FATMAP by Strava

Wasatch Crest -> Salt Lake City

Brighton and Solitude

Park City and Deer Valley

Salt Lake City

Wasatch Backcountry

Gorgeous ridge top singletrack riding with long singletrack descent all the way down to Salt Lake City far, far below!

Mountain Biking Difficult

Distance
38 km
Ascent
453 m
Descent
1.9 km
Duration
2-3 hrs
Low Point
1.5 km
High Point
3 km
Gradient
Wasatch Crest -> Salt Lake City Map

Flowy ridge top singletrack with jaw-dropping views of Big Cottonwood Canyon and the Park City region make the Wasatch Crest trail one of the best trails in Utah—and that’s saying something! After catching a shuttle in Salt Lake city, you’re whisked upward to the top of Guardsman Pass. As you pedal away from the pass, it's hard to wrap your head around how quickly you end up in the middle of absolutely nowhere—but soon you're surrounded by nothing besides jagged mountain peaks.

Description

The red dirt and rocks along these mountain tops provide an interesting accent to the high-speed riding, as it's very different than the dark black dirt in Park City proper.

Overall this trail is flowy, but the flow doesn't last—an extremely technical, rocky descent along the ridge known as "The Spine" is absolutely brutal, but can be walked by intermediate riders. Again the singletrack switches back to flow.

The route shown here finishes by dropping down the Mill Creek trail to Salt Lake City far, far below. Take note of the day of the week: according to Kristen Bonkoski in an article published on Singletracks.com, “upper Mill Creek canyon is closed to mountain bikers on odd days.” So while you can descend down into Park City (mapped separately) any day of the week, you can only do the full run to SLC on even days.

Wherever you park and whatever shuttle you do, make sure that you descend down the correct side of the mountain so you don’t get stranded.

Sources: https://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-trails/5-epic-shuttle-rides-near-salt-lake-city/ https://www.skiutah.com/blog/authors/tim/the-wasatch-crest-trail-it-s-got-a-shuttle

Difficulty

Difficult

Mostly stable trail tread with some variability featuring larger and more unavoidable obstacles that may include, but not be limited to: bigger stones, roots, steps, and narrow curves. Compared to lower intermediate, technical difficulty is more advanced and grades of slopes are steeper. Ideal for upper intermediate riders.

Extreme Exposure

4 out of 4

Some trail sections are extremely exposed where falling will almost certainly result in serious injury or death.

Remoteness

4 out of 4

In the high mountains or remote conditions, all individuals must be completely autonomous in every situation.

Best time to visit

between July and September

Features

  • Flow
  • Technical
  • Shuttle-run
  • Drops
  • Roots
  • Rock Slabs
  • Rock Gardens

Similar routes nearby

Guidebooks in this area