Kaysville Bonneville Shoreline

View into Adams Canyon, about half-way into the ride. The rocks are precambrian metamorphic, dating from around a billion years ago. Photos by Bruce, June 3, 2003.

Bonneville Shoreline Trail Kaysville Section

The Kaysville section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail is a nicely built, broad singletrack that offers a good variety of riding. The trail is intermediate technical, but beginners can manage this trail nicely with an occasional hike-a-bike up or down a couple of steeper sections. Altitude gain is only 300 feet, starting at 4750.

At the southern trailhead, the trail starts as a broad, easy doubletrack in the East Mountain Wilderness Park This section has exercise stations periodically along the trail. The doubletrack is a good ride for families and beginners. There's a system of singletrack trails within the park, also great for beginning riders. I'd recommend a turnaround for the kids at 0.7 miles (at the last exercise station) where it gets a bit steeper and rockier.

Doubletrack ride notes: 0.7 keep L, 0.8 fork R uphill, go through flood basin, ends at 1.0 on a subdivision road.

View down the doubletrack at the trail's beginning. This section is well-maintained and easy to ride.

Typical section of trail, with singletrack about three feet wide with a slightly sandy texture.

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail starts 0.4 miles down the doubletrack. The trailhead is well-marked. Most of the climbing is in the first 1/2 mile as you scramble up to "shoreline" height. You'll be riding through scrub oak, with an occasional maple grove in the canyons.There are side trails here and there. This includes hiking trails in each canyon. Just stay on what appears to be the main trail, and when in doubt, take the trail that follows the hillside contour.

Three of the four creeks have bridges. Snow Creek is a fun technical "drop, dip, and slam up" crossing, but I expect there'll be a bridge constructed there soon.

View over Kaysville towards the Great Salt Lake.

As the trail turns into the four canyons along the route, the air gets cooler and the douglas fir and maples provides shade.

Riding notes, south to north:
0.0 At the sign, drop left between two rocks
0.4 R uphill on ST
0.8 Spur to view on L, small trails on R climb
to southbound DT higher on mountain
0.9 Holmes Creek bridge
1.8 Adams Canyon view, steep dip
1.9 Adams Canyon (N Fk Kays Cr) bridge
2.0 Fork, stay R uphill
3.0 Snow Creek
3.5 South Fork Kays Creek Bridge
3.7 Trail ends Fernwood Picnic Area

Option extension north:
Drop down the gravel road through Fernwood Picnic Area. At pavement, continue straight down then uphill. As the road turns right, follow it around. About half-way from the turn to the street's end, spot a dirt doubletrack with an iron gate along a block wall/fence. The trail continues 1.1 miles north, then turns downhill. This is a good turnaround. The continuing route connects to a road heading downhill past the gravel pit to US-89 at mile 1.5.

Option Great Western:
Where the trail enters Fernwood Picnic Area, fork R uphill onto the GWT. The trail climbs up the Middle Fork of Kays Creek, crosses a bridge at 0.8, then heads over a ridge. The view at the ridgeline (1 mile, 5700 ft) is a good turnaround. If you continue, the trail gets steep with loose rock around mile 1.7 -- and this steep difficult section goes on another 3 miles! (You can follow the Great Western all the way to Francis Peak, but few riders are tough enough to make this climb.)

View west towards Hobbs Reservoir during the climb up the Great Western. The trail is steep here, gaining about 700 vertical per mile.

Outline of the Kaysville region BST

b>Getting there: Southern Trailhead -- Exit I-15 onto US-89. Zero your odometer as you go under the first overpass on the exit. Drive north 3.3 miles to a stoplight at 200 North in Kaysville. There's a small "Kaysville" sign on the right side of US-89. Turn right, then immediately left. Follow the road up to "East Mountain Wilderness Park," parking in the gravel area just before the sign. GPS N 41° 02.770' W 111° 54.192'. The doubletrack just past the sign is the trail. (The bike entrance is between two large boulders just before the doubletrack.)

Northern Trailhead -- Continue another 2.6 miles north, turning right at "Cherry Lane - Valley View Drive" then immediately turn left. 0.5 miles from US-89, turn right on Fernwood Drive. Follow Fernwood uphill, turning right at the T-intersection. When the pavement ends at 1.1 miles from US-89, continue through the gate on the dirt road, entering the Fernwood Picnic Area. Ignore the first parking area (on your right), continuing uphill to the end of the road. The trailhead is at the south (right) end, just past the big rock-pile, heading level and south, GPS N 41° 05.252' W 111° 54.092'. Ignore any trails heading uphill -- these connect to the Great Western.

GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
GPX Kaysville BST
Large-format topo map: View map
Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Ogden area resources