Mordor is an expert-level descent from the top of Lonely Mountain to Lower Riverview. At the time of this review, it's reached by climbing up Lonely Mountain, but that will likely change as new trails are finished. It crosses (and sometimes briefly joins) Upper Riverview, Middle Earth, and the Riverview doubletrack. Mordor includes some double-black optional lines.
To reach Mordor via Chop'd Coyote and the top of Lonely Mountain, you'll need to climb to 6900 feet elevation. This is the hard way to get to Mordor.
Most riders get to the Riverview area west-side trails from the UVU Wasatch Campus trailhead. This is found on the far north end of Heber on Highway 40, one mile south of the Highway 32 junction. At the UVU campus entry, turn east (toward the mountain). Go to the uppermost level of parking behind the UVU buildings. Look for the duck-under and kiosk.
On US-40 north of Heber, turn east on Highway 32 and climb 1.1 miles. When you see the second entry into Riverview on your left, note the gravel parking area on your right. That's your spot.
Climb 0.3 miles up the connector, then turn south on Riverview for 1.5 miles to Lonely Mountain and climb up past the Smaug Loop.
You can get to Mordor from the Coyote Trailhead in the south or the UVU Trailhead in the middle. Connect to Middle Earth for the northbound trip and continue to the Upper Potatoes/Lower Potatoes trail fork. Climb Upper Potatoes to Upper Riverview and turn right. Pedal 0.3 miles to Lonely Mountain and climb one mile to the Smaug Loop. Continue uphill to Mordor, on your right.
Climb 1.5 miles on the UVU/Riverview Connector trail, crossing Lower Riverview and Middle Earth. When you reach Upper Riverview, fork left to head north.
UVU Wasatch Campus trailhead: One mile south of the junction of Highway 40 and 32, turn east (toward the mountain) at the UVU campus. Northbound from Utah County, the UVU campus is a couple of miles north of Heber's business area. Go to the uppermost level of parking behind the UVU buildings and look for the step-over and kiosk. The singletrack UVU Connector trail climbs to Lower Riverview at mile 0.2 and Middle Earth at mile 0.7, then continues to the Riverview Trail at mile 1.6.
Coyote Lane trailhead: On US-40 just north of Heber, turn east on Coyote Lane. Just after the road crosses a canal, turn left into the parking lot. The singletrack starts at the northeast corner at the step-over, where you'll also find a repair stand and a kiosk with a trail map. The Coyote singletrack takes you uphill, where you can connect to Riverview after climbing 2.1 miles. You can also connect northbound via the Riverview Doubletrack and Lower Riverview trail or the Sheep Pen and Middle Earth trails. (NOTE: There is subdivision construction in the Coyote Lane area in 2022, which may affect your access plans. The trails below the Riverview Doubletrack are closed at this time.)
Trailhead options!
UVU Wasatch Campus Trailhead: One mile south of the junction of Highway 40 and 32 (a couple of miles north of Heber), turn east (toward the mountain) at the UVU campus. Go to the uppermost level of parking behind the UVU buildings. Look for the duck-under and kiosk. A singletrack trail climbs 1.5 miles to the Riverview Trail.
Wile E Canyon trailhead: The Wile E Canyon trailhead is located on the southern side of Highway 32, just over 4 miles from US-40. It's 1/10th mile east of the old Cutthroat trailhead (see below). There's room for about 8 cars here. From the parking lot, a connector trail takes you 120 yards uphill to the Wile E Canyon loop. To get to Beep Beep (or the Coyote Switchbacks or East Riverview), turn right at the trail fork, keep right at the next fork, then turn left onto the Coyote Riverview Connector trail as you approach the gravel road.
Coyote Riverview Connector trail (old Cutthroat): You can still connect through the old Cutthroat trailhead, although there's no longer a parking area here. For example, if the crowds have forced you to park where construction workers leave their vehicles along Highway 32, you can pedal to the gravel road to the new golf course leaves the highway, four miles east of US-40 and just east of the big rock-wall road-cut.
Puddy Tat parking: On Highway 3 around three miles from US-40, watch for a dirt road turning to the right in a huge sage meadow. There are a couple of buildings across Highway 32 at this spot. The parking spot is just through the fence, with a connection to Puddy Tat on the eastern side of parking. (This spot was still being worked on at the time of my review.)
Riverview trailhead: From US-40 just south of the Jordanelle reservoir, turn east at the traffic light onto Highwat 32 (at mile 14.2 from I-80 if you're coming from the north). On Highway 32, climb 1.1 miles. When you see the second entry into Riverview on your left and a road under construction to your right, the Riverview Connector trail starts on the uphill side of that road just after it leaves Highway 32. (In 2025, there's no longer protected parking here. It's unclear whether the trailhead will be restored when construction is complete.)Coyote Trailhead: The southern Coyote trailhead has been lost to subdivision construction. Access to the southern side the trail system is in limbo, but some riders find their way through the construction zone by pedaling up the gravel Coyote Canyon road.
Canal DT trailhead: Just uphill from the light on highway 32, watch for the canal crossing. Park along the road. Start riding south on the doubletrack just uphill from the canal.
Riding resources:
GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
Multi-track GPX area
master file
Lodging, camping, shops:
Links to area resources
Coyote Loop
Riverview Trail page
Chop'd Coyote page
Lower Riverview page
Wile E Canyon page
Bathrooms: No public restrooms nearby.
Water: Gas stations in Heber, campgrounds.
Camping:
Hailstone campground at Jordanelle on US-40, about 6 miles away.
Bike services: Slim and Knobby's
bike shop, Heber
