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Lambert Park Trail
Looking for delicious upper-intermediate singletrack that you can ride in
the middle of the winter? Or anytime? Head to Alpine's Lambert Park.
Lambert Park is a foothill area on the edge of the national forest.
Over 16 miles of singletrack trails meander though scrub oak, maple, fir,
and sage. The singletrack rates intermediate to advanced-intermediate
because of bumpy terrain, quick turns, and tight spots.
Mike Engberson hits the
sidewall on a tight turn in the ravine of the Rodeo Trail. June 30, 2000. |
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Note: Portions of some trails (Ziggy, Flank,
and Corkscrew) go outside the boundaries of Lambert Park and lie on private
property.
Please obey any posted signs. For a map showing the borders
of the private property, click
here.
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| The trail is enjoyable in all seasons. In the winter it's
usually the only singletrack ride north of St. George. In the spring,
it's a mass of flowers and deer. Lambert Park is warm and dry three months
before the canyon trails clear of snow. There are many different ways to ride Lambert Park.
(You can hit every trail in one day, but that's a monster ride.) We'll
tell you about a couple of the local riders' favorite routes.
There are only a few days during the
entire year when you can't ride these trails. In the winter, start your
ride around 10 a.m., before the exposed dirt gets squishy. Here Matt
makes a turn on the Rodeo Trail. January, 2000. |
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In addition to its singletrack system, Lambert Park has
doubletrack for ATVs, motorcycles, beginning cyclists, and horses.
Motorized vehicles are forbidden on the singletrack ($500 fine). Some
singletrack trails are closed to horses because of risk of injury to
horse/rider/cyclist (Rodeo, Lambert's Luge). Although built by cyclists
specifically for mountain biking, equestrians are welcome to ride most of
Lambert's singletrack when conditions are appropriate.
Videos: the Lambert Park trail has
THREE video clips available: "Alpine's Lambert Park," "Four
Seasons," and "Night Ride." See our video section.
Bruce Argyle rolls among oak
on the River Trail, with his dog Jackie in pursuit. June
30, 2000, photo by Mike Engberson.
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| Taste 'o Lambert. Beginner. Fun but non-threatening, no brutal climbing.
About 3 miles. Start at the Rodeo Grounds. Ride down Rodeo to the River
Trail. Follow the River Trail until it turns back to become the Middle
Trail. Ride Middle back to Rodeo Up.
Lambert Classic. Intermediate. A
nice ride, with moderate amounts of climbing. Start at the Rodeo Grounds
parking. Go down Rodeo, turn onto River. At the south end, curve back
north onto Middle. Turn right onto Ziggy then right again to Zag. Right
uphill on Ziggy, follow Ziggy down. Back at Middle, turn right on
Middle, then right on Poppy and continue on Ruin. Right on Middle. Right
on Spring and climb all the way up and around, then connect to Rodeo Up to
get back to parking. |
Diane cruises past the poppies of the
Poppy Trail.
May 25, 2001.
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Buckaroo. Expert.
Whoop-de-doos, bike handling challenges, climbing, and bombing on the
cooler north end of Lambert. Start at the Rodeo Grounds parking. Take Rodeo Down
then left onto Rodeo Up. Right onto Middle Spring and climb the hill. Left
on Spring and bomb downhill. Catch the last 1/2 of Rodeo Up, and drop left
into
Rodeo Down. Fly to Middle, then turn left on Spring and climb. Just after
passing the spring, here are your options: left on Middle Spring, or right
on upper Rodeo. Drop to the bottom of Rodeo, then climb back Rodeo Up.
Repeat various permutations until you puke. After climbing up, try going
right Spring to descend the southern side (clockwise direction) of Spring.
A racer at the Frozen Hog winter race at Lambert.
February 2005. |
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Tour de Lambo. Expert. A long
ride that hits the highlights of Lambert. Start at the Rodeo Grounds
parking. Take Rodeo Down, and continue on down Middle. Left at Ziggy,
then right on Zag. Connect to Ziggy and climb up and around. On the way
down, take a left on Corkscrew. Just before the bottom, right on
Flank. At the road, go down a bit and turn right on Middle. Turn right uphill on Poppy
and continue around to Ruin. Left to retrace a bit on Middle, then cross
the road to River. Veer left on High Bench and follow it all the way until
it rejoins River, then keep straight to the Spring shortcut. Right on
Spring, then veer left onto
Lambert's Luge. At the bottom, join High Bench and go back south to join River.
Curve around onto Middle and ride northward, turning right on Spring.
Climb Spring all the way to the top, then drop off the hill on Middle Spring.
