Firefly Bike Park
at Cedar Fort

This trail system was finished in fall 2024, although the trailhead and entry roads are still seeing construction at the time of this review. The Firefly Bike Park lies on the water tank hill west of White Hills (south of Cedar Fort off SR 73). There are four short trails in the system, with a dedicated climbing trail leading to three DH trails that range from easy to high-expert. This review by Bruce dated November 14, 2024.

The elevation is around 5400 feet, with an expected riding season of May through November. This region tends to stay relatively dry in winter compared to the Wasatch Front valleys.

The climbing trail sits on a north-facing slope shaded by junipers, with natural soil that may create some mud spots and puddles. But the DH trails use a trail-base material that would tend to resist slime and ruts. So my guess is that this bike park will see significant use year-round.

All trails are 0.4 to 0.5 miles in length, so each lap will be around 0.9 miles. The elevation change per lap is 150 to 175 vertical feet, making a comfortable rate of climbing and descending.

The DH trails are highly engineered for a "bike park" feel rather than "riding through nature." Both the design and the build-out of this trail system are excellent. You'll have fun here regardless of your skill level.

The trails are located on the north and eastern sides of the small hill with a water tank at the top. The climbing trail is on the northern side, passing through juniper forest, then grassy slopes with dead trees. All three downhills start at the same spot just below the tank, falling downhill to the east through grass and dead trees in an old burn scar.

The first trail is Fire Up, a climbing route of 0.4 miles rising 150 vertical feet. Near the water tank, there's a broad staging area that serves three DH-only trails. The trail on the left is the easiest descent, Firefly. It rejoins Fire Up near the northern parking area. The middle trail is the intermediate DH route Superfly. The high- expert Fireball trail is to the right. Superfly and Fireball join up across from the southern parking area, then climb a bit north to reach Fire Up.

The three downhill trails make extensive use of trail-base material. The trail-base is nicely compacted, creating a solid surface that resists breaking down into dust. My impression is that this material won't easily turn into mud.

See the individual trail descriptions below for more info on each trail.

In 2024, there's extensive subdivision construction in the area south of Cedar Fort. You'll need to navigate through the construction zone to reach the trails. The access route will change. I'll try to stay on top of this and alter the "getting there" instructions as changes occur.

South trailhead
The southern entry is reached via Lewiston Road south of White Hills. Driving south past White Hills, turn off SR 73 to the right, across from Pole Canyon Blvd. The pavement ends quickly. Some riders park here and pedal the rest of the way. Stay westbound on dirt road, generally keeping straight as you pass through a long area of construction. Keep straight when the main dirt road veers to the left. As you reach the base of the hill, make a right turn and go north a short distance, turning right into the parking area. The entry trail is across from where you pulled into parking.

North trailhead
In 2024, the parking lot and north entry are still under construction. This will be the future main route. On Highway 73 southbound past Cedar Fort, turn right immediately after you pass Cedar Fort Rock at 4000 North. Drive west then southwest for 1.5 miles from SR 73. There will be parking on the side of the road. The link to the uphill trail is just below the parking strip.

The Fire Up climbing trail officially begins near the northern parking strip, where Firefly joins the combined return trail from Superfly and Fireball. But the strip of trail from the bottom of Fireball to Fire Up, while going uphill, is designated as a one-way return from the DH trails.

So at the time of this review, if you descend only Firefly, you'd need to "wrong way" the 0.1-mile section between the bottom of Firefly and the southern parking lot to get back to your car. (The gate on the dirt road was locked, with no "ride around" for the fence.) Once the northern parking area is open, this problem will be resolved.

The official Fire Up trail is 0.4 miles long with 150 vertical feet of climbing. But if you're riding the more-difficult DH trails, your actual climb will be 0.5 miles and 175 feet. But either way, the climb is quick enough to allow multiple laps to dial in your tech skills.

Fire Up begins in a juniper and sage forest with a natural trailbase of dirt and occasional embedded rock. This area may see mud and ruts in winter and early spring because of the shade and the nature of the natural soil.

Fire Up winds back and forth to reduce the rate of climb, finally exiting the forest before the last couple of switchbacks. As Fire Up hits the upper slopes of the hill, the forest gives way to patchy grass with dead tree skeletons in a fire-scar area. For its entire length, Fire Up is a classic trailcut in natural soil.

When Fire Up reaches the water tank, there's a broad staging zone. You can quickly turn into the trail of your choice, but most riders will migrate to the far side and chill for a minute. This lets you get your group together after the climb, and provides a bit of run-in room to accelerate before you hit the DH trail. This is particularly useful on the Superfly trail, where you reach the first table before gravity has a chance to bring your speed up.

The Fireball expert DH is the trail furthest to the right at the staging area near the water tank. The trail is 0.4 miles in length, dropping 175 vertical feet. A full lap around is 0.9 miles.

