Looking east as we approach the top of Crop Duster on Eagle Mountain's southern end. Multiple updates by Bruce since 2015, with the latest update April 27, 2023.
Eagle Mountain - South Trails
Wile E Coyote, 411, Eastwood, Fistful of Dollars, Deadwood, Beggar's
Connections to Crop Duster, Gunslinger, Jackrabbit & RoadrunnerThis trail page discusses the
trails on the
end of the Hidden Canyon area Eagle Mountain trail
system. Note that a quick description of all trails can be found on the
Eagle
Mountain Overview Page
. Other area trails are described 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
Lake Mountain
slope trails
.
The favorite trail in the southern end is Deadwood, ridden from the south end back to the north.
A favorite loop starts at the "Rockpile" parking. Take doubletrack down
to Wile E Coyote, +/-
411 and Fistful of Dollars, Deadwood, then Treadstone up to the prayer
flags and Supersonic
to Cracker Jack and back to parking.
A nice alternative descent is the wash-bottom ride down Beggar's Canyon, which you can reach
from the bottom of Jackrabbit, or by taking the dirt road along the edge
of Lake Mountain a
bit north from the south end of Wile E Coyote.
View north at the Oquirrh Mountains from the southern Eagle Mountain trails.
Wile E Coyote is a favorite north-south route on the eastern side of the big valley. It forks
away from Roadrunner just 150 yards from Roadrunner's southern end on
ATV route 3. The trail
is generally an easy ride in either direction, which makes it a favorite
for loop rides that
include Fistful of Dollars, Eastwood, or Deadwood.
Some riders will turn onto OHV route 2 after finishing Wile E Coyote southbound. This is a
180 degree left turn onto the ridgeline doubletrack. From here, take the
DT back north to the
top of Gunslinger/Crop Duster.
View back to the north at the Oquirrh Mountains as Bruce rides Wile E Coyote.
A bit of late spring snow persists under the cedars on Wile E Coyote.
From its origin on Roadrunner, Wile E Coyote 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.
This southern end of Wile E Coyote on ATV route 3 has connections to the south end of OHV route
2, the 411 trail (which starts on the southbound doubletrack) and OHV
route 4 westbound to
connect to the Deadwood trail.
The trail is easy to ride, but you can always hit the doubletrack (OHV route 3) if you're pressed for time on your loop ride.
The unmarked tiny trail on the right is the origin of the 411 singletrack from the dirt road.
411 is usually used as a climbing route to the top of Eastwood and Fistful of Dollars. It consists
of around 1/10th mile of ATV track followed by a narrow singletrack winding
up the mountain.
It's a reasonable rate of climb although on narrow trail with a bit more
embedded rock than
you're used to at Eagle Mountain.
The trail (including the doubletrack at the bottom) is 0.6 miles with 200 feet of elevation
gain and would rank upper-intermediate in difficulty.
There will be some fabulous views over the valley, as you're looking down on all the spots
you thought were "way up there" on other trails.
Looking up 411 shortly after leaving the doubletrack.
A peak at Utah Lake as we near the top of 411. The doubletracks below are OHV route 2 on the ridgeline, route 3 at mid-left and route 4 just below it. The DT at mid-right is the connection to the 411 climb.
At the top, you'll bump across a long field of boulders. As it ends, you'll note a trail coming
from your left, crossing, then dropping off the hill to your right. That
trail is Eastwood.
But keep straight. After another 200 yards, you'll hit the combined origin
of Eastwood and
Fistful of Dollars just after the 411 trail joins an old doubletrack.
Left (and back 180 degrees)
is Eastwood; right downhill into the ravine is Fistful of Dollars.
Eastwood is a two-way trail that most riders use as a downhill. It's an intermediate-level
descent but makes a moderately strenuous climb. It's 0.8 miles in length,
crossing Deadwood
near its bottom, then joining Fistful of Dollars just before it joins
Deadwood. There will
be 230 feet of elevation change on the trail.
View down Eastwood toward the Wasatch Front. We're seeing over Traverse Mountain on the left and there's a sliver of Utah Lake on the right.
The trail takes a lazy looping turn as we drop off the ridgeline.
Eastwood begins at the top of 411 straight across from Fistful of Dollars. That would be a
hard left turn at the (unmarked) beginning just after 411 joins doubletrack.
Eastwood runs
heads back northeast parallel to 411 then crosses over 411 to descend
the mountain.
Eastwood crosses Deadwood before joining Fistful of Dollars near its end.
There is the option of climbing Eastwood immediately after descending Fistful of Dollars in
a short loop ride, but the tire tracks indicate that almost nobody does
this.
The downhill is fairly straightforward. There will be occasional grade reversals where you might pedal.
Fistful of Dollars is an expert-level downhill-only trail that starts at the top of 411 and
Eastwood. While much of the trail is swooping singletrack, there are some
short but slippery
rock steeps that require aggressive attitude and good skills.
Just getting started. That's our gunslinger ahead.
Approaching one of the first rock ramps. This one is easy. They'll get spookier as we go.
Fistful of Dollars is 0.6 miles long with 230 feet of elevation loss. While it looks pretty
mellow at first, as you get lower on the mountain there will be some steep
spots that truly
require expert skill. These tend to occur on rocky outcrops, with the
steep side-slope leaving
no ride-around. A nervous intermediate with poor brake modulation skill
can get hurt here.
And because dust and pebbles cover the rock riding surface, hiking down
the ramp wearing cleat-bottomed
bike shoes is unwise.
After clearing the steeper middle section of the trail, you'll cross Deadwood as it approaches
the doubletrack. The trail is now mellow again. After a few wiggles, Eastwood
will join on
your right and Fistful of Dollars will veer to cross the dirt road and
join Deadwood to continue
your downhill.