Connect to Rodeo and find your car.
Mike hits the corkscrew. June
30, 2000 |
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Trail Descriptions:
Black Dog. Trail winds from the middle of Corkscrew down to Flank, just
south of the water tank. Some
technical aspects, length 0.5 miles with 200 vertical feet elevation change.
Brown Dog. Tougher trail extending from Corkscrew to Indian, just
north of the water tank. Length 0.3 miles, 150 vertical feet elevation change,
offers some rock stunts at trailside.
Corkscrew. North to south, it climbs south from mid-Ziggy, then plunges
rapidly to the far south end of Lambert. From the south, it's a brutal climb.
From the south, it's often used as a connector from the city trail to Flank.
Length 0.8 miles, elevation change 220 feet. North end off
northern Ziggy N 40° 28.199 W 111° 45.091 - South end @ City Trail N 40° 27.656
W 111° 45.167. (Both ends of Corkscrew lie on private land. Only the central
section is on city property.)
| Corkscrew Note, October
2007: A trench has been dug across the private property line on
corkscrew, about 150 feet north of where it crosses Ziggy. To continue
your ride, descend Ziggy. Shortly after crossing the doubletrack, turn
left on Zag where it crosses Ziggy. This trail will take you up some
switchbacks to Corkscrew. (The plan for this trail, temporarily dubbed
"White Dog", is to become "the new Zag" when the
private property is developed.) |
Flank. Short connector ties the bottom of Corkscrew to the water tank road
to join River or Middle. Usually open year-round. Length 0.4 miles. South
end at Corkscrew N 40° 27.699 W 111° 45.106 - North end water tank road N 40°
27.961 W 111° 45.317. (The south end of Flank lies on private land.)
High Bench. North-south route on far western side of Lambert Park.
Upper-intermediate. Forks off River at both northern and southern ends. Forested
areas snowbound in winter. 1.1 mile, elevation change 130 feet. North
end @ River Tr just after it forks off Middle near Box Elder road N 40° 28.533
W 111° 45.423 - South end @ church road N 40° 27.898 W 111° 45.341
Indian: Short trail connects upper Zag (just below the road past the
water tank) to Flank.
Lambert's Luge. Challenging route from the lower portion of Spring to High Bench, features tight
turns, whoop-de-doos. After passing the connector to Ruin Trail, it's downhill
only. No horses! Crosses Middle and River on the way down. 0.5 miles, elevation change 120
feet. North end @ Spring Tr N 40° 28.460 W 111° 45.323 -
South (downhill) end @ High Bench Tr N 40° 28.212 W 111° 45.593. Access to
downhill portion off Ruin @ N 40° 28.287 W 111° 45.327.
Middle Spring. Serpentine narrow trail with tight turns and challenges, connects
top of Spring to top of Rodeo Trail. Advanced. Climb or descend. 0.6 miles.
Elevation change 150 feet. Bottom @ Rodeo Up N 40° 28.669 W
111° 45.028 - Top @ Spring Tr N 40° 28.648 W 111° 44.768
Middle. Fairly straight north-south route, intermediate. "Main
Street" of Lambert, with access to River, Rodeo, Spring, Ruin, Poppy, Ziggy.
Usually open year-round. 1 mile, elevation change 130 feet. North
end @ Box Elder paved road N 40° 28.540 W 111° 45.400 - South end @ water tank
road N 40° 27.963 W 111° 45.340
Perimeter. Older trail broken up by subdivision construction, crosses upper
Ziggy going north-south, connects to Corkscrew.
Poppy. Climbs from the Middle Trail up to the poppy field near the old
homestead. Access to Ziggy, continues as Ruin Trail at Ziggy intersection.
Usually open year-round. Length 0.4 miles, elevation change 100 feet. Bottom
end @ Middle Tr N 40° 28.000 W 111° 45.388 - Top at Ruin/Ziggy fork N 40° 28.236
W 111° 45.280
River. North-south route, intermediate. Usually open year-round. Access to
High Bench trail at each end. 1 mile,
elevation change 130 feet. North end @ Middle Tr N 40° 28.527 W
111° 45.390 - South end @ water tank road N 40° 27.963 W 111° 45.340
Rodeo Down. Downhill ONLY. No horses.
