Climbing away from the Hidden Hollow trailhead on Rock-a-Billy. Trail pics and review based on multiple rides by Bruce with latest update June 21, 2022.
Eagle Mountain - East Trails
Rock-a-Billy, Cow Tracks, Bugs Bunny, Jackrabbit, Roadrunner
Wile E Coyote, Cropduster, Gunslinger
Rock-a-Billy, Cow Tracks, Bugs Bunny, Jackrabbit, Roadrunner
Wile E Coyote, Cropduster, Gunslinger
This trail page discusses the trails on the west-facing slope of northern Lake Mountain within the extensive Eagle Mountain trail system. A quick description of all trails can be found on the Eagle Mountain Overview Page . Some of these trails may also be found on pages for the northern Eagle Mountain trails , the Eagle Mountain Race Loop , the Mountain Ranch Bike Park , the Treadstone-area (Prayer Flag hill) trails , and the south Eagle Mountain trails .
The elevation of these trails ranges from a low of 5000 feet on the north side to a high of
5600 feet on the south. The area tends to stay dry, so Eagle Mountain
can often be biked in
the winter with a standard XC bike. It also dries quickly after storms,
and is the go-to bad-weather
ride for Utah County and Salt Lake County riders.
On the Cropduster Trail, we're climbing the ridgeline of northern Lake Mountain. To our left we see Mount Timpanogos and Cascade Mountain above Utah Lake.
Typical stunt. On Rock-a-Billy, you can launch at speed to clear the entire downslope of the rock, or at lower speed follow the rock contour to do a simple drop from the far end.
There's currently around 30 miles of trail at Eagle Mountain, with more added yearly. Most
trails would be classified intermediate but can be easily done by an experienced
beginning
rider. A few trails have stunts such as ledge drops, ladders, and gap
jumps. (These have ride-arounds.)
There are countless riding options, as the trails branch and cross over. There's no "best loop" here, although most riders consider the ride incomplete if they don't hit the prayer flags at the top of the knoll on Treadstone .
Riders can enter the trail system from the
Mountain Ranch
Bike Park
, Hidden Canyon trailhead, rockpile (
race
loop
) trailhead, or from the primitive roadside parking between the northern ends of
Creed and
Nirvana
Most riders currently park at Hidden Canyon.
"Rockpile" trailhead where a high school race is being staged. In 2019, access to this trailhead is dicey because you must drive through an active construction area.
Hidden Canyon Trail
Looking northeast from Hidden Canyon.
The Hidden Canyon trail starts at the northeastern corner of the Hidden Hollow parking area.
It climbs the hill to the area above the Mountain Ranch bike park, connecting
to Rock-a-Billy,
Ridgeline/Cow Tracks, and Golden Eagle. From the trailhead, there's an
initial stiff climb,
then a traverse around the north side of Lake Mountain toward the bike
park where there are
nice views to the north and east.
Hidden Canyon is 0.7 miles in length, with 200 feet of elevation change. There will be a couple
of man-made tech features to roll over (or roll around). The trail has
a few rock outcrops,
but overall it's intermediate in tech requirement. The grade on the initial
climb is 200 vertical
in 0.4 miles, which is very manageable by an intermediate rider.
View from Hidden Canyon as we pass above the homes of Eagle Mountain.
Rock-a-Billy
Southbound early on Rock-a-Billy. Junipers occasionally obscure the sight lines, so be cautious about riders coming the other way!
Rock-a-Billy forks to the right (south) from Hidden Canyon after 0.2 miles of fairly stiff
climbing. It rolls up and down, but generally climbs, as it traverses
the western slope of
Lake Mountain. The trail ends on Cow Tracks just above the Rockpile trail
parking area.
From the Hidden Canyon origin to its end on Cow Tracks, Rock-a-Billy is 1.1 miles long. From
north to south it gains 200 feet elevation, but with a climbing total
of 300 vertical feet.
The ride is easier-intermediate, with nicely banked turns and a few jumps
that you can ride
around. There will be nice views in both directions.
View south as little yellow flowers fill the meadows.
Looking north on Rock-a-Billy at the connector trail down to the parking lot (seen at far left).
Rock-a-Billy can also be reached from the paved Hidden Hollow trailhead via a short connector.
The connector splits 1/10th mile uphill from parking. Left takes you northbound
toward the
Hidden Canyon trail for a link to the bike park, while the right limb
joins Rock-a-Billy southbound
to Cow Tracks.
Ridgeline to Cow Tracks
The entry bridge to Cow Tracks remind us that there's some slightly more tech riding ahead -- especially if you decide to do a little lap around the Ridgeline Flow trail.
