Bonneville Shoreline Pleasant View Section

Northbound early on the BST, with Ben Lomond Peak in the background. Photos and trail review by Bruce on August 22, 2014.

Bonneville Shoreline Trail Pleasant View
North Ogden Divide to Pleasant View (plus Willard trail)

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) is a system of trails along the Wasatch Front that follows the approximate shoreline of ancient Lake Bonneville. The section from the North Ogden Canyon Road (North Ogden Divide Road) to the Pleasant View trailhead is 4.6 miles and is usually done as an out-and-back ride from either end. The Divide road trailhead is shared with the northern end of the North Ogden BST .
The second half of this web page covers the Willard Canyon extension, over 7 miles of more-technical riding.

Part 1: North Ogden Canyon to Pleasant View

The trail is intermediate in technical requirement. There will be some embedded boulders and a bit of loose rock, but the riding surface is fairly broad. There are quite a few climbing (or descending) turns, and these usually have a high berm and comfortable turning radius.

Here's the trailhead on the North Ogden Canyon (Divide) Road. Note the transmission lines overhead -- that's your landmark. The trail is uphill 100 feet and across the road. (The downhill connector to the North Ogden Divide singletrack is on the upper corner of the parking.)

It begins.

From the North Ogden Canyon Road at 5100 feet, the trail climbs to 5750. The Pleasant View trailhead is at 5300 feet elevation. An out-and-back ride will involve 1200 vertical feet of total climbing.
The trail should be free of snow and mud by May and will usually remain clear until mid-December. Depending on spring weather, it may be possible to ride the trail as early as March.

The terrain varies from open stretches of sage to deep scrub oak forest. The path meanders along the course of the power transmission lines. If a cheater trail takes you away from the power corridor, you've gone the wrong way.

View north in an open sage area. The trail will follow the power corridor, making gentle switchbacks when the slope gets steeper.

View to the west early in the south-to-north ride.

You'll have frequent views over the North Ogden area. Beyond the town, there's the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island, and the western mountains in the distance.

You'll run across quite a few jumps and stunt opportunities. Sight lines are pretty good in most areas, but watch for hikers and dogs. There's an occasional tight turn as you navigate huge trailside boulders among the trees.

Typical turn, with a high berm and perfect turning radius. The turns keep the trail's pitch pleasant.

Getting closer to the mountain, about 2 miles into the ride.

There are no major connecting trails on the 4.6 mile path between the Divide road and Pleasant View. The singletrack will frequently cross the dirt transmission-line service road -- and on a couple of occasions, join it for a short distance. The riding line should always be obvious.

The trail is easy to find at the North Ogden Canyon Road, so most trail users start there. This also puts more of the climbing on the first half of an out-and-back.
If you're riding only the BST, it's actually quicker to get to the western trailhead in Pleasant View. Print the aerial view and follow the driving directions.

Descending in tall gambel oak.

Finding some pretty flowers. And some invasive species.

Bottom line, Ogden to Pleasant View!
An out-and-back is 9.2 miles with 1200 feet of climbing, which is a worthy ride for an intermediate. The trail will be most comfortable in the fall or late spring, but it's good for a quick morning ride any time.

Part 2: Pleasant View to Willard

We've just left the BST and are heading northwest under the power lines toward pavement.

This section of trail is not the official Bonneville Shoreline Trail. (That is, not at the time of this writing.) It's a bit hard to locate so you'll have to know exactly how to find it. It's significantly more technical than the stretch from the Divide to Pleasant View.

This section is 7.5 miles in length. (There's about a mile of doubletrack and paved road between the BST at Pleasant View and the start of the Willard singletrack. This brings the Divide to Willard ride to around 12.7 miles each way with a surprising high climbing total.) As an out-and-back, it's a fairly challenging ride for advanced-intermediates with a sense of adventure.

Following a corridor through the oak brush northbound. In a bit, we'll start climbing the mountain.

Looking east uphill.

While most sections traverse the mountainside, there will be significant up-and-down riding as you navigate several canyons. The total climbing will be about 1300 vertical feet.
Turns are often tight, and frequently loose. There's one haul out of a canyon-crossing that's a short but steep-and-slippery hike-a-bike. This is an advanced-technical ride.

While ready to ride, the trail is still somewhat of a work in progress. It's the work of the Perry Canyon trailbuilders. The trail width is adequate but not generous. Side-slopes are often steep and unforgiving.
Much of the riding will be high on the mountain among rough weathered granite outcrops. You'll enjoy some nice views.

Typical traverse as the trail clings to steep hillside. The trail is hand-built and narrow. Small rock "retaining walls" often support the downhill side.

Crossing the outflow at the bottom of a canyon.

The trail will find passage through several canyons -- 8 to 10, depending on how you're counting. These tend to be narrow rocky chutes with rounded boulders in the dry floodwater path. Plywood on logs provides the bridges. There will be a couple of tricky spots.

To find the trail from the Pleasant View trailhead, start uphill 1/10 mile. As you pass the end of the fence, turn right (left on singletrack goes nowhere as of 2014). After the first turn, veer left (west) onto the doubletrack under the power lines as the singletrack continues across.
To get on the trail from the BST, ride to mile 4.5. When the trail turns downhill heading toward a tall chain-link fence (the route to the Pleasant View trailhead), turn sharp right onto the doubletrack under the power lines.

We'll pass above the rock spire in the photo as we work our way around and through the canyon ahead.

Descending into yet another rocky canyon.