Extends from the north side of the creek at the tippy-top of Spring (where the
water comes out of the mountain, criss-crossing bridges over the creek down to a
thrill-a-second hoop-de-doo down a wash. Very popular
trail, usually snowbound in the winter, clears in March. 0.5 miles. 150 feet
elevation change. Top @ N 40° 28.620 W 111° 45.757. Short connector to rodeo grounds parking
@ N 40° 28.682 W 111° 45.033. Bottom joins Rodeo Up N 40° 28.560 W
111° 45.405
Rodeo Up. Uphill ONLY. Climbing route to the top of Rodeo Down. Connects to
Middle Spring to continue uphill. 0.5 miles. Bottom end via
connector to Box Elder paved road N 40° 28.553 W 111° 45.392 - Upper end
connect Rodeo Down N 40° 28.693 W 111° 45.034
Ruin. From top of Poppy Trail to Middle Trail. Goes past old Lambert homestead.
Features jumps when ridden top-to-bottom. Access to Lambert's Luge just before
the first jump. Usually open year-round. Length 0.6 miles, elevation change 100
feet. Top at Poppy/Ziggy fork N 40° 28.236 W 111° 45.280 -
Bottom @ Middle Tr N 40° 28.027 W° 111 45.441
Spring. Long loop, 400 feet climbing, upper intermediate to advanced. Recommend
counter-clockwise. Not recommended in winter. Runs from center of Middle Trail,
connects to Middle Spring at top, curves around to connect to Rodeo Up. Access to north end of Lambert's Luge just before crossing
Box Elder road. 2 miles. South end @ Middle Trail N 40° 28.379 W
111° 45.438 - North end connects Rodeo Up N 40° 28.681 W 111° 45.207.
(Shortcut off beginning of Middle near Box Elder Road @ N 40° 28.527 W 111° 45.390)
White Dog. Winding trail connects upper Zag (near the private property
border) to Corkscrew, 0.3 miles.
Zag. Back-and-forth meandering trail takes its time climbing from the base of
Ziggy to the middle of Ziggy near the Corkscrew fork. Length 1 mile, elevation
change 150 feet. Downhill end on southern downhill Ziggy @ N 40°
27.998 W 111° 45.370 - Uphill end on Ziggy (northern part of Ziggy loop) @ N 40°
28.198 W 111° 45.100
Ziggy. Climbs from the top of the Poppy-Ruin loop high on the mountain, then
bombs back down to the Middle Trail. Access to Zag, Corkscrew. Upper portions
may have deep snow in winter. Length 1.2 miles, elevation change 200 feet. Northern
end begins at intersection of Poppy/Ruin @ N 40° 28.236 W 111° 45.280 -
Southern (downhill) end @ Middle Tr near water tank road N 40° 27.973 W 111° 45.363.
(North Ziggy and South Ziggy down to just past the crossover with Zag lie on
private land. Re-routed below Wilderness area July 2007.)
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Milder Climbs:
Rodeo up, then rodeo down near rodeo grounds (without
climbing Middle Spring)
Poppy up, Ruin down
Zag up, then left down Ziggy and down Ruin.
Harder Climbs:
Spring (counterclockwise from Middle)
Rodeo and Middle Spring up, down Spring clockwise or down
Rodeo
Poppy up, then Ziggy up, down Ziggy
Corkscrew up, intersect Ziggy up counter-clockwise.
Note: Some trails shown on this map go beyond the boundaries of Lambert
Park onto private property. Please obey all posted notices. To see the map
with private property borders, click
here.
See Corkscrew note, above.
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Getting there: Take I-15 to the
Alpine/Highland exit, just south of Point-of-the-Mountain. Drive straight east 5 miles
towards the mountains, turning left at the stoplight in Highland (where you see the
grocery store and gas station). Drive 2 miles north into Alpine to the 4-way stop at 200
North. Turn right. At the next stop sign, turn left. You'll be on 200 East, which becomes
Grove Drive. Continue northeast on Grove for two miles. The road will turn
90 degrees to the right. Pass two streets on your left, then arrive at a T
in the road. Turn right, across the river.
Rodeo grounds: Keep
left at the fork and drive 0.25 mile on pavement, then turn right onto a dirt road and
drive 0.25 mile. The trailhead is on the right side of the road, about 0.1 mile before the
rodeo arena (just when you first glimpse the arena). The trail may not be not easy to spot
-- it starts about 30 feet off the road.
Bowery: Keep right at the fork as you cross the river on the
paved road. Pass the High Bench dirt road on your right. About 300 feet further up the paved
road, keep straight and enter a dirt road, while the paved road turns to the
right. The Bowery pavilion is on the left, 500 feet up the dirt road.Church
trailhead: About 1.5 miles up Grove Drive (as above), turn right on
Alpine Boulevard. Go 1/2 mile to a big church. The trailhead starts
alongside the fence near the small outbuilding and trash bins at the edge
of the church's parking lot. When the trail crosses a small creek to join
another trail, you're on High Bench. |
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