When climbing Hidden Canyon, at mile 0.7 you'll cross a doubletrack. 100 feet later take the right fork, then cross the doubletrack again, going over the wooden entry bridge. You're now on the combined Ridgeline and Cow Tracks trail. Start climbing southbound, then after 0.2 miles keep right to stay on Cow Tracks as Ridgeline climbs uphill. (You can also reach Cow Tracks from the Mountain Ranch Bike Park . See the map.)
Cow Tracks is 0.8 miles long, contouring the hillside on its way to the Rockpile parking area.
When southbound, the trail will get steep for a while, but it's still
a very ride-able pitch.
The rocks ride nicely, so a strong intermediate should have no problem
grinding right up. The
trail then levels out and rolls along the west face of the hill as you
head south. It joins
Rock-a-Billy as it descends to the east side of the Rockpile parking area.
To continue south on singletrack, take Bugs Bunny, just across the dirt road from the bottom of Cow Tracks near the rockpile parking/staging area.
To continue south on singletrack, take Bugs Bunny, just across the dirt road from the bottom of Cow Tracks near the rockpile parking/staging area.
The steepest spot is the climb just before the Ridgeline trail fork. There's both embedded and loose rock, but it's very do-able.
Bugs Bunny
Climbing away from the rockpile parking on Bugs Bunny.
Bugs Bunny is a welcome singletrack route from the rockpile parking (event staging area) up
to the ridgeline of Lake Mountain. It then turns south to connect to the
doubletrack portion
of Jackrabbit known as Paintball City. Bugs Bunny is 0.6 miles in length,
with around 200 feet
of climbing and 75 feet of descending when done north to south.
Bugs Bunny is an early-intermediate ride, with a bit of rock garden at the top of the ridge.
The trail winds back and forth when climbing uphill from the rockpile
parking, creating a gentle
overall rate of climb.
Getting up toward Lake Mountain's summit. Don't have to wait for great views -- they're already here.
Reaching the summit of Lake Mountain, looking east toward Provo Peak, with Utah Lake on the far right.
Near the top of the ridge, Bugs Bunny offers a connection to Rocket Powered Roller Skates,
a directional trail that descends south to the north end of Roadrunner.
After crossing the
ridge (mile 0.4 from Cow Tracks) there's a trail split. These trails will
reconnect. To the
left is a downhill route, while the main trail keeps right.
Note that Trailforks shows the Bugs Bunny singletrack continuing all the way to the Flintstone
viewpoint. That portion does not exist at this time. Bugs Bunny ends at
the first viewpoint.
To continue south from Bugs Bunny, drop a bit downhill from the viewpoint
to Paintball City
(doubletrack Jackrabbit). If you go further down the doubletrack, you
can reach the top end
of Roadrunner.
Zipping around on the eastern side of Lake Mountain. Hard to keep eyes on the trail with the distracting views!
Road Runner
We're passing through a juniper grove on Road Runner, temporarily northbound.
From the Rockpile area, Road Runner can be reached by taking a doubletrack to either end (see
the map). Road Runner is 0.8 miles long, but with only about 60 feet of
overall elevation gain.
My description will assume you started the downhill southwestern end,
as is done for the race
loop. Head south down the valley from the Rockpile on dirt road 0.3 miles
to turn left on the
Road Runner singletrack.
Wile E Coyote will fork to the right (southbound) just 1/10th mile uphill. Further on, Road Runner will cross both Cropduster and Gunslinger as it heads northbound.
Wile E Coyote will fork to the right (southbound) just 1/10th mile uphill. Further on, Road Runner will cross both Cropduster and Gunslinger as it heads northbound.
Road Runner will turn back northbound as climbs gently. When it reaches doubletrack, turn right
uphill. As you reach a wide treeless area on the ridgeline, you'll see
the Jackrabbit trail
turning back southbound to the right. Take a detour here to ride forward
and enjoy the view,
then backtrack a few feet to Jackrabbit.
We've gone up to the ridgeline to take in the views. We're looking north, with Traverse Ridge standing in front of the mountains of the Cottonwood canyons east of the Salt Lake Valley in the center.
Jackrabbit
Finding our way through the junipers. The race-day markers won't be there when you ride, so just keep meandering south.
Jackrabbit starts high on the ridgeline, about 0.3 miles from the Rockpile and 0.1 mile from
the top of Roadrunner. Jackrabbit is 1.4 miles long with almost no overall
elevation change,
but with a fair amount of up-and-down. The first portion of Jackrabbit
follows (approximately)
the ridgeline ATV route southbound. This stretch is also called Paintball
City. It's a bit
of a maze through the trees, as every clearing seems to have branching
tracks. Just keep heading
south on what appears to be the main path. The interweaving tracks should
rejoin before you
hit the singletrack.
