Snowbird

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Snowbird "The Bird Trail"

Snowbird Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon offers two loops sharing one section of common singletrack. Or, you can ride the gravel tram road to the top of the mountain. Intermediate riders will like the Easy Loop, which is a friendly but short ride. At 8100 feet, the stiff climb on the Big Loop and the tram road are brutal.

Photo above: Looking north across the valley at the granite peaks dividing Little Cottonwood from Big Cottonwood. Photos by Bruce, July 28, 2003.

The riding isn't particularly technical, but climbing the steep, rocky, loose "Dick Bass Highway" singletrack portion of the Big Loop (without touching down) takes some skill. Fortunately, you don't have to do that any more (as of 2009) as a new switchback singletrack makes the climb at a more sane rate. The Big Loop (4.5 miles total) has a substantial climb in either direction. The absolute vertical change is 700 feet, but with gain and loss, there's 1100 vertical per lap around the Big Loop.

Grunting up the tram road to Hidden Peak, it's 3000 vertical in 4 miles. Bring it on! But most riders happily plunk down the tram fee ($14, $18/day in 2003) for a ride to the top, say "Oooooh, Aaaaaah" at the views from the top, then ride the road down. The tram runs every day.

View through the trees on the singletrack between Gad and Dick Bass.

The Easy Loop links the gravel service road from the base of the Gad lift (across the creek from Entry 1) to the singletrack that traverses the lower mountain. This loop is a smidgen under 2 miles, with only about 200 total vertical.

View of the ski slope, near the Plaza.

Easy Loop riding directions, clockwise:
0.0 Cross creek to Mid-Gad chairlift,
        turn L (E) on DT
0.6 Hard R on DT, 100 ft then R on ST (W)
       (If you cross a paved walking trail, you're lost.
       Backtrack. 100 yards past building on L,
       veer L uphill on smaller DT.)

1.4 Cross DT to ST
1.7 ST joins DT, keep straight (E)
ST on L is White Pine connector
1.9 Back at Mid-Gad chair

Advanced riders may want to connect to the White Pine Trail. The connector singletrack is found just uphill from the Gad lift. This narrow singletrack is a very technical (but very fun) descent, 1 mile in length, joining the main White Pine trailhead just as the trail crosses the river.

View down the tram road on the Big Loop. The Salt Lake Valley and Bingham Canyon copper mine are visible in the background.

Big Loop riding directions, counterclockwise:
0.0   Cross creek straight uphill onto main DT
        N40 34.762 W111 39.503
0.2   Pass Dick Bass, keep on DT N40 34.817 W111 39.336
0.4   Hard L on ST N40 34.887 W111 39.255
1.0   Cross Dick Bass Hwy and descend a bit
        N40 34.695 W111 39.386
1.2   Temporarily join DT, fork R at ST
1.5   Cross DT (stay on ST) N40 34.586 W111 39.761
2.2   R on tram road, head downhill
        N40 34.340 W111 39.679
3.0   Straight off tram road onto ST
        (at 4th right turn of road)
        N40 34.605 W111 40.103

3.2   Hard L onto ST (White Pine) N40 34.636 W111 40.101
3.3   Fork hard R (go back east) N40 34.617 W111 40.330
        (down-canyon is continued White Pine)
3.4   Join DT
3.8   Pass one lift, pass DT heading uphill on R
        Curve R around next lift to uphill 2nd DT
        Climb DT N40 34.666 W111 39.980
3.9   Hard L onto ST at turn in road
        (Bird Trail) N40 34.613 W111 40.090
4.4   L downhill on DT N40 34.725 W111 39.512
4.5   R uphill to finish race, L for parking
        N40 34.774 W111 39.473

Tram Road: To take the tram to the top, take Entry 2 and go to the Snowbird Center. Buy a pass at the ticket office, then go into the tram building east of the plaza. To ride to the top via the tram road, cross the river and head right downhill on DT along the river until you hit the Mid-Gad chairlift. Turn left and head uphill. To climb the Dick Bass Highway singletrack to the tram road, cross the river and turn left. Just past the paved walking trail, fork hard right uphill on singletrack. When you reach the road, turn left.

Racing! Snowbird is the site of an Intermountain Cup race. Here's Bruce in July 2005.

Getting there: From I-15, take the 90th South exit. Drive east. 90th South will veer southward to become 9400 South. Keep straight until you hit the mouth of the canyon. When the road ends at the stop sign at the Little Cottonwood Canyon road (U-210), turn right towards the flashing canyon sign. Drive 5.8 miles up the canyon. For the Mid-Gad Chair (Easy Loop or Tram Road) trailhead, turn right into Snowbird Entry 1. Park immediately and cross Little Cottonwood Creek to find the Mid-Gad chairlift. The Easy Loop starts with the dirt road that parallels the creek, heading east up past the Snowbird Center. For the Big Loop, continue to Entry 2, 0.5 miles further up-canyon. Head toward the Tram and Snowbird Center. The Big Loop (ICup Race route) starts at the big bridge near the lodges.

[see topo map -- link below -- for greater detail of lower mountain]

Riding resources for this trail:
Single-page printable riding guide
GPS race loop track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
Garmin GPX
Race Loop topo map (220 KB): View map
Lodging, camping, shops:
Links to Cottonwood canyon resources

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Copyright 2003 Mad Scientist Software Inc
Updated 2006, 2010