The Wild Rose trail system in North Salt Lake is a short loop that’s good for a quick morning singletrack jaunt, but lacks size for a destination area. A relatively easy section of singletrack and a fun-but-brief downhill area with berms and jumps keeps things interesting in an abbreviated 2-mile loop.
The trail begins at the Wild Rose Park in a cushy neighborhood high in the North Salt Lake foothills. Asphalt trails among the grass and trees of the manicured park soon give way to singletrack dirt as it winds up into the hills. To find the start, park at the bathroom and take the trail right next to it.
The loop itself is a short two-and-a-half mile trip that is very similar to pedaling on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail or Corner Canyon. Scrub Oak and maple trees dotted with brush line the trail sides, and excellent views of the Great Salt Lake and Davis County lie far below. If you’re really into views or just want to take in a nice lunch on a sweet spot, take the side trail to Sunset Point at the top of the climb.
After the climbing section (going in a clockwise direction) the trail curves around and goes north. At a fork in the trail (around mile 1.5) you can choose to continue on Wild Rose, or if you’re feeling adventurous, bomb through the jumps and rollers of the downhill trail. It’s a really fun way to descend back to the car if your have the bike and skills to ride it. Everyone else should stay on Wild Rose by going right at the fork.
On Wild Rose, you’ll come to a 5-way intersection that sends off in spokes of all directions. A hiking-only trail called Chukar Trail goes uphill on the left. Right goes to a connector trail that leads to a lower section of the DH ride. Rule of thumb here is to go on the furthest right trail to stay on Wild Rose proper. The trail goes downhill from here, occasionally crossing the downhill trail watch out for downhillers before crossing. More trails crisscross below this point, but if you keep your bike going downhill, you’ll end up back at the park and the start.
The great thing about Wild Rose is that you can do multiple loops in a short amount of time. That’s means on any given ride, you can go clockwise, then counterclockwise. Take the downhill trail, then use Wild Rose to descend. Head to Sunset Point on one loop. You can also connect with other (harder) trails to viewpoints located higher on the mountain.
Alternatively, you can connect all of this with the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to make the ride even longer. A good place to start is at City Creek Canyon in Salt lake, then go north toward Ensign Peak. Keep riding on the Shoreline Trail as it curves around to North Salt Lake, through a neighborhood on Eagleridge Drive, and meets up with the Wild Rose Park.
Overall, the new Wild Rose network of trails is a welcome addition to low-elevation mountain biking on the Wasatch Front. While the loops are short, they offer quality riding with great views. And although Wild Rose is not much to write home about (yet) the terrain in the area has vast potential for a Corner Canyon style mountain bike mecca. We can only hope.
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