You'll emerge from the trees to cross a doubletrack (FYI, this doubletrack is the route to
Flintstone
). Now you're on Jackrabbit proper, a narrow winding non-motorized singletrack.
The scenery is inspiringly desolate and has its own ugly Great Basin type of empty beauty. There's plenty of very nice riding surrounded by a unique landscape. Jackrabbit will cross Cropduster, Gunslinger, then Wile E Coyote before it connects to Deadwood.
The scenery is inspiringly desolate and has its own ugly Great Basin type of empty beauty. There's plenty of very nice riding surrounded by a unique landscape. Jackrabbit will cross Cropduster, Gunslinger, then Wile E Coyote before it connects to Deadwood.
Looking south as we enter Jackrabbit. The sign says "no motorized vehicles."
View back to the north at the Oquirrh Mountains.
At the southern end, 1.4 miles from the ridgeline, Jackrabbit drops rapidly through a series
of smooth banked turns. Jackrabbit will cross the Wile E Coyote singletrack
shortly before
joining a doubletrack on the edge of the valley.
If you're heading for Deadwood, you can either turn left onto Wile E Coyote, or drop down to the dirt road. If you go for the road, keep left and heading south to reach Deadwood. Take a right on the dirt road at the road fork, then left on singletrack.
If you're heading for Deadwood, you can either turn left onto Wile E Coyote, or drop down to the dirt road. If you go for the road, keep left and heading south to reach Deadwood. Take a right on the dirt road at the road fork, then left on singletrack.
Wile E Coyote
View back to the north at the Oquirrh Mountains as Bruce rides Wile E Coyote.
As mentioned above, Wile E Coyote forks away from Roadrunner just 150 yards from its southern
end. From the origin on Roadrunner the trail runs south 0.9 miles before
ending at a dirt-road
fork just across from the southern end of Deadwood. (To connect to Deadwood,
follow the doubletrack
around to the right so you're heading northwest. Spot the singletrack
on your left after around
50 yards.)
When ridden north to south, Wile E Coyote is generally uphill, but has some up-and-down that
make it a bit tougher. It's a much harder bit of riding than the doubletrack.
While it gains
only 150 feet in absolute altitude as you progress south, the rolling
hillside makes it seem
like more.
A bit of late spring snow persists under the cedars on Wile E Coyote.
Cropduster
Shortly after forking onto Cropduster from Backspacer, we're heading southeast along the ravine.
Cropduster forks away from Backspacer as southbound Backspacer crosses a dirt road. Veer to
the left and turn east along the edge of the ravine. Cropduster will give
you a gentle but
sustained climb to the top of the ridge on Lake Mountain. It's 1.3 miles
in length with 300
feet of elevation gain.
The trail surface is fairly smooth, but there are a few jumps built in. Although most riders
use Cropduster as a climber, it's a two-way trail and you can expect to
encounter riders going
the other way at high speed. Downhillers, stop and move aside for climbers!
At mile 0.7 from Backspacer, you'll reach a trail fork. Cropduster goes left. The right fork is Gunslinger.
At mile 0.7 from Backspacer, you'll reach a trail fork. Cropduster goes left. The right fork is Gunslinger.
A gap jump on Cropduster, for riders who are descending. Note the prominent ride-around.
The Oquirrh Mountains make a beautiful backdrop for Cropduster.
Cropduster will cross both Roadrunner and Jackrabbit on its way to the top. It ends at a dirt
road on the ridgeline at around 5450 feet elevation. Across the road is
the Shooting Gallery
trail, which is CLOSED. (Unsafe conditions due to poorly-controlled illegal
shooting on a daily
basis.)
Gunslinger
Gunslinger heads west across the ridge at the fork with Cropduster.
As a downhill, Gunslinger starts right where Cropduster ends. The trail drops to the west before
turning back north to rejoin Cropduster 0.5 miles later. The vertical
drop is 200 feet.
Turns are banked and the riding is fairly easy. There are a few engineered jumps that intermediate
riders can simply go around.
While most riders use Gunslinger as a downhill, it's a two-way trail. So yield to climbers on your way down.
While most riders use Gunslinger as a downhill, it's a two-way trail. So yield to climbers on your way down.
Heading north during the descent.
Other Trails
Traversing west on the first section of Deadwood.
Deadwood
Deadwood is discussed on the Eagle Mountain South Trails page, but is mentioned here because it connects to the southern end of Wile E Coyote.
