Wasatch Crest Trail
This trail has a VIDEO.

Looking southwest across Big Cottonwood Canyon

View southwest overlooking Solitude Resort and Big Cottonwood Canyon. The tilted rock layers seen on the mountains are caused by a warp along the Wasatch Fault. (If you were looking at the Wasatch Front from the west desert, the layers would form a "smile" from Big Cottonwood to Ogden.) Precambrian and Cambrian rocks are exposed on the walls of Big Cottonwood, while to the north, younger layers (such as the Jurassic rock of Parley's Canyon) are exposed at the same height. A bit further north, the older layers are again raised up, with Precambrian Quartzite again exposed near Ogden.
September 28, 1998, Bruce Argyle.

View back along the trail, looking east.

The Wasatch Crest Trail runs along the ridge between Big Cottonwood Canyon and the Park City area, then descends towards the Salt Lake valley via Mill Creek Canyon. This is a popular, well-maintained, and well-travelled trail. It forms part of the Great Western Trail. (Other sections we've ridden include Ridge 157,   Timpanogos Perimeter, and Timpanooke Loop.) Most riders begin at Guardsman Pass and ride towards Salt Lake, using a shuttle car to return to Guardsman Pass. Hardbodies will climb from Mill Creek Canyon's Big Water trail, then turn around at the radio shacks where the single-track ends and run back for a 20-mile out-and-back. The trail clears of snow in late June to early July.

Matt's brother Grant Flygare and Grant's wife Melody ride the Crest trail towards Desolation Lake. September 18, 1999.

The trail is mostly hardpacked dirt. Starting just below Guardsman's Pass, it climbs two miles up a dirt road through pines and aspens to reach the crest. This brutal climb is called "Puke Hill," and is the only prolonged climb. Altitude at the top is 9900 feet. After the second transmission shack, it converts to single track. The trail rolls up and down, with fabulous views of the granite peaks southward in Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood canyons.

After the trail drops into Mill Creek Canyon, you'll follow the trail signs to the Lower Big Water Trail. The trail ends in the parking lot in upper Mill Creek Canyon.

Dominic Bria climbs towards the ridge east of Desolation Lake. Photo by Bruce Argyle, Sept. 18, 1999.

This trail is beautiful, summer or fall.

UtahMountainBiking.com is your source for bike trail info, repair instructions, feature articles, first aid, fitness, and goodies.

The sharp fin of rock above Desolation Lake is a challenge for the very best riders. The ridge is a col, a fin left standing between two glaciers as they ate into the mountain towards each other (there's a glacial cirque and lake on either side of the fin). Unless you're one of the elite, plan to walk your bike over this area -- or plan for some on-trail repairs and bandaging. Our last ride, we watched quite a few expert riders "try-and-die" as we were repairing our damaged steeds. Not one rider cleaned the ridge.
Rose hips. When they dry, they make great tea! Into late summer, the trail is surrounded by sticky geranium, wild flax, paintbrush, daisy, wild rose, and arnica. Later in the season, currants, rose hips, and elderberry provide color as the leaves turn yellow. Until you drop into north Mill Creek Canyon, every inch of the trail has a fabulous view extending over miles of alpine landscape.

Rose hips ripen in the autumn sun..

After Desolation Lake, the trail turns north towards Mill Creek Canyon and runs along the ridge overlooking the ski lifts of The Canyons (formerly Wolf Mountain, formerly Park West) ski area. This section of the trail (Mill Creek Canyon) is open to mountain bikers on even days only -- you can bike the 28th, but not the 29th.

Conquering Puke Hill. (Left to Right) Dominic Bria (Mad Sci marketing consultant), Melody and husband Grant Flygare, Matt Flygare, Bruce (the Mad Scientist), and Mike Engberson (Mad Sci manager)

A bunch of hard-core bikers...

Mill D option: Another option for riding the Wasatch Crest is to start at Mill D North Fork in Big Cottonwood. Shuttle or ride to the trail head. You can bomb down Mill D North Fork from Desolation Lake, or make the loop around north Mill Creek Canyon and catch the Dog Lake trail back to Mill D. See the Mill D North Fork page.
Park City epic loops:  For real hammerheads, consider riding the Wasatch Crest from Park City. Starting at Spiro, you climb to Scott's Pass, then drop back to the Midmountain trail at the fork above Mill Creek Canyon. Return via the Midmountain Trail (real epic), or drop down to the Canyons to return via the paved Olympic Trail. (See GPS files.)
Dominic Bria overlooking Desolation Lake The entire trip from Guardsman Pass to the Big Water Trail parking area is around 13 miles. Most bikers do it as a one-way, with a shuttle car in Mill Creek. Another option (our personal favorite) is to ride the Crest to Big Water, run 4 miles down the Mill Creek Canyon road, ride the Pipeline Trail to Rattlesnake Gulch, then run out the bottom of the canyon (26 miles). If you're a "lonely biker," you can do an out-and-back or complete a loop on the Cottonwood side by dropping down the trail to Desolation Lake to the Mill D North Fork trail, linking up with the Big Cottonwood road across from Reynolds Flat. (Intersection of the Crest with the Desolation Lake trail is GPS N 40° 39.508' W 111° 35.756'.)

Worth another look in any season. Dominic on the ridge above Desolation Lake. Bruce Argyle, August 10, 1999.

A video introduction to this trail is available
for download on our Video Page.

Getting there: Guardsman Pass trailhead: Get to Big Cottonwood Canyon (Wasatch Blvd and 72nd South) and drive up past Solitude Resort (about 15 miles). Just before you reach Brighton, the road to Guardsman Pass turns off on your left. At 0.8 miles, you'll see a red metal gate. Exactly one mile later (1.8 miles from the fork in the road), you'll see a dirt road on the left. GPS N 40° 36.817' W 111° 33.532'. Park along the hairpin turn and bike up the road. (There's a second -- closed -- gate about 100 yards up the road. Just pack your bike around the gate and continue.)

View from the ridge line looking at Desolation Lake, with Dr. Argyle's old hardtail bicycle in the foreground. This is a glacial lake, with the rounded valley (called a cirque) carved out by the weight of moving ice. September 28, 1998.

Desolation Lake from just east of the saddle ridge

Wasatch Crest Trail Map Mill Creek trailhead: Get to Foothill Blvd on the east bench of Salt Lake City via I-215. Exit at 39th South. Take 3800 South eastbound into the Canyon. Drive all the way to the top of the canyon. The trail begins on the south end of the Big Water Trailhead parking area GPS N 40° 40.922' W 111° 34.199'. (Note: the gate to upper Mill Creek Canyon is open to cars July 1 to November 1. Mountain bikes are only allowed on upper Mill Creek trails on EVEN numbered days!)

For pictures of other sections of this awesome trail, go to the Desolation Lake (Mill Creek) and the Dog Lake (Big Water) page.

Riding resources for this trail:
Single-page riding guide
GPS track files and route (right-click and "Save as..."):
   Garmin     National Geographic     Google Earth     GPX
GPS files including Dog Lake and Mill D North Fork:
   Garmin     National Geographic     Google Earth     GPX
GPS files, loop rides via Park City (incl Midmountain option):
   Garmin     GPX
Medium-res topo:  View   High-res topo (900 KB): View  
Topo maps of loop via Park City:  Medium-Res   High-Res (1.5 MB)

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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/bigcottonwoodcanyon-camping.htm 
Solitude Resort:  http://www.skisolitude.com/ 
Brighton Resort:  http://www.skibrighton.com/ 
Ranger District (includes dog regulations, camping): http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/wcnf/unit/slrd/questions.shtml