The Thunder Mountain trail climbs past hoodoos of limestone. Original trail review and photos by Bruce on July 17, 2001. Latest update 2021.
Thunder Mountain
Located in Red Canyon just outside Bryce Canyon National Park, Thunder Mountain combines technical riding with amazing views. The trail is 7.9 miles long and is both technically and physically difficult. It's one of Utah's classic must-ride trails.
The top elevation on the Thunder Mountain trail is 8200 feet, so "spring riding time" comes
late here. The expected riding season will be late May through October.
The Claron Formation limestone is the same rock that's found in beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park. The scenery is the reason riders come here.
Much of the trail is "climb a little then drop back down a little" over and over. You'll never do so much climbing on a "downhill trail."
Before tackling Thunder Mountain, you should be comfortable riding on loose surfaces, near
steep drops, and through tight switchbacks. That means expert riders.
Strong and determined
intermediates can manage with a bit of walking.
Trailheads and access
The lower Thunder Mountain trailhead is on Highway 12 at 7100 feet elevation, 3 miles from
US 89. The trailhead is on the right side of the road just as you enter
Red Canyon. This is
where you'll go first, whether to leave a shuttle vehicle or to begin
your ride up the paved
bike trail. (I intend to talk you out of doing the out-and-back ride.
But if that's what you're
doing, the trail entry to start uphill is at the rear right corner.)
Exit from the trail at the lower Thunder Mountain trailhead -- or entry to the trail if you're riding uphill.
This is the Coyote Hollow trailhead, and the end of the road. Don't be fooled by the big kiosk about half-way down the Fremont ATV trail.
The upper trailhead is at Coyote Hollow. As you drive east on U-12, go 8 miles up Red Canyon
until the road levels out in a sagebrush area. A gravel road, called "Fremont
ATV Trail" crosses
U-12 and you'll see a bathroom and parking area to your right. The sign
says "Red Canyon Trail"
-- meaning the paved trail -- but the road goes to Coyote Hollow and the
top of Thunder Mountain.
Turn right but don't park here. Drive 2.1 miles to the Coyote Hollow trailhead
for your shuttle
drop-off.
Riding options!
Almost everyone does this trail top-to-bottom, whether by shuttle or with a climb up the paved Red Canyon trail . It IS possible to ride it from the bottom out-and-back. I did that 20 years ago, and it was brutally hard. And now, as the trail has been affected by increased horse and bike traffic, the switchbacks in miles 1.5 to 3 are almost impossible to clean uphill because of the combination of boulders and moon dust.
About to have some serious fun! Looks pretty easy so far, right?
Typical trail section for the first 4 miles. Up and around, then back down.
Out-and-back is a brutal proposition, because it's easy to underestimate the beating your legs
will take from the up-and-down riding. If you ride the trail as an out-and-back,
it's 15.8
miles, and you'll do over 3500 vertical. This is a trail that, in a very
real sense, is "uphill
both ways."
So I'm going to gently suggest that, if you have two cars, you do the shuttle thing. If not,
plan on a loop ride where you enjoy the 5.4 mile cruise up the paved
Red Canyon trail
, the 2.2 miles on gravel road that is the Fremont ATV trail, then 7.9 miles of fun on Thunder
Mountain. Your ride will be 14.5 miles total, with total climbing of 2200
vertical feet. Only
900 feet of that climbing will be on paved trail and gravel road.
View back to the east from a high spot in the trail. Not THE high spot, just A high spot.
Hoodoos in the canyon near the end of the downhill ride. Serious eye candy here!
But here's another option. You can backtrack a bit down U-12 and take the gravel road to
Casto Canyon
After climbing Casto, hang a right turn on Fremont ATV and ride south to the trailhead, crossing
Highway 12 as you go. The miles are mid-20s with around 300 feet more
climbing than the paved
bike trail. Casto is an easy ride technically.
About the ride!
The dirt and rock are from the Claron Formation. This soft rock originated at the bottom of
a large lake that extended from eastern Utah into the Bryce Canyon area.
It was deposited about
40 million years ago, long after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Mostly
it's creamsicle orange,
with some bands of white.
Melted creamsicle terrain as we get started on Thunder Mountain.
Manzanita is a handsome spreading shrub with round, firm light-green leaves growing on dark red branches.
Riding through the forests of the Thunder Mountain Trail will seem strange to bikers who are
used to the dense brush and trees of the high Wasatch. Here, long-leaf
pines stand well-apart,
with low manzanita scrub on exposed rocky soil, and a few cedars sneaking
in between the pines.
The singletrack undulates up and down, back and forth. If your legs are fresh, you may consider
this a cruise. But most riders will find this ride a satisfying bit of
work. As you look at
the map below, understand that every tiny wiggle is a descent into --
and a climb out of --
a drainage. You're never "finished" with the climbing until the last mile.
