Bonneville Shoreline
Draper
Section,
Including Oak Hollow and Spring Hollow Trails
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Surprisingly nice for a trail so close to civilization, the Bonneville
Shoreline on Draper's south mountain is a worthwhile ride. This section is
4.8 miles in length. The Shoreline itself has only 200 feet of absolute
elevation change, but up-and-down riding yields about 600 feet of
climbing. If you connect via the Oak Hollow or Spring Hollow trails,
you'll climb an extra 500 vertical to reach the Shoreline.
View east on the Shoreline Trail. The
track is fairly narrow, with steep sideslopes. Photos May 10, 2006. |
| The Draper section of the Bonneville Shoreline trail rates
an intermediate skill level. This is thin singletrack, with some sections
of tight turns in trees, a few tricky switchbacks, and a few short
sections of talus (loose rock). The connecting trails, Oak Hollow and
Spring Hollow, are upper intermediate. At the time of my ride, Spring
Hollow had a very narrow track (10 inches) in some scrub sections, with
roots and stumps ready to endo the unwary downhiller.
You can ride the Shoreline as an out-and-back. In this case, I suggest
parking at the hang-gliding park (end of Steep Mountain Drive, first right
after starting up Traverse Mountain Road). There's another parking area on
Mike Weir Drive, a mile from the eastern end of the trail.
We're climbing up the Oak Hollow Trail
toward the BS. Despite traversing an area thick with homes, the connector
trails feel private and isolated. |
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An excellent short loop ride is to park at the Draper Pool
(Vestry Drive, just east of the roundabout) and climb Oak Hollow, go left
instead of tunneling under the road, then dropping off the Shoreline at
the Mike Weir trailhead to go downhill on Spring Hollow. When you reach
Vestry Drive, you can jog right 50 feet to find the trail downhill to
Highland Drive, or turn left on Vestry to head back to the pool. My
suggestion: go back via Vestry (as shown in the map below). It's pretty
and quiet. If you jog over to find the continuing trail, it takes you down
a fenced chute between several back yards, then connects with the sidewalk
along Highland Drive.
Looking west towards the Oquirrh
Mountains. We've climbed Oak Hollow, and are now heading west toward the
gliding park. |
| For a longer ride, start at the pool. Climb Oak Hollow. Go
underneath Traverse Mountain Road. After climbing out of the gulley, the
singletrack will intersect a small dirt road. Go right 100 feet, then
right again on singletrack. As you climb to the top, there may be a trail
fork at the ridgetop (May 06, still under construction). Right (west) is
the Shoreline. Left, I'm guessing, will take you up Maple Hollow once the
trail is finished. |
| After riding the Shoreline to the edge of the gravel
pit, reverse course. (Keep right and uphill at any forks on the way back.)
Drop through the tunnel again, and fork right. The trail will wind around
and hit Mike Weir Drive. Go across. A new cut is being created for the BS
trail. If it's complete, you can go left after crossing the road.
Otherwise, go right after crossing the street and find the singletrack 200
feet west. Head to the east end of the Shoreline, then double back 0.9
mile and drop down to parking on Mike Weir. Head east (right) 200 feet,
and find the Spring Hollow Trail at the east end of the guardrail on the
downhill side of the road. When you hit Vestry Road, turn left and head 1
mile back to the pool. (Distance = 11 miles, vertical = 1000.)
Looking east as we ride the eastern
end of the Shoreline. |
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Oak Hollow, Pool to Tunnel: 0.8 miles
Tunnel to flight park: 2.6 miles
Connector Oak Hollow to Mike Weir: 0.9 miles
Mike Weir crossing to Mike Weir trailhead: 0.5 miles
Mike Weir trailhead to east end: 0.9 miles
Spring Hollow, Weir to Vestry: 0.8 miles
Vestry to Pool: 1 mile
We're descending the Spring Hollow
Trail. There's some open area like this, as the trail flirts with a few
greens of the golf course. There's also forested riding. |
| If you continue east on the Draper Bonneville Shoreline
trail, it will climb up the hill as Mike Weir turns and descends. You'll
go up and around some new homes, then descend to Clark's Trail. From here,
you can climb Clark's (and perhaps do a loop through Ghost Falls and
back), or drop down to the Coyote Hollow trailhead, where you can catch
one of two trails descending east that can link you up with the Bonneville
Shoreline as it climbs up to the Corner Canyon Road. (The southern SLC
section of the Bonneville Shoreline continues across the road.) |
| Note: This trail system is evolving. A new,
lower cut was being done (May 06) along west Mike Weir Drive, and was
about 60% complete. A new trail, presumably climbing Maple Hollow, is
being cut at the ride's high point 1/3 mile southwest of the tunnel.
Here's the trailhead of the BST on the
Corner Canyon Road. Picnic tables are under each trellis. The narrow
singletrack heads southwest from here, across the road is broader trail
heading toward Sandy. |
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Getting there: To start at the Draper Pool,
leave I-15 at the Bluffdale exit and go east. Just after climbing the long
hill, you'll come to a light. Go straight, then take the next right turn
at Vestry Drive in 0.5 mile. Roll around the roundabout to go left, then
turn into the pool parking. To start the ride, head back to the roundabout
and find the trail on the uphill-southwest side.
Red Rock (Mike Weir) trailhead: Leave I-15 and climb the hill as above,
but turn right at the light on Traverse Mountain Road. After one mile,
turn left onto Mike Weir Drive. The trailhead parking is on your right,
1/2 mile later.
Coyote Hollow trailhead: Take the Bluffdale exit from I-15 and turn
east towards the mountains. Climb the hill as above, but turn right at the
light on Traverse Mountain Road. After one mile, turn into Mike Weir Drive
on your left. Pass the Mike Weir trailhead 1/2 mile later and continue
another half mile until the road veers left downhill. Take the next right
turn, turn right again, then left. You should now be on Gray Fox Drive.
Take the next right into Coyote Hollow Court. The parking is on the right
at the end of the pavement. |
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