Salt Lake mountain bikers rejoice! A new mountain bike trail has opened in Little Cottonwood Canyon, and it’s a doozy. The Big Mountain Trail was unveiled at Snowbird on Monday, July 14, with tram rides, and a ribbon cutting only mountain bikers could pull off. I got to be among the first members of the public to take the plunge, and all I can say is that it is rugged, fast, and long.
The Big Mountain Trail is 7.5-miles of singletrack that starts at the top of the Snowbird Tram on Hidden Peak, and descends down into the Gad Valley. It begins with a series of long switchbacks. This may cause concern for some, but the trail between each switchback is really, really long, so you can pick up a lot of speed. There are also rollers and jumps to keep things fun and interesting between berm corners.
At the bottom of the switchbacks, the trail levels out a bit as it make is way to the bottom of the Little Cloud quad. This section was my favorite as the trail winds through wildflower patches, crosses mountain streams, and travels over wooden bridges through muddy sections. It’s a more leisure pace after dive-bombing on the switchbacks above.
Beyond Little Cloud, the trail enters a pine forest. Here, things get a bit more technical as the corners tighten up, and the path becomes far more rocky. This section descends beyond the Mid-Gad restaurant. At the top of the Wilbere lift, the trail traverses across the mountainside back toward the base area, This part was also a favorite. Though it is very rocky, the grade keeps too much speed to a minimum, and more rollers allow for fun jumps to test your suspension’s travel. There’s also a massively cool, wooden bridge that’s practically built on the edge of the world. You’ll get vertigo if you look down going across this thing as Little Cottonwood Canyon spreads out far below your handlebars.
Finally, the Big Mountain Trail joins up with the bottom roads for a quick pedal back to the Tram Base where you can load up and ride it again, or grab a bite and beer to celebrate your survival. Overall, it’s obvious that the builders put a hell of a lot of hard work into it. It’s fast, fun, and flowy at times, but it’s also very new, so on day 1, the dirt was very loose and dusty, with many chainbreaker rocks strewn about the path. But after a few weeks of bike tires packing everything down, and some nice mountain rain showers, the Big Mountain Trail will be legit.
According to Snowbird, the Big Mountain trail is one of the longest, continuous trails in Utah. The trail was designed and built by Alpine Trails, Utah’s own trail-building company who is responsible for such famous trails like Mid-Mountain Trail, Pinecone Ridge, and many of the trails in Draper’s Corner Canyon.
“The Big Mtn. Trail is one of the most scenic and varied trails we have built,” said Ben Blitch, president of Alpine Trails. “The trail is also extremely long and varied. It will be fun for experts and intermediates alike with different aspects, views and terrain. It has five different personalities, which is what makes it such an awesome trail.”
According to Snowbird, they and Alpine Trails worked in partnership with the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest to create a trail that was both exciting and fun, while respecting viewsheds, watershed concerns and natural areas. They say the trail was built and will be maintained using mountain bike industry best management practices.
The Big Mtn. Trail is open to bi-directional riding until 11 a.m., at which time the Tram opens and the trail becomes one-way downhill only. The Tram will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. for mountain biking.
A day pass for mountain biking off the Tram is $29 per day. A Snowbird mountain biking season pass is $125. 2013-14 and 2014-15 Snowbird season pass holders may purchase a mountain biking all-day pass in July for $10 a day. A season pass holder upgrade including mountain biking is $99 per season. Snowbird also offers a full fleet of 2014 specialized dual suspension mountain bikes to rent through Snowbird Sports. Instruction and tours are available. Snowbird All-Day Activity Passes can be upgraded for $10 to include mountain biking. Mountain scooters will not be allowed on Big Mtn. Trail, and it is closed to hiking after 11 a.m.
For more information, check out snowbird.com, or just drive up there, ride the tram, and get on your bike!