Jones Ranch Trail

Jones Ranch Trail

The Jones Ranch Trail is an easy-intermediate trail in Payson Canyon near Payson Lakes, perfect for a short ride by a beginning mountain biker. The trail can be ridden out-and-back, or as a loop using a short section of the Nebo Loop road, riding the trail either uphill or downhill. This trail also offers a downhill route with shuttle for DH junkies. Bikers also use Jones Ranch as part of the Blackhawk Loop or Shram Creek Loop.

Looking east toward Payson Lakes, a narrow connector trail links Jones Ranch to the lakes (the lakes are a fee area). Photos June 5, 2006.

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The trail has a lot of recent improvements. The surface is mostly packed dirt, with occasional rocks and roots. But depending on moisture and horse traffic, there may be some damp and deeply hoof-hammered spots. Starting altitude is 7500 feet. The slope is reasonable.

Jones Ranch all the way: Follow the signs for trail 123 (L at 1.9 miles, R at 2.1). Uphill, it's 800 vertical feet over 3.0 miles, then a quick drop to the upper trailhead. (If you're doing it downhill on a big DH rig, plan on pushing the bike 100 yards up the hill to start.) If you're looping via the road, add 2.5 miles of pavement.

Jones to Rock Spring: Our favorite. Going uphill, hold left at the 1.9 mile fork and again left at 2.1 to go east on the Rock Springs Trail to the Nebo Loop near the guard station. This is 700 vertical feet of climbing and 3.25 miles. If you're looping via the paved road, add 2 miles.

Looking through the aspens at a newly-improved section of trail, correcting a chronically-swampy area.

The trail is firm enough to ride in early June. But the local cowboys ride this trail while it's still muddy, so you may find some areas of the trail extremely rough and "post-holed." These areas are usually short and easily walked, and they smooth out as more hikers, bikes, and horses hit the trail. If you're taking a new rider who can't handle rough trail surface, check the trail conditions on the UMB forum before riding.

View south as the trail crosses a meadow.

Uphill (counterclockwise) loop ride:
0.0   ST uphill on R side of road
        N 39° 56.544 W 111° 39.449
1.7   Trail joins from L (Payson Lakes)
        N 39° 55.383 W 111° 38.939
1.9   Rock Springs joins from R, keep straight
        N 39° 55.204 W 111° 38.908
2.1   Rock Springs continues straight (L)
        (Jones Ranch trail forks R)
        N 39° 55.120 W 111° 38.695
3.3   At Nebo Loop road, turn L
        N 39° 55.662 W 111° 37.948
5.3   Back at parking

The terrain alternates between open meadows and aspen groves, with occasional fir and pine.

A very nice singletrack loop ride is to go up Jones Ranch and veer onto eastbound Rock Springs as above, then go a tiny bit uphill on the Nebo Loop road and follow the doubletrack on the left up to the Blackhawk Trail. There's also a singletrack connector just a bit downhill. Go north on Blackhawk, then turn left when you hit the Loafer Mountain Trail and climb back to the road. At the road, coast a half-mile downhill to the parking area. The ride is just over 6 miles.

Getting there: Going south, take the Payson exit 250 from I-15 and turn left. Head into Payson on U-115 to the traffic light, then turn left (100 North, U-198). About 1/3 mile later, at the top of a small hill, turn right at 600 East. Zero your odometer here.
Lower trailhead -- Drive 10.9 miles up the Nebo Loop Road. (Pass the Grotto Trail and Bennie Creek Cutoff Trail. Pass the Shram Creek trailhead and cross a cattleguard, then go another 1.8 miles up the road.) Watch for a parking area with a wood-rail fence on your left. The trail starts uphill on the right side of the road, across from the parking area. N 39° 56.544 W 111° 39.449
Rock Springs trailhead -- Keep driving uphill past both Payson Lakes entry stations. About 1/4 mile after the second entry, watch for a small wooden building on the right, then turn right into a dirt road with a "Rock Springs" sign. N 39° 55.662 W 111° 37.948
Upper Jones Ranch trailhead -- Drive about 2 miles uphill from the lower trailhead. Watch for a "Jones Ranch" sign on the right. N 39° 54.992 W 111° 38.068. Turn right into the dirt road and veer right to a primitive camping spot about 150 yards later. The trail starts on the south (uphill) side of that camping area. N 39° 55.068 W 111° 38.109

Riding resources for this trail:
Single-page riding guide
GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
Garmin Jones Ranch Garmin Jones to Rock Spring to Road
National Geographic Google Earth GPX (plus Shram)
Large-format topo map (700K): download

For lodging in the Utah Valley area, as well as travel guides and information on other activities, may we suggest:
Lodging: http://www.utahvalley.org
Camping info: http://www.outdoorsinutah.com/neboloop-camping.htm
Utah National Forest Camping and Picnic sites: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/maps/brochures/camp_picnick_utah.pdf