Dutch Hollow Trail System
Dutch Hollow Trail System is a series of interconnected singletrack loops. The typical segment of trail is about 1.5 to 3 miles, so you can put together an amazing variety of rides. The full system offers over 20 miles of singletrack. These trails were built specifically for riding, not as a route to a destination.

Note that Dutch Hollow lies in a state park and is a fee area. You'll need to deposit a fee envelope at the trailhead if your vehicle is parked within the Hollow.

The Dutch Hollow trails are located in a foothill area just northeast of Midway, southwest of Jordanelle Reservoir. Trailhead altitude is 5750 feet. Peak singletrack altitude is 6800. Trail distance is up to you. There are dozens of riding combinations -- and the same trail is a completely different experience when taken in the opposite direction.

One issue! Trail signs here are often bassackwards. Many give the name of a destination for the trail you're about to enter, not the actual trail itself. So as you're entering the Cottontail trail, the sign may say "Sage Loop" -- the name of the next trail you'll reach if you ride Cottontail. Hopefully, somebody will fix this eventually.

You're riding through a scrub forest of Gambel Oak, with an occasional maple and choke cherry. Areas between oak groves are filled with sage. The trail base is mostly red dirt, with occasional outcrops of rough conglomerate. The dirt is veeeerrrry soft and sticky when wet. Horses can severely damage these trails in early spring.

You can create loop rides from trails that are smooth and reasonably easy (Aqueduct, Cottontail, Sage). Or hit the tough stuff (Boneyard, 1000 Turns, Enchanted Forest) if you want something narrow and rough with roots, rocks, and stumps. Or Barrel for a buckaroo DH. It's your call. The tougher singletrack on the "backside" is very narrow, with close-in oak, so you can have yourself a pretty mean ride.

Easiest stuff:
Cottontail Loop. Go either direction. Clockwise, find the Sage/Cottontail trail as the road enters the parking area on the north. Shortly after starting the climb, fork left on Cottontail. Pass Aqueduct and merge again with Sage, then rapidly fork right on Cottontail. As the trail reaches Burnt Ridge, consider doing the loop to the viewpoint, or just drop down the other side of Cottontail back to parking.

Hardest stuff:
From the trail kiosk, take the southern end of Cottontail up to Burnt Ridge. Do the loop, then head UP the rocky ridge trail. Pass Connector, Gobblers, and merge with Sage. Now turn left right on Enchanted Forest. At the bottom, climb up 1000 Turns. Merge with Enchanted Forest and turn left on Sage then left on Gobblers/Boneyard. Fork R on Boneyard and ride it to the bottom, then climb UP Enchanted Forest. This time, drop right (west) on Sage and take Aqueduct to Barrell.

Intermediate stuff:
Take Cottontail at the kiosk up to Burnt Ridge. Do the loop at the viewpoint, then drop off on northbound Cottontail. At Sage, turn uphill and climb to the top. Turn left, then keep left to drop west down Sage to Aqueduct. Fly down Aqueduct to Cottontail again.

Loops:
There are a lot of linked loops for riders or varying endurance. North of Sage is higher difficulty; south is easier. The race loop is a good intermediate-distance ride combining a variety of terrain. See the 2011 Intermountain Cup race loop GPX link below and follow the GPS track for a nice tour of the east-side trails.

Another good loop is the Prospect Loop. Take Donkey Ridge on the west side to Prospect and head north. When you hit the doubletrack at the far north, drop down the road to Sage. At the top of Sage, take Enchanted Forest to 1000 Turns. Cross the bottom of the valley to climb up the east side of Boneyard. Head to Burnt Ridge, loop around, then drop down on Cottontail. See the track file below.

New in 2015, the Phosphate Trail offers a nice loop for stronger riders. From the trailhead, take Donkey Ridge over to Prospect. Turn left when you reach the Phosphate Trail for the clockwise loop. When you rejoin Prospect, you can keep right to complete the loop. But I suggest you make a hard left and take Prospect up to the top of Dutchman for a bigger ride.

Add-on: Dutchman Road
Upper Dutchman Road is pretty. After two miles the road begins climbing in earnest, 500 vertical per mile, with rocks, creek crossings, and loose tilted stuff. As you gain altitude, you enter maple, then aspen forest. The ridgeline is a long 4 miles away at 7400 feet elevation.

Add-on: Flatline
At the northeast corner of the main riding area, where the bottom of 1000 Turns meets the bottom of Enchanted Forest, the Flatline trail heads north. This trail extends two miles -- generally flat but very slightly uphill -- to a dirt road that passes under US-40. And no, don't use this "secret entrance" as a way to avoid the state park fee. Don't be "that guy."

Bottom Line:
Varied riding system with a lot of fun trails, good for a wide range of ability levels. Route-finding can be confusing. In part, it's because there are a LOT of trails. But trail signage is often non-existent, and many signs will mislead you because they list the next trail you'll encounter instead of the trail that the sign is on.

To ride all the singletrack in the Dutch Hollow system in a single day will mean duplicating some trail sections, and will yield about 30 miles. See if you can put it all together!

Getting There:  From Provo Canyon, drive east to the end of Deer Creek Reservoir. Right where the water ends, turn left (north) on U-113. Zero your odometer. Drive north 3.8 miles into Midway, and turn right (east) as U-113 turns right in the middle of town. 0.4 miles later (mile 4.2), turn left (north) on 400 East (River Road). This is the road that goes just to the west of the memorial hill. At mile 5.4 you'll hit a traffic circle. Take the first exit (not the driveway, though), so you'll turn from north to east. At mile 6.1, a sign points you to Dutchman Hollow - Dutch Canyon. Turn left and drive 0.5 mile on pavement. The pavement ends at a turnaround where the Dutchman Way trail begins, GPS N 40° 32.495' W 111° 27.224'. Turn right downhill at the sign for Wasatch Mountain State Park. The preferred parking area is 0.3 miles down the gravel road to your right. Trailhead info, fee drop-box and bathroom are at GPS N 40° 32.704' W 111° 27.187'

From Salt Lake City, go up Parleys Canyon on I-80, then turn right (south) on US-40. Just after descending from the dam, watch for River Road on your right. Drive about 2 miles, turning right at the Dutch Canyon sign. Find the trailhead as above.