrack on this western end sheds 150 vertical feet over 0.5 miles.
The western end of the trail ends on the dirt extension of 6600 West -- which was blocked by construction equipment to the north. Trail runners are parking at the eastern end of Wide Hollow Drive, then heading north on the gravel road to the trail.

West end of the trail in a construction zone.

Looking southeast. Mount Timpanogos is visible in the middle.

Bottom Line!
Nice trail that rides well in either direction, best suited for an out-and-back ride -- or a lollipop ride looping around Blackridge Hill by combining Diamondback and Sidewinder. This bit of the BST will serve primarily local residents, but can be an extra-miles add-on for those who've traveled to enjoy Herriman's trail system.

Aerial map of area

Facilities:
Bathroom at Blackridge Pond trailhead

Getting there: First, let me caution you. Street names in this area often change as you go through a stop sign. And the names on the signs are often not the same as what you see on your auto GPS or on Google Maps. Yeah, it's messed up. But print my map (link below) and take it with you. Look carefully at the street layout as you follow my directions and you won't get lost.

From the Bangerter Highway, turn west onto 13400 South and drive 2/3 mile. Turn left (south) at the Mountain View Corridor and drive about a mile. At the traffic light, turn right onto Rosecrest Road. After 1/2 mile, turn left onto Juniper Crest. (Watch out! From Rosecrest, the street signs to your right give the northbound continuation of Juniper Crest another name!)

Blackridge trailhead: As you go south on Juniper Crest, you'll see that you're leaving the dense homes and are approaching a bridge across a ravine. Before you reach the bridge area, turn right onto Ambermont Drive. (Again, caution. The continuation of Ambermont east of Juniper Crest has a different name.) Over the next half-mile, Ambermont goes southwest, then west, then turns to northwest. Now fork left on Aurora Vista. Quickly turn right onto Esher Street, then left at Ashland Ridge and enter the parking area for Blackridge Pond. The trail starts at the far end of the parking strip. (If you reach a "do-not-enter" exit from Blackridge Pond on the right and a "bozos-stay-out" sign for a private neighborhood straight ahead, you went too far on Aurora Vista. Turn around and go back to Esher Street.)
Wide Hollow Drive access: As above, proceed south on Juniper Crest, but you'll turn off to the right one street earlier, on Emmaline Drive. Go about a mile and a half on Emmaline, then turn left on Butterfield Park Way. After about 3/4 mile, there's a roundabout. Follow it 3/4 of the way around so you're southbound on Spring Canyon Drive. After 1/2 mile, turn left (east) on Wide Hollow Drive. At the end of the pavement, the gravel road to the left will take you to the trail, about 200 yards downhill on your right.

Riding resources for this trail:
GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
     Herriman BST only
     Herriman area multi-trail file
Lodging, camping, shops:    Links to southern SLC resources