For years, mountain bikers riding the Salt Lake City foothills had only Bobsled as a proper downhill descent. The other two options, City Creek and Dry Creek, were full of hikers and trail runners and were therefore conflict zones. But new singletrack like the 19th Avenue trail has changed everything for the better.
19th Avenue Trail
The 19th Avenue trail is a 3.5-mile, downhill-specific flow trail for mountain bikers that descends from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to the bottom of City Creek Canyon. Appropriate for intermediate riders, 19th Avenue is not very technical. Basically it’s a smooth, flow trail with some roller jumps, bermed corners, and lots of fun.
There are two basic ways to ride 19th Avenue. For the whole shebang, climb up the new BST-East City Creek trail. The trailhead is located on Bonneville Blvd across from the city’s road-salt storage area. This also-new, uphill-only singletrack replaces the old City Creek trail that was a heinous, steep climb. However, this new trail is also steep with tight switchbacks and an often loose, gravely surface that can be challenging. Luckily it’s only a mile long. At the top, connect with the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST Valley View) and head southeast to the intersection with the Old Bobsled entrance. You’ll find the start of 19th Avenue here.
The other way to access 19th Avenue is to start at the Terrace Hills trailhead. Take that trail to the Bonneville Shoreline and cut out the new East City Creek trail entirely. If you choose this start, you’ll miss roughly 1/3 of the descent into City Creek proper.
The Descent
The 19th Avenue Trail comprises three sections. The top section goes from Bonneville Shoreline to the intersection with BST Valley View and the hiking-only Avenues Ridgeline trail. This segment is not a “downhill” per-se, but more of a pedaling traverse with rollers and incredible views. This ride is much better than the old way of coasting down the BST dirt road to get to City Creek.
The second section is where the fun begins. At the above-mentioned intersection, continue down 19th Avenue. At this point the singletrack gets steeper, and flowy. There’s big berms, lots of jumps and rollers, and whoop-de-dos that will force a smile on your face. At the bottom, slow down into a large meadow where 19th Avenue connects to the Meadow Trail.
The third section is basically a rehabbed version of the old City Creek trail. You’ll find it at the bottom of the meadow. This new version of the City Creek trail is less rocky and tight. Gone are the water bars and chunk, which has been replaced with smoother dirt, berms, and more flow. But the biggest difference is that it’s now downhill-only, so riders won’t have to worry about running over hikers.
Make a Shorter Loop
The three sections mean you can create long, medium and short loops. For a quick ride, I would suggest parking at the Terrace Hills trailhead and riding up to the 4-way intersection to hit the best part of the 19th Avenue descent. You can return to the trailhead by getting back on Bonneville Shoreline at the big meadow.
You can also loop the bottom section by using East City Creek as the ascent, then riding down the lower City Creek segment of 19th Avenue.
Any way you slice it, the 19th Avenue trail, paired with the East City Creek ascent, gives mountain bikers a lot more options for piecing together a ride in Salt Lake City’s foothills.