It’s good to get away from the road sometimes and do some cycling on the trails. Mountain biking has always been one of my loves that predates my triathlon days. The route I ride on the Wheeler Creek Trail (near Ogden) is a scenic 12 mile ride which consists of rocks, single track, and pavement.
To get there from Salt Lake City, head north on I-15 to the 12th street exit in Ogden (exit 344). Take a left onto 12th street heading east towards Ogden Canyon. After driving through the canyon, the trailhead is located just west of Pineview Dam on the south side of Highway 39, the actual road through Ogden Canyon. Right before you pass the dam you’ll see on the right hand side a gravel road leading down to the trailhead. You can either drive down about 50 yards and park by the Wheeler Creek Trailhead, or park just off the road to ride your mountain bike down. You’ll see a gate and a wooden bulletin board with the Wheeler Creek Trail map and Forest Service announcements.
For about the first 2 miles you will be riding on a rocky section going on a slight uphill, through a small canyon and will be riding alongside a stream. At the top of this gradual ascent at mile 2 is the Art Nord Trailhead, which is a popular starting point for horse riders. On your right hand side you’ll see more Forest Service signs. There is a small wooden cross marking the beginning of the single track portion that you’ll take. By the way, Art Nord was an exemplary Forest Service employee who you can read more about by the trailhead.
For the next 3.7 miles you will be riding on a dirt single track, through some dense shadowy forest sections, and over a few small wooden bridges going over streams. There are blue diamonds posted on trees and signs to help guide you to the Maples Trailhead. One of the bridges has a few steps at the end so be careful when negotiating this. I’ve also found that if you stop for too long you may get mauled by horseflies so you may want to bring insect repellant or a fly swatter.
At approximately mile 5.7 you will reach the Maples Trailhead. Again, you’ll see a signpost for your reference just a little off of the dirt road that you reach at the end. You can go back the way you came, all the way to Wheeler Creek Trailhead, if you’d like. What I like to do is to take the dirt road heading left from the Maples trailhead that leads to Snow Basin Ski Resort. Once you reach the end of this dirt road you will hit a gate right before it goes onto paved road. Take a left onto the paved road. This will take you by Earl’s Lodge, which you will ride past until you reach what is the actual traffic entrance to the resort.
From here, which is about 6.35 miles into the ride, take a left onto Highway 226 for some really relaxing downhill (about 3 ½ miles worth) that you can air yourself out with. You’ll eventually loop back to the Art Nord trailhead. From here you go downhill on the rocks back to the Wheeler Creek trailhead.
This completes an easy to moderate ride that is fun to do if you don’t have a lot of time to spare out on the trails. My ride time ended up at about 1 hour and 40 minutes, and this was with me going at an easy pace. It is also going to be used as part of the regional Xterra Championship Triathlon bike course in August, which is something you should check out if you plan on doing the race. Have fun and happy trails!
-Mick M.
slamkablam@yahoo.com
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