Looking up the Logan River, near the beginning of the trail. Photos August 31, 2...
Looking up the Logan River, near the beginning of the trail. Photos August 31, 2001 by Bruce Argyle
Logan River Trail

The Logan River Trail is an easy trail, close to town, where you can get a taste of biking without too much work. It's a mellow ride with a short section of singletrack to test your appetite for real mountain biking.

The trail is 3.6 miles in length, and rises only 300 feet as it follows the Logan River in Logan Canyon. As an out-and-back, you'll cover 7.2 miles. The first 2 miles is a wide, hard-base gravel track. It's suitable for smaller children, and for bike-trailers. This first section is a good trail for a family biking picnic or a bike-and-fish expedition.
But if you're looking for solitude, you won't find it here. There's a lot of traffic in Logan Canyon, and the highway is only 100 feet away. Four bridges bring hikers and fishermen onto the trail.
Looking down the canyon on the broad first section of the trail.
Looking down the canyon on the broad first section of the trail.
Want to brew your own? Hops, the ingredient that gives beer its distinctive flav...
Want to brew your own? Hops, the ingredient that gives beer its distinctive flavor, grow along the river.
The trail starts at the same altitude as Logan, 4700 feet. It can be fairly warm on a summer's day. It clears of snow in May and remains open until November. The trail passes through a lower-altitude riparian habitat. Trees include box elder, willow, elderberry, chokecherry, maple, dogwood shrub, and (of course) Utah's gambel oak.
In the middle of the trail, a sweet section of narrow intermediate technical singletrack has been inserted. This part is great fun, although tragically short, being only one mile long. But it's a good trail for a beginning or out-of-shape rider to grab a bit of singletrack without committing to a big brutal ride.
View along a typical section of the singletrack, showing oak and maple along the...
View along a typical section of the singletrack, showing oak and maple along the trail's edge.
Mom can ride this section out-and-back while Dad stops at the end of the wide-track to fix sandwiches for the kids. Then Dad can ride it while Mom helps the kids catch a fish.
View of the first pond, from the trail. On the other side, wooden fishing platfo...
View of the first pond, from the trail. On the other side, wooden fishing platforms provide easy access to the water for little fishermen.
You'll pass two large ponds, where on most days you'll encounter fishermen. But the track in this area is wide and straight, so you'll see them (and they'll see you) in plenty of time, and there's lots of room to pass.
On the mountainsides, you see limestone and occasional dolomite dating from the Ordovician Period. 500 to 430 million years ago, all major animal groups (phylla) were in existence, but true fishes and land animals had not yet evolved. This region was shallow ocean just off the western shoreline of the North American continent. The rocks were formed from shells of tiny animals and precipitated calcium and magnesium carbonate.
Looking at the north wall of the canyon from the trail. The foreground trees are...
Looking at the north wall of the canyon from the trail. The foreground trees are box elder.
Map of Logan River Trail
Map of Logan River Trail
Getting there:
In Logan, turn east on US-89 towards Logan Canyon (about 2 miles). After you enter the canyon, watch for a turnoff on the right with parking about 0.6 miles from the canyon mouth. The trail is through the gate.
GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."): GPX
Topo map: View map
Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Logan resources