There’s a ton of trail-building going on along the Wasatch Back. One of the more recent builds is the new Oakley Trail Park. As the name implies, this trail system in located just east of the town of Oakley at the mouth of Seymour Canyon. Professionally constructed by Avid Trails LLC for South Summit Trails Foundation, this small, but very fun network is a great addition to Utah’s ever-expanding mountain bike scene.
The Oakley Trail Park contains only three miles of singletrack. But each trail is purpose-built. There are bi-directional trails and three downhill-only bike trails with jumps, berms and rollers. The trails are all linked up in a way that it’s easy to ride laps from one downhill to the next so you can spend an entire morning or afternoon sessioning the park. Below are three loops with downhill-only links that are great fun for beginners to experts.
Buckaroo
The beginner downhill loop, called Buckaroo, is an easy flow trail for riders to get some experience. There are some berms and small jumps that are low-consequence. For anyone who wants to learn the skills needed to get those tires off the ground, this is a perfect trail to do it on.
Buckaroo can be done as a loop using the Lower Lariat Trail as an ascent route. From the trailhead, simply climb up Lower Lariat until it connects with Bockaroo Connect. Go right, cross the doubletrack road, and you’ll be at the start of the downhill-only Buckaroo trail. Have fun on the descent. Buckaroo ends pretty much right back at the trailhead where you can go up for another lap.
The buckaroo loop is only about a half-mile total with 75-feet of vertical descent, so it’s possible to ride this dozens of times before you get tired.
Barrel Racer
Barrel Racer is an intermediate-level downhill only trail that can be accessed by Lower and Upper Lariat to make a literal lariat loop or connect with Buckaroo. Barrel Racer has larger jumps, bigger berms and a steeper grade. Riders can pick up some good speed and flow here. The downhill is only 0.25 mile long with 120 feet of elevation drop. But like Buckaroo, when combined with the easy ascent, you can make a loop that’s possible to lap over and over again.
To ride Barrel Racer, start at the trailhead and follow Lower Lariat uphill. At the intersection, go left and continue on Lower Lariat. It traverses the mountain flat with a few bridge crossings before getting steeper (there are a few punchy climbs at this point) but the climbing is short. Barrel Racer comes in on the top of the climb where Lower Lariat become Upper Lariat. Go right and descend this super fun, well-built trail.
Rodeo
The Rodeo downhill-only trail is my favorite of the three. It’s longer, has the most vertical drop, and feels the most difficult. Rodeo also winds through a nice forest so there’s some shade and gorgeous colors when ridden in the fall. There are two sections: Upper Rodeo and Lower Rodeo. You can ride just Lower Rodeo for a shorter loop, or combine the two and get the full experience.
To ride Rodeo, from the trailhead ascend Lower Lariat. At the intersection, go left and take Lariat Connect to the top of the climb where it connects with Upper Lariat. Go right and traverse over to the dirt road. Go left and climb up the road. The entrance to Lower Rodeo is on the right. To ride the whole downhill, keep going up the road to the Oakley trailhead. There is a step-over gate here. Go through the gate and go left on the Oakley Trail. This uphill section is a bit technical as it crosses a boulder field. But the trail builders did some awesome rock work here. Upper Rodeo begins at the end of the rocks.
Like all the downhill trails here, the Rodeo trail is much the same – sweeping berms, small rollers, and a few table-top jumps. To me Rodeo felt the more advanced because there’s more going on and the features felt bigger. I also really liked the forest feel of the descent.
Getting There
From the town of Oakley, take State Road 32 southeast for 1 mile. Then turn east onto Boulderville Road and follow it for 2.2 miles as it curves north and becomes 1000 East. Then the road curves to the east again, becomes Pinion Lane and quickly curves north. A few hundred feet past Oakley Artesian Water building on the left, look for a parking lot on the left side of the road.
See Also
Beginner Mountain Bike Trails in Park City
Mountain Bike Princess Di Trail