Deadwood climbs away from the road heading westbound. After it skirts the low hill at the southern end of Hidden Valley, it will drop down and cross a dirt road. It will climb a bit up the opposite hillside before turn north. Deadwood ends on dirt road across from the southwestern end of Treadstone (discussed on the Eagle Mountain Middle Trails page).
Climbing the hill.
411, Eastwood, and Fistful of Dollars
New in 2020
is a cluster of trails at the south end of the Deadwood Trail. It
features a climbing trail called 411 and two flow trails called Eastwood
and Fistful of Dollars. These trails are discussed in detail on the
South
Eagle Mountain trail page
.
411 begins on the doubletrack that
heads uphill from the south end of Deadwood. Pedal just over 1/10th mile
on the doubletrack then turn right onto the climbing singletrack. You'll
cross Eastwood on the way uphill, then reach the top of Eastwood at mile
0.6. Turn left to drop Eastwood, or continue straight uphill for Fistful
of Dollars.
Looking east as we approach a diving board.
Flintstone
This is a downhill-only expert trail with some high-expert options. It starts on the east ridgeline above the DH trails and descends to dirt road in southern Eagle Mountain. Most riders do this with a shuttle vehicle. The top of the trail is up a DT from the middle of Jackrabbit or Roadrunner. See the Flintstone page . (Note: the nearby Shooting Gallery trail remains closed!)
A rider rips the trail.
Bottom Line!
Lots of great riding in this area, good for experienced beginners but satisfying for experts and hammerheads. Conditions allow riding almost all year, even when everything else is closed.
Lots of great riding in this area, good for experienced beginners but satisfying for experts and hammerheads. Conditions allow riding almost all year, even when everything else is closed.
Area map
Getting there:
Take the I-15 Lehi Main Street exit and turn west. Continue west on SR-73, crossing Redwood Road (11600 West). Continue westbound uphill. Just after climbing the hill, turn left at the stop light onto The Ranches Parkway. At Pony Express Parkway, turn right. The road will veer a bit south (left), then back west (right) as you get one mile from Ranches Parkway. After you pass a large hill on your left, just before Hidden Hollow Elementary, take the next left. The paved parking lot is around 1/4 mile uphill, on your left.
Take the I-15 Lehi Main Street exit and turn west. Continue west on SR-73, crossing Redwood Road (11600 West). Continue westbound uphill. Just after climbing the hill, turn left at the stop light onto The Ranches Parkway. At Pony Express Parkway, turn right. The road will veer a bit south (left), then back west (right) as you get one mile from Ranches Parkway. After you pass a large hill on your left, just before Hidden Hollow Elementary, take the next left. The paved parking lot is around 1/4 mile uphill, on your left.
Creed: At 0.25 miles past the elementary school, spot the trail on the hillside to your left and cross the decorative patch of chunk rock to get there. (Note construction has blocked this access in 2022!)
MAP VIEW: Bike park and northern trails
Race Loop (rockpile) Parking:
Note 2019! It is occasionally not possible to drive through construction area! If so, you must ride from Pony Express, or take the dirt road (OHV route 1) in from the west. At Hidden Hollow Elementary, continue past the parking area and drive a mile up the dirt road, keeping straight at road forks to continue generally southbound. After you reach the top of a small rise and see another valley in front of you, there's a big rockpile on the left. The parking is the primitive open space south of the rockpile.
Note 2019! It is occasionally not possible to drive through construction area! If so, you must ride from Pony Express, or take the dirt road (OHV route 1) in from the west. At Hidden Hollow Elementary, continue past the parking area and drive a mile up the dirt road, keeping straight at road forks to continue generally southbound. After you reach the top of a small rise and see another valley in front of you, there's a big rockpile on the left. The parking is the primitive open space south of the rockpile.
MAP VIEW: Mid to southern trails
Bathrooms: None. Porta-Potty at the Mountain Ranch
Bike Park. A
full-service trailhead is planned for Hidden Canyon.
Camping: No developed or designated campgrounds. Flat spots can be
found in the race
staging area near the rockpile.
Bike services: UtahMountainBiking store in Lehi.
Map of southern riding.
Riding resources for this trail:
Single-page riding guide to Race Loop
GPS track files and route (right-click and "Save as..."):
Race Loop alone
Multi-track GPX area file
High-res area topo map for printing: View topo
Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Provo area resources
Single-page riding guide to Race Loop
GPS track files and route (right-click and "Save as..."):
Race Loop alone
Multi-track GPX area file
High-res area topo map for printing: View topo
Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Provo area resources
Latest update June 2022