The trail follows the ravine downhill to the north.
Deadwood is a fun easier-intermediate trail on the western side of the big valley. Along with
Treadstone (the Prayer Flags trail) it's an absolute must-ride for Eagle
Mountain. It's also
part of the classic Eagle Mountain Race Loop. Skilled riders can connect
to Treadstone after
descending Eastwood or Fistful of Dollars for a continuous downhill.
Passing through a scorched former juniper forest. Juniper inhibits undergrowth, so the formerly bare ground now shows grass and scrub.
Traversing west on the first section of Deadwood.
Deadwood is 1.9 miles long. When done south to north, there's a bit of climbing on the southern
end then 300 feet of elevation loss northbound. (If you hit Deadwood from
Eastwood or Fistful
of Dollars, you've skipped the flat and uphill portions.)
Most riders will do Deadwood downhill south to north. The slope is gentle and it's easy to
ride. In 2022, the track was widened and turns were banked for a zippy
ride. It's part of the
race loop and a must-do if you ride Eagle Mountain.
Deadwood starts on ATV route 4 near the end of Wile E coyote and ends at the ATV route 1 across
from the western end of Treadstone.
View north as Deadwood rocks downhill on the slope above the valley.
Hitting a turn on Deadwood. (This photo was taken before the extensive trail work of 2022. There are big turning berms now.)
On the southern end off ATV route 4, 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
another dirt road. It will climb a bit up the opposite hillside before
turn north.
Now, shortly after the combined Fistful of Dollars and Eastwood join on your right, Deadwood
begins a steady flight northbound. The trail is smooth with long sight-lines
and banked turns.
Handlebar view, northbound.
Drone shot as Bruce rocks northbound in April.
At its north end, Deadwood hits dirt road and drops through a wash to end on
ATV
route 1. Across the ATV track is the southwestern
end of Treadstone (discussed on the
Eagle
Mountain Middle Trails
page). Climb uphill to continue the classic
singletrack loop via Treadstone, or turn to the right for Backspacer for
an
alternate climbing route or to connect to Crop Duster.
Beggar's Canyon is a 1.1-mile run down a dirt wash in the middle of the valley between Lake
Mountain and the Deadwood trail. The top of Beggar's Canyon is found on
a doubletrack, 100
yards into the valley from the bottom of southern Jackrabbit. The easiest
way to be sure you've
found it is to ride Jackrabbit, then when the singletrack ends, head out
into the valley on
the doubletrack.
A look to the north as we head down the wash.
At the time of my April 2023 ride, the trail is new, so the riding lines and spots for sidewall hits are still being established.
Beggar's Canyon can be done as laps, using dirt roads to connect back to the top. Depending
on where you hop from the wash onto the dirt road, it's around 1.3 miles
back up to the top
of Beggar's.
The bottom of Beggar's Canyon crosses the "dip" where Backspacer crosses the wash. You can
exit here, or continue on downhill and exit where the wash flattens out
at the bottom of Deadwood
(and the western end of Treadstone).
This ride has a very different feel from the rest of Eagle Mountain. As the riding lines harden up, it will become a fun romp.
Other Area Trails and Connections
Crop DusterCrop Duster is a two-way trail that functions as a climbing route to
Gunslinger, or as a swooping easy downhill. Crop Duster begins on the
Backspacer trail, heading east. This western end is fairly flat, following
a wash across the valley. Crop Duster has connections to Gunslinger (top
and bottom) and to Jackrabbit and Roadrunner. It's discussed in more
detail on the
Eagle Mountain East Trails
page
but is mentioned here because it lies across the valley from
Deadwood.
Descending Crop Duster on the east side of the valley.
GunslingerAs 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. Again this trail is discussed in
more detail on the
Eagle Mountain East Trails
page
.
Gunslinger heads west across the ridge at the fork with Cropduster.
JackrabbitJackrabbit starts high on the ridgeline at around the
middle of the Eagle Mountain riding area, about 0.3 miles
from the Rockpile and 0.1 mile from the top of Roadrunner. The first
portion is doubletrack. Jackrabbit is
1.4 miles long with almost no overall elevation change, but with a fair
amount of up-and-down. More details are found on the
Eagle Mountain East Trails
page
.
Looking south as we enter the singletrack portion of Jackrabbit. The sign says "no motorized vehicles."
Road RunnerFrom the Rockpile area, Road Runner can be reached by
taking a doubletrack to either end. 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. It branches away from OHV route 3 0.3 miles south
of the "Rockpile" parking area. Wile E Coyote will fork to the right (southbound)
just
1/10th mile uphill. Roadrunner ends on OHV route 2 just below the big
valley overlook. See the
Eagle Mountain East Trails
page
for more details.
View down the trail as Road Runner climbs toward the ridgeline on the eastern side of the valley.
Map of southern trails
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. (Note: as of 2020,
there is no longer primitive parking near the elementary school and
construction may block access. See below. You may need to get creative to
find a roadside spot. There's a plan for a formal trailhead with all
services in Hidden Canyon, but the area is still undergoing basic road and
utility installation.)
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!)
Race Loop (rockpile) Parking:Note 2022! While construction crews are trying to
preserve access, it is occasionally not possible to drive through
construction area! If so, you must ride from the Pony Express Parkway, or
take the dirt road (OHV route 1) in from the west. On
Pony Express Parkway, turn south and drive uphill past Hidden Hollow
Elementary. When the pavement ends, keep as straight as possible
southbound through the construction area. Drive a mile up the dirt road.
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. Deer Tracks is west of the parking area
(across the dirt road), Cow Tracks is at the northeast corner, and dirt
roads on the east and south connect to other singletrack 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.
