| Thunder Mountain Trail |
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| Just outside Bryce Canyon National Park, Thunder Mountain combines technical
riding with amazing views. And you can ride it as a "scenic loop," a
kick-butt downhill, or a serious hill climb. Before tackling Thunder Mountain,
you should be comfortable riding on loose surfaces, near steep drops, and
through tight switchbacks. The singletrack "business end" of the trail
is 7.9 miles on narrow, slightly rough and occasionally loose surface. From the
trail head to the top of the mountain, it's 1200 feet, but it feels like more. Adding
the Red Canyon paved trail and the Fremont Trail
forms a loop.
Jackie pauses on the ridgeline, heading towards the top of Thunder Mountain. Photos by Bruce, July 17, 2001.
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In the past, most riders did Thunder Mountain as a
top-to-bottom with a shuttle vehicle. But with the construction of the Red
Canyon paved trail (so you don't have to dodge traffic heading uphill on
the highway), the 14.7 mile loop is a great ride.
Out-and-back is a brutal proposition, because it's easy to underestimate the beating your legs will take from the up-and-down of the top 4 miles. If you ride the trail as an out-and-back, it's 15.8 miles, and you'll probably do 3000 vertical. Brucie attacks through the Claron Formation limestone. September 2003. |
| The trail begins at 7050 feet elevation, just off U-12, right where "Red
Canyon" officially begins. If you elect the "hill climb option,"
you'll head south through a loosely-spaced forest of long-leaf pine and cedar
then climb into an otherworldly area of open rock and strange vistas.
After cresting the hill at 8200 feet elevation, you'll cruise through a
moonscape of orange hills with sparsely placed trees.
View alongside the trail, lower on the Thunder Mountain Trail. The rock is very similar to Bryce Canyon. |
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Riding through the forests of the Thunder Mountain Trail will seem strange to bikers who are used to the dense brush and trees of the high Wasatch. Here, long-leaf pines stand well-apart, with low manzanita scrub on rocky soil, and a few cedars sneaking in between the pines. View over the handlebars shows spaced long-leaf pine among manzanita. Manzanita is a handsome spreading shrub with round, firm light-green leaves growing on dark red branches. |
| Most riders do Thunder Mountain as a downhill with a shuttle. For this
option, leave a car at the lower trailhead, then go to the Coyote Hollow
trailhead at elevation 7800 feet. You'll climb slowly to 8200 feet, then begin a
serious downhill. One of the ride's unforgettable moments is the 1/4 mile along
the top of a sharp fin projecting from the valley floor 300 feet below, with
rock falling away at 70 degrees on each side. There are a couple of short climbs
within the canyon, but it's a pretty fast ride when done from the top end.
Some wierd trailside rock formations. |
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For those without a shuttle car, consider doing the uphill on
the paved bike trail (see Red Canyon Trail)
that parallels U-12, up
through Red Canyon. Turn right on the Fremont Trail and proceed to Coyote
Hollow, then do the singletrack as a downhill. The loop option is 14.7 miles.
Walk up to one of the tall long-leaf pines and stick your nose in a crack in
the bark. |
| Riding the trail uphill, you must work your way up switchbacks out of steep Red Rock
Canyon, among orange spires and odd shapes reminiscent of Bryce Canyon. It's 3.9
miles of tough climbing to the top of Thunder Mountain.
Preparing to drop down and through the creek in Red Rock Canyon. |
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Riding the ridgeline in the middle of the climb is wierd.
You may hope that the climb is almost over, but no, you'll descend off
this fin before the final attack on the summit.
View north as Dominic, Matt, and Mike thread along the top of the ridgeline fin. Headed downhill, we'll be dropping off this fin towards the rocks in the background via a series of sharp switchbacks into Red Rock Canyon. Photo September 2003. |
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eastern 4 miles of singletrack is undulates up and down, back and forth. If your
legs are fresh, you may consider this a cruise. But most riders will find
this portion of the ride a satisfying bit of work. The soil here is colored
like a giant melted orange creamsickle, with scattered trees and scrub
struggling to survive.
Near the Coyote Hollow trailhead, the trail rolls up, down, and around mounds of orange and white rocky soil. |
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This soft rock originated at the bottom of a large lake that extended
from eastern Utah into the Bryce Canyon area. It's called the Claron
Formation, dating from about 40 million years ago, long after the
extinction of the dinosaurs.
Bruce attacks an uphill section of Thunder Mountain. |
| Getting there: Coyote Hollow Trailhead: Driving east on U-12, go all the way up Red Canyon until the road levels out in a steppe area at the top (about 8 miles from US-89). Watch for a gravel road GPS N 37° 43.169' W 112° 15.322' (on both the right and left sides of the road) about 1/2 mile after reaching the top of the hill. The road is labeled "Fremont ATV Trail." Turn right and drive 2.1 miles to the Coyote Hollow trailhead at GPS N 37° 42.156' W 112° 16.758'. |
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Thunder Mountain Trailhead: Drive east from US-89 on U-12 (about 3 miles) until you reach the Thunder Mountain parking area on your right, just before "Red Canyon" sign. GPS is N 37° 44.595' W 112° 19.747'.
| Riding resources for this trail: One-page guide to this trail GPS track file for this trail (right-click and "Save as..."):: Garmin National Geographic Google Earth GPX Medium-res topo: View High-res topo (600 KB): View |
[Trails Options
Page] Thanks to Jon Parker for GPS track file. |
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For lodging in the Red Canyon area, as well as travel guides and information on other activities, may we
suggest: |
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