Near the Coyote Hollow trailhead, the trail rolls up, down, and around mounds of orange and white rocky soil.
The first half of the trail has few breakout views. This is one of them, looking north.
It's rare to encounter hikers on the trail, but Thunder Mountain is used daily by commercial
horse outfitters. The typical equestrian group is 6 to 10 riders, and
they'll be together in
a line. You may need to backtrack a bit on the trail to find a spot where
you can safely get
off to the side to let the horses past.
When riding top to bottom, the first 4 miles are intermediate trail. You'll climb a bit then
descend a short distance as the trail contours the hillside. But the general
trend is to slowly
gain elevation. You'll go from 7900 feet at Coyote Hollow to 8200 at the
ride's high point.
The orange ribbon passes through a sparse pine and manzanita forest.
A selfie with the hoodoos is a must-do for this ride.
In fact I think a "hoodoo selfie" might be legally required!
Looking from a ridgeline to downhill switchbacks ahead. Now you're really on the way downhill now!
There will be several "false summits" where you think you've crossed the top and now be going
mostly downhill. Sucker! You're about to climb again! You're only on the
downhill side when
you can see the long stretches of the trail descending into the deep canyon
to your right.
As the trail begins dropping quickly just after mile 4.5, there will be some rough steeps and
very difficult switchback turns. The embedded boulders are more difficult
because of the deep
dust in the trail.
Steep pitch down to a difficult switchback.
Climbing again! But just look at these views!
But at least you're through climbing, right? Ha! The trail just keeps finding new excuses to
climb back uphill. After all, you picked a trail that climbs 1200 vertical
feetas it goes downhill!
Take some time to enjoy the two exposed fins where the world falls away on both sides. This
is a favorite photo and video spot!
Dominic, Matt, and Mike thread along the top of the ridgeline fin. Headed downhill, we'll be dropping off this fin towards the rocks in the background via a series of sharp switchbacks into Red Rock Canyon. Photo September 2003.
Bruce attacks a short steep on lower Thunder Mountain in 2003.
As winter run-off, rain and erosion change the trail, you may find it a different experience.
For example, this photo spot now has a steep rock garden instead of smooth
dirt. And when the
trail is firm -- instead of deep horse- and bike-churned moon dust --
it's a very different
ride!
Another series of switchbacks is coming, this time closer together with tighter turns. You're
now dropping the steep flank of the deep colorful canyon you've been seeing
for the last couple
of miles. You're going to lose 100 vertical feet in 1/10th mile, anaverage20%
down-slope!
On the final run of switchbacks.
We're about to hit the dry creekbed and cross over.
The trail now drops to the canyon bottom. Did you take a minute or two to enjoy the fabulous
views of orange rock and hoodoos?
The trail hits a trail fork at the bottom of the canyon. Turn to the right and climb over a
low rise. Yes, climb. What made you think you were through climbing?
The trail now rockets north toward the trailhead for one mile. It's the only section of non-interrupted downhill you get on this ride! Watch for horses, hikers, and climbers!
Heading toward the trailhead on the final mile. A great ride. Well-done!
Jackie pauses on the ridgeline, as we head towards the top of Thunder Mountain on a very tough out-and-back ride on July 17, 2001.
Bottom Line!
Thunder Mountain is a classic, and it's one of Utah's Must Ride trails. The scenery is awesome and it's something you'll never forget. But it's not a cushy ride, and certainly not for inexperienced or weak riders. It's just as hard with a shuttle as it is if you do the loop ride. You can ride it as a "scenic loop," as a butt-kicking "downhill," or as a seriously insane hill climb out-and-back.
Thunder Mountain, shown as a loop ride.
Getting there:
Coyote Hollow Trailhead: Driving east on U-12, go all the way up Red Canyon until the road levels out in a steppe area at the top (about 8 miles from US-89). Watch for a gravel road GPS N 37° 43.169' W 112° 15.322' (on both the right and left sides of the road) about 1/2 mile after reaching the top of the hill. The road is labeled "Fremont ATV Trail." Turn right and drive 2.1 miles to the Coyote Hollow trailhead at GPS N 37° 42.156' W 112° 16.758'.
Thunder Mountain Trailhead: Drive east from US-89 on U-12 (about 3 miles) until you reach the Thunder Mountain parking area on your right, just before "Red Canyon" sign. GPS is N 37° 44.595' W 112° 19.747'.
Riding resources for this trail:
One-page guide to this trail
GPS track file (right-click and "Save as..."):
GPX loop ride
Multi-track file
Topo maps for printing: High-Res
Lodging, camping, and shops: Link to Red Canyon area resources
One-page guide to this trail
GPS track file (right-click and "Save as..."):
GPX loop ride
Multi-track file
Topo maps for printing: High-Res
Lodging, camping, and shops: Link to Red Canyon area resources
updated 2021
