Flying Dog seems to be the “Big Dog” of mountain bike trails these days. Among many biking groups, the singletrack getting all the attention at the moment is Flying Dog. The trail was cut a few years ago, so why is it just now basking in the limelight and getting all the attention? Maybe it’s taken some time and a lot of bike tires riding over it for Flying Dog to get really, really good. In any case, Flying Dog’s time has come and its name is being whispered among the singletrack at Kimball Junction.
Flying Dog is a pretty non-technical ride as there are few rocks, roots or scary drop-offs. It is, however, a long ride as one has to bike on other trails just to get to Flying Dog. A few stout climbs stand in the way of excellent descents, but intermediate mountain bikers have a home here, and experts can enjoy bombing down the super-fast, buffed out dirt and over newly constructed bridges that stand over ponds and streams.
A diversity of landscapes not found on many mountain bike trails can be discovered here as riders begin in the sagebrush flats, climb to scrub oak groves and finally reach shady aspen forests dotted with pines before screaming back down to the sage.
Like most trails here, Flying Dog has several riding options. Mountain bikers can start at one of three trailheads: Jeremy Ranch 24/7, Jeremy Ranch Graduate, and the Glenwild Loop. Although Flying Dog is easily reached from either of these starts, the Glenwild entry is by far the most popular and is the route described here:
Park at Glenwild and ride counter-clockwise through the speedy sage flats on the Glenwild Loop to Cobblestone. Take Cobblestone up to Flying Dog and begin the long, switchback ascent to the top of the mountain. From here, it’s a smooth, fun, twisting descent that will leave you giddy. To complete the loop, take the 24/7 Connector to the Stealth trail, and back to the car for an 18-mile ride.
That’s only one option. In fact, most people ride Flying Dog clockwise beginning with Stealth. You can also do the Glenwild loop clockwise to Cobblestone, access the network from the Fink trail, add the downhill-only freeride trails, or even throw in the Preserve trail and ride Flying Dog in a figure eight.
Any way you choose to bike it, Flying Dog is a treat. And thanks to its surge in popularity, don’t be surprised if you’re stopped on the trail by riders asking how to get to Flying Dog.
If you go: Take I-80 to the Kimball Junction exit near Park City. After exiting, go north then east on the frontage road. Take the second left and drive in a neighborhood where the parking lot for Glenwild is located. The trail starts just across the bridge on the road as you ride toward the mountain. Go right for Glenwild, left for Stealth.
Here is a GPS track of Flyling Dog.
For detailed trail descriptions and course maps of Flying Dog, I highly recommend Utah Mountain Biking.com
Love this trail, did it jut last week and it was fantastic!
I haven’t been on it but it looks like fun.