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Dutch Hollow Trail System
Dutch Hollow Trail System is a series of interconnected singletrack loops. The typical segment of trail is about 1.5 to 3 miles, so you can put together an amazing variety of rides. The full system offers around 14 miles of singletrack, plus the Dutchman Road. These trails were built specifically for riding, not as a route to a destination. |
| Photo above: Typical trail view, with narrow singletrack twisting through small groves of trees -- usually gambel oak, but occasional maple and choke cherry. Original photos and trail write-up June 2, 2003 by Bruce. Updated June 2010. |
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| The trails are located in a foothill area just northeast of
Midway, southwest of Jordanelle Reservoir. Trailhead altitude is 5750
feet. Peak singletrack altitude is 6400. Trail distance is up to you.
There are dozens of riding combinations -- and the same trail is a
completely different experience when taken in the opposite direction.
There are many ridgelines from which to grab a fabulous view. The snow-covered tops of Provo Peak (left) and Timpanogos (right) are visible from many trails. |
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You're riding through a scrub forest of Gambel Oak, with an
occasional maple and choke cherry. Areas between oak groves are filled
with sage. The trail base is mostly red dirt, with occasional outcrops of
rough conglomerate. The dirt is veeeerrrry soft and sticky when wet.
Horses can severely damage these trails in early spring. For example, I
can't recommend Gobbler's Gulch at this time (2010) because the lower 2/3
of this fall-line trail is now just a trench.
View back towards the farms of Midway from lower altitude, on Dutchman Way. |
| You can create loop rides from trails
that are smooth and reasonably easy (Aqueduct, Cottontail, Sage). Or
hit the tough stuff (Boneyard, 1000 Turns, Enchanted Forest) for narrow
and rough with roots, rocks, and stumps. Or Barrell for a buckaroo DH. It's your call. The tougher
singletrack is very narrow, with close-in oak, so you can have yourself a
pretty mean ride.
View from the Boneyard trail, looking northeast towards US-40. The tan area is the Jordanelle Dam. |
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Easiest stuff:
Cottontail Loop. Go either direction. Clockwise, find the Sage/Cottontail trail as the road enters the parking area on the north. Shortly after starting the climb, fork left on Cottontail. Pass Aqueduct and merge again with Sage, then rapidly fork right on Cottontail. As the trail reaches Burnt Ridge, consider doing the loop to the viewpoint, or just drop down the other side of Cottontail back to parking. View of the newer The Barrell, a downhill-only trail. There aren't any drops, jumps, or rock gardens -- just dipping swerving singletrack. |
| Hardest stuff:
From the trail kiosk, take the southern end of Cottontail up to Burnt Ridge. Do the loop, then head UP the rocky ridge trail. Pass Connector, Gobblers, and merge with Sage. Now turn left right on Enchanted Forest. At the bottom, climb up 1000 Turns. Merge with Enchanted Forest and turn left on Sage then left on Gobblers/Boneyard. Fork R on Boneyard and ride it to the bottom, then climb UP Enchanted Forest. This time, drop right (west) on Sage and take Aqueduct to Barrell. Paintbrush and scarlet gilia dot the trail sides with red color. |
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Intermediate stuff:
Take Cottontail at the kiosk up to Burnt Ridge. Do the loop at the viewpoint, then drop off on northbound Cottontail. At Sage, turn uphill and climb to the top. Turn left, then keep left to drop west down Sage to Aqueduct. Fly down Aqueduct to Cottontail again. From 1000 Turns, we're looking out over the Provo River along US-40 north of Heber. |
| To ride all the singletrack in one day will mean duplicating
some trail sections, and will yield about 20 miles (assuming you connect
Donkey Ridge and Interlaken by pavement). See if you can put it all
together!
Be on your best manners when you encounter horses on these trails -- which you probably will. Like beginning mountain bikers, "beginning horses" may be poorly trained and may spook. Give the horse plenty of warning, and a wide margin for passing. If a horse is skittish, it helps to lay your bike down in the brush and turn so you're facing away from the trail as the horse passes. |
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Add-on: Dutchman Road.
Upper Dutchman Road is pretty. After two miles the road begins climbing in earnest, 500 vertical per mile, with rocks, creek crossings, and loose tilted stuff. As you gain altitude, you enter maple, then aspen forest. The ridgeline is a long 4 miles away at 7400 feet elevation. Handlebar view on the Dutchman Road. Although you may think the "road" should be easy, it's a pretty tough ride after the first two miles. |
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Getting There: From Provo Canyon, drive east to
the end of Deer Creek Reservoir. Right where the water ends, turn left
(north) on U-113. Zero your odometer. Drive north 3.8 miles into Midway,
and turn right (east) as U-113 turns right in the middle of town. 0.4
miles later (mile 4.2), turn left (north) on 400 East (River Road). This
is the road that goes just to the west of the memorial hill. At
mile 5.4 you'll hit a traffic circle. Take the first exit (not the
driveway, though), so you'll turn from north to east. At mile 6.1, a sign points you to Dutchman Hollow
- Dutch Canyon. Turn left and drive 0.5 mile on pavement. The pavement
ends at a turnaround where the Dutchman Way trail begins, GPS N 40°
32.495' W 111° 27.224'. Turn right
downhill at the sign for Wasatch Mountain State Park. The preferred
parking area is 0.3 miles down the gravel road to your right. Trailhead
info (and bathroom) is at GPS N 40° 32.704' W 111° 27.187'
From Salt Lake City, go up Parleys Canyon on I-80, then turn right (south) on US-40. Just after descending from the dam, watch for River Road on your right. Drive about 2 miles, turning right at the Dutch Canyon sign. Find the trailhead as above. |
| Riding resources: Single-page, printable trail guide GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."): Multi-track area file: GPX 2011 ICup loop track: GPX High-res 2010 topo map, with color-coded trails: View Lodging, camping, shops: Links to area resources |
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