Snowbird

Snowbird "The Bird Trail"

Snowbird Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon offers two loops sharing one section of common singletrack. Or, you can ride the gravel tram road to the top of the mountain. Intermediate riders will like the Easy Loop, which is a friendly but short ride. At 8100 feet, the stiff climb on the Big Loop and the tram road are brutal. The riding isn't particularly technical, but climbing the steep, rocky, loose "Dick Bass Highway" singletrack portion of the Big Loop (without touching down) takes some skill.

Looking north across the valley at the granite peaks dividing Little Cottonwood from Big Cottonwood. Photos by Bruce, July 28, 2003.

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The Big Loop (3 miles total) has a killer climb in either direction. Counterclockwise up the tram road, it's 700 vertical feet in just under a mile. Clockwise, it's 600 ft in 3/4 mile up the Dick Bass Highway. Snowbird's annual race takes the clockwise version.

Grunting up the tram road to Hidden Peak, it's 3000 vertical in 4 miles. Bring it on! But most riders happily plunk down the tram fee ($14, $18/day in 2003) for a ride to the top, say "Oooooh, Aaaaaah" at the views from the top, then ride the road down. The tram runs every day.

View through the trees on the singletrack between Gad and Dick Bass.

The Easy Loop links the gravel service road from the base of the Gad lift to the singletrack that traverses the lower mountain. This loop is a smidgen under 2 miles, with only about 200 total vertical.

View of the ski slope, near the Plaza.

Advanced riders may want to connect to the White Pine Trail. The connector singletrack is found just uphill from the Gad lift. This narrow singletrack is a very technical (but very fun) descent, 1 mile in length, joining the main White Pine trailhead just as the trail crosses the river.

View down the tram road on the Big Loop. The Salt Lake Valley and Bingham Canyon copper mine are visible in the background.

Easy Loop riding directions, clockwise:
0.0 Cross creek to Mid-Gad chairlift,
        turn L (E) on DT
0.6 Hard R on DT, 100 ft then R on ST (W)
       (If you cross a paved walking trail, you're lost.
       Backtrack. 100 yards past building on L,
       veer L uphill on smaller DT.)
1.4 Cross DT to ST
1.7 ST joins DT, keep straight (E)
       ST on L is White Pine connector
1.9 Back at Mid-Gad chair

Big Loop riding directions, counterclockwise:
0.0   Cross creek to Mid-Gad chairlift,
        continue straight uphill onto main DT
0.1   L on ST, (Bird Trail)
0.8   ST joins DT (keep L), 100 ft R on DT
1.0   Hard R on ST (Dick Bass Hwy)
1.8   R (downhill) on DT
2.5   L on ST
2.8   ST joins DT, keep straight (E)
        ST on L is White Pine connector
2.9   Back at Mid-Gad chair

Tram Road: To take the tram to the top, take Entry 2 and go to the Snowbird Center. Buy a pass at the ticket office, then go into the tram building east of the plaza. To ride to the top via the tram road, cross the river and head right downhill on DT along the river until you hit the Mid-Gad chairlift. Turn left and head uphill. To climb the Dick Bass Highway singletrack to the tram road, cross the river and turn left. Just past the paved walking trail, fork hard right uphill on singletrack. When you reach the road, turn left.

Racing! Snowbird is the site of an Intermountain Cup race. Here's Bruce in July 2005. For a topo map showing the race loop, click here.

Getting there: From I-15, take the 90th South exit. Drive east. 90th South will veer southward to become 9400 South. Keep straight until you hit the mouth of the canyon. When the road ends at the stop sign at the Little Cottonwood Canyon road (U-210), turn right towards the flashing canyon sign. Drive 5.8 miles up the canyon. For the Mid-Gad Chair trailhead, turn right into Snowbird Entry 1. Park immediately and cross Little Cottonwood Creek to find the Mid-Gad chairlift. The Easy Loop starts with the dirt road that parallels the creek, heading east up past the Snowbird Center. The Big Loop starts by climbing up the first switchback on the gravel road heading south uphill. For the Tram and Snowbird Center, take Entry 2, 0.5 mile further up-canyon.

Riding resources for this trail:
Single-page printable riding guide
GPS race loop track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
Garmin National Geographic Google Earth GPX
Race Loop topo map (120 KB): download

For additional information, including nearby lodging, rentals, camping, and current conditions, may we suggest:
General info on visiting Salt Lake City: http://www.slctravel.com/ http://www.go-utah.com/salt-lake-city
Lodging in Salt Lake City: http://www.utah.com/lodging/saltlakecity.htm
Utah outdoor activities: http://www.utahoutdooractivities.com/
Camping: http://www.outdoorsinutah.com/littlecottonwoodcanyon-camping.htm
Snowbird Resort: http://www.snowbird.com/
Alta Resort: http://www.alta.com/
Ranger District (includes dog regulations, camping): http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/wcnf/unit/slrd/questions.shtml