Continue straight on the rough doubletrack until you hit pavement. (You'll pass a 30-foot cheater route to your right that crosses private property to pavement. This is NOT a legal route! Stay straight on the power line easement.)

When the power line crosses pavement, ride directly across Pole Patch Drive. Follow the trail as it turns north. The trail will join ATV track. (Note: Where the power line crosses the road, riders are currently turning right on pavement on Pole Patch, then left on Jessie Creek Drive, then joining the ATV track at a gate at the end of Jessie Creek. It's a private subdivision, so technically you don't have the right to go that way. But if you get lost after crossing the road, backtrack and take the streets to the gate.)

From the gate, proceed 1/3 mile on the straight ATV track, watching carefully for the critical fork. Go right on a fainter second track. (Watch for ribbons tied to brush.) After 1/10 mile, fork left on the singletrack.

At the far north end, the trail again joins an ATV track. As the track approaches a deep canyon containing a gravel quarry, many riders find this a good spot to turn back for an out-and-back. After another half-mile, the trail begins its descent to Willard Canyon. The remaining 1/3 mile of singletrack is a twisting plunge down to Willard Creek and the gravel pit, which you'll have to climb back up.

On the north end, the vegetation changes from scrub oak to cedar.

Another flood-channel crossing.

If you're determined to do a loop ride (or simply don't have the time or muscle to return on the singletrack) you'll need to brave some high-speed traffic on US-89. (There may be a route along the canal, but I haven't heard that it's passable all the way back into North Ogden.) If you want to do the road return, the most dangerous part is just getting across 89. Once you're on the right side (riding with traffic) there's a tiny shoulder that's barely adequate to keep the trucks from clipping you. (See the riding instruction below for details.)

Bottom line, Pleasant View to Willard!
At the time of my ride, this section was often sketchy and frequently difficult, but a lot of fun. At 15 miles, an out-and-back on this piece is a bit of work. I'd suggest this section for hard-core riders. An out-and-back on the entire length from the Divide road to the gravel pit is just over 25 miles and will cost you 4800 vertical feet of climbing. It's a worthy effort.

Gates at the north end. The trail starts in the notch of the canyon mouth, just after reaching the trees. You can barely make it out in the brush above the first trees.

Divide Rd to Willard, northbound riding directions:
0.0   100 ft uphill on pavement from parking
        L on singletrack N41 18.898 W111 55.865
4.5   Hard R on DT under power lines
        N41 20.585 W111 58.553
        (ST heads down toward fence, TH)
5.1   Cross Pole Patch Dr N41 20.745 W111 59.332
        (vs R on Pole Patch, L on Jessie Creek)
5.6   Go R of gate, join ATV track
        N41 21.029 W111 59.343
5.9   R off straight ATV track (critical spot!)
        N41 21.208 W111 59.659
6.0   L off ATV track on ST (critical spot!)
        N41 21.267 W111 59.625
11.5 Fork R uphill (ATV track)
        N41 24.348 W112 01.365
        (straight = descends to dirt road)
        Good turnaround spot for out-and-back

11.6 L on ST N41 24.370 W112 01.342
12.2 L downhill at creek N41 24.782 W112 01.341
12.4 Veer R at gravel pit
go to gate N41 24.750 W112 01.524
12.5 Follow main road out westbound

Option, road return (high-speed traffic!):
0.0   Downhill from gate
0.6   L on US-89 southbound -- Caution!
5.0   Keep R on 89 at I-15/Hwy 126 fork
6.3   L on Pleasant View Drive
8.3   Roundabout, go straight onto Elberta Dr
9.8   L on 400 East
10.2 R at 3100 North
        continue to North Ogden Canyon Rd
12.1 Parking

Map of Willard BST area.

Divide road trailhead:
Exit I-15 eastbound at the 2700 North (Highway 134) exit. Continue to 1050 East and turn left. At 3000 North, turn right toward the North Ogden Divide. After leaving the homes behind, climb about 1/3 mile uphill to a parking area on the right side of the road N41 18.926 W111 55.908 right where the big power line crosses the road. The BST is about 100 feet uphill from parking on the left (opposite) side of the road. (Note: the trail that drops southeast from the road connects to the North Ogden Divide trail -- which climbs east up to the Northern Skyline trailhead.)

2015 note: The southbound BST is now complete from the North Ogden Canyon (Divide) Road trailhead all the way south to Beaus Canyon. See pages for North Ogden BST and Ogden BST .

Water: None
Bathrooms: None
Camping: None

Pleasant View trailhead: Get off I-15 eastbound (toward the mountains) at the 2700 North Exit. Continue across US-89 then turn left on 600 West. At Elberta Drive, turn right and drive one block to turn left on 500 West, continuing uphill and northbound. Turn right when you reach 2300 North (also signed as 4300 North). Take the next left onto 350 East. Turn right (east) on 4600 North and drive to a gravel parking area N41 20.481 W111 58.594. Start the ride by pedaling north uphill.
Gravel Pit trail access: On US 89 in Willard, turn east (toward the mountains) on 300 North. Keep right at road fork. Find a spot to park near the gate (1/2 mile uphill from the highway). After passing around the gate, pedal to the right, then turn 150 degrees left (as you pass the gravel pit on your right). As you enter the trees along Willard Creek, watch for the singletrack on your right, taking you south and away from the trees. (Alternate: Go to Willow Creek Park (200 East Center St) and leave the car there. On the east side of the park, you'll find a path heading east-northeast uphill. Go left as you reach a dirt road northbound. Turn right uphill when you hit the paved road just below the gate.)