I'd classify Fireball as a "double black" or high-expert trail. While there's a ride-around to the most-dangerous jump, there are several obligatory gap jumps. And the table jumps are huge. If you're not a true expert don't go here. You'll constantly be in the way of the skilled riders and/or you'll get injured.

Fireball is designed for high speed and long times in the air. If you fall short on the distance in the air (as I did frequently), you might slam into an uphill surface -- rather than simply bumping onto the flat surface of a table top.

Fireball makes extensive use of tables, both dirt-based and with wooden ramps. Even on the dirt tables, I found the lip to be sharp, designed to send riders into the air. The tables with wooden ramps are impossible to "roll." So again, if you can't manage obligatory jumps, don't ride this trail.

There are a half-dozen gap jumps, without ride-arounds. Do or die. Typically you'll need to cover around 8 to 10 feet in the air to land smoothly. I kept stopping to take photos, so my speed was never high enough to avoid a slam and "bucking bronco" effect on the back wheel.

The most gawd-awful launch of Fireball is a wooden ramp that ends around 8 feet in the air. Fortunately, this stunt DOES have a ride-around. You'll need to cover a minimum of 20 feet in the air to get past the uphill slope and avoid a violent landing.

Fireball joins Superfly near the road below the hill, and together they go 1/10th mile north (and a bit uphill) to Fire Up and the northern parking strip.

The Superfly intermediate DH is the middle trail of the three downhill routes, starting from the water tank on top of the hill. Superfly is 0.4 miles in length with 175 feet of descending. A full lap around Superfly will be 0.9 miles.

Superfly features plenty of twisty turns, table jumps with both natural lips and wooden up-ramps, and one wooden wall turn.

The wooden-wall turn is fun, and not too tough. But be sure you're not angling your bike up the slope of the ramp as you reach the end, or you won't land on trail as you leave the wall. The trail is a bit narrower than ideal at the end of the wall, so you'll need to have turned enough that your bike is aimed at trail rather than side-slope.

The wooden ramps on the upslope of many table jumps protect the "lip" of the table for high-altitude jumpers. But it means that if you're taking this trail with the speed for which it was designed, it's basically "obligatory air." If you try to roll these features, you're in for a rough ride indeed.

Turns on Superfly are highly banked with the trail-base material providing a solid berm. Some were too tight for me to keep my speed up, but this undoubtedly reflects my timid style and lack of skill, and is not a criticism of the design.

At the bottom, Superfly joins Fireball across from the south parking area. Together they climb 0.1 miles to Fire Up and the northern parking strip.

Firefly is an easier DH route that, like Fireball and Superfly, starts at the staging area in front of the water tank. It's the DH furthest to the left, right next to the exit from the climbing trail Fire Up.

Firefly is 0.4 miles in length, descending 150 vertical feet. Because Firefly returns to Fire Up near the northern parking strip, a lap around Firefly is shorter at 0.8 miles.

Firefly is suitable for beginning riders who already have some experience and decent bike-handling skill. I don't suggest it as a first-time mountain biking adventure unless the rider already is comfortable on a bike. And on weekends, I expect this trail to be crowded with riders who are descending very very fast. Your little beginner has every right to be here, but if he's creeping along while meandering from side to side, he might get clobbered by a moron.

Firefly also uses the firm trail-base that you'll find on Superfly and Fireball. But the banks on the turns are lower and the turning radius is wider. There are a few wiggles on the straight sections, but no sidewalls to play on.

There are a couple of tables on Firefly, but they're low and have a smooth lip. Barely more than a gentle roll in the trail for most riders.

There's one optional rock strip you can roll over. It's on the uphill side of the trail where the natural riding line would take you past it.

At the bottom of Firefly, you'll join the return path from Fireball and Superfly near the northern parking strip. Here you'll start back uphill on Fire Up for another lap.

Getting there:
In 2024, the parking lot and north entry are still under construction. This will be the future main route. For now, you'll need to use the southern route (see below). For the northern route: On Highway 73 southbound past Cedar Fort, turn right immediately after you pass Cedar Fort Rock at 4000 North. Drive west then southwest for 1.5 miles from SR 73. There will be parking on the side of the road. The link to the uphill trail is just below the parking strip.ss Cedar Fort Rock at 4000 North. Drive west then southwest for 1.5 miles from SR 73. The uphill trail begins northbound at the parking area.
The southern entry is reached via Lewiston Road south of White Hills. Driving south past White Hills, turn off SR 73 to the right, across from Pole Canyon Blvd. The pavement ends quickly. Some riders park here and pedal the rest of the way. Stay westbound on dirt road, generally keeping straight as you pass through a long area of construction. Keep straight when the main dirt road veers to the left. As you reach the base of the hill, make a right turn and go north a short distance, turning right into the parking area. The entry trail is across from where you pulled into parking.