If you think Strawberry Reservoir is just for boating and fishing, think again. There’s actually a pretty amazing bit of singletrack that many consider to be one of the prime trails in the entire Heber City/Strawberry area. It’s called the Strawberry Narrows Trail, and this hiking/horseback/mountain biking path offers buff dirt, killer views, and a variety of landscapes from sage brush meadows to tunnels of aspen groves.
Start Point: Aspen Grove Marina, 7600 feet
End Point: Poison Ridge, 7800 feet
Trail Distance: 16 miles (round trip)
Trail Time: 4 hours
Skill Level: Intermediate
Best Season: Summer
Getting There: From Heber City, drive southeast on Highway 40 toward Strawberry Reservoir. In 34 miles, turn right and leave the highway at the sign for Aspen Grove Marina. Drive south 3.5 miles across the Soldier Creek Dam to the Aspen Grove Marina. Pay the recreation fee and park here.
The Ride: From the marina, locate the trail on the northwest corner of the parking area. It begins as a wide double track but soon narrows to singletrack as it enters the sage brush. Pedal through as it curves around and begins heading west. There are signs that show you the way at key intersections. In half-a-mile, the trail becomes a dirt road as it traverses along a narrow arm of the reservoir. In just under a mile from the trailhead, the road enters private property. Locate the Strawberry Narrows Trail on the west side as it climbs up onto the side of a sage brush slope above the water.
Now the fun part begins. The trail traverses along the shoreline of Strawberry reservoir as it enters The Narrows, which connects Strawberry to the old Soldier Creek Reservoir. Along the way there are views of the water below, really nice forests of pine and aspen, wildflowers, brush, and tons of wildlife.
The ride is similar to the Mid Mountain trail in Park City as it remains fairly level with a few grunting climbs here and there. But the climbing is short and the path soon levels out to fast and fun singletrack. Eight miles from the trailhead, you’ll come to Poison Ridge. This is a nice overlook at the west end of The Narrows, and a good turnaround point. Although the Strawberry Narrows Trail keeps going and ends at Renegade Marina, the rest of the way is often overgrown, swampy and even under water during high runoff. Most people turn around here for a 16-mile out-and-back.
Watch the story I did about the trail on KSL Outdoors.