Heading steadily uphill from the southern side. The higher switchback in mid-photo is part of our route uphill. Photos and ride description by Bruce on November 22, 2021.
Parley's Pointe
Bonneville Shoreline TrailParley's Pointe is a section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST), new in
2021. It runs north from the mouth of Parley's Canyon to end on a
subdivision street just outside the
East Bench
Preserve
in Carrigon Canyon. At the southern trailhead, the BST continues as the Grandeur Peak section over to Mill Creek. The Parley's Pointe trail is easy technically, but
has stiff climbing and some tight turns, earning it an intermediate
overall rating.
The trail itself is 3.7 miles in length, but it must be combined with a piece of the paved
BST and the Old Parley's Road trail. The distance between the Wasatch
Blvd BST trailhead and
the northern end is 5 miles. On the southern end in Parley's Canyon, it
starts at 4900 feet
elevation and climbs at granny-gear pace. The top elevation comes at 5600
just before the descent
back to city streets. The northern end on Lakeline Drive is 250 feet higher
than the south
end at 5150 feet elevation.
A connector trail at the end of Benchmark Drive lets you cut off some of the southern side
of the trail and eliminates around 200 feet of climbing (see below). This
creates a shorter
loop ride option.
View north to downtown SLC from Parley's Pointe trail.
There's still a bit of pavement clinging to the hillside here and there on the Old Parley's Road trail. You'll use 0.3 miles of this trail between the paved lower BST and the southern end of Parley's Pointe.
The southern end of Parley's Pointe must be reached by other trails, including the paved lower
Bonneville Shoreline route and the Old Parley's Road trail. How you reach
the trail, and whether
you plan to do out-and-back or a loop using city streets, determines the
length of your ride
and the amount of total climbing.
Getting to Parley's Pointe
Trailhead options and connecting trails
Looking north toward the Wasatch Blvd trailhead from the street. There are also a few parallel parking spots to our left outside the gates.
Wasatch Boulevard Trailhead and Paved BSTThe Wasatch Boulevard Grandeur Peak trailhead lets you take the paved lower BST (Bonneville
Shoreline Trail) from the southern side of Parley's Canyon mouth. You'll
cross the I-80 on-ramp
road and I-80 itself on bridges, then connect to the Old Parley's Road
trail which takes you
to the southern end of Parley's Pointe. The trailhead has room for around
15 cars including
roadside parking. Uphill from this trailhead eastbound is the BST segment
to the Mill Creek Pipeline and Rattlesnake Gulch in Mill Creek Canyon.
Exit from the trailhead back to Wasatch Blvd for about 100 feet then turn right onto the paved
trail. Cross over the I-80 connecting road. At the trail fork 0.2 miles
from the trailhead,
go left. (The bridge on the right is the Parley's Sugarhouse trail.) The
paved trail then follows
the east side of I-215 northwest, then hooks back southeast to cross over
I-80 and resume its
northwest orientation. After 100 yards (mile 0.9 from the trailhead),
turn hard right onto
the Old Parley's Road trail. After 0.3 miles, turn left onto Parley's
Pointe.
Critical fork on the paved BST. Go to the left here. The overpass crosses I-215 and continues west as Parley's Sugarhouse trail.
A protected elevated crossing over the connector road joining I-215 to I-80. Things are mighty noisy here, but it will get better once you've climbed up the hillside a bit.
Parley's Sugarhouse Paved TrailParley's Sugarhouse trail starts at 1700 East, just south of I-80. As it heads eastbound, you
can join the trail at 2000 East and 2300 East. When it reaches the covered
bridge across I-215
(mile 3 from 17th East), turn hard right and descend to follow I-215 northwest.
After 0.7 miles,
turn hard right onto Old Parley's Road trail, then left after 0.3 miles
onto Parley's Pointe.
From Foothill Blvd via paved BSTOn the east side of Foothill Boulevard near Parley's Canyon, the "paved Bonneville Shoreline
Trail" is actually a wide sidewalk. It turns to asphalt after about 1/3
mile and becomes a
more obvious trail. As you approach the overpass across I-80, around 1/2
mile from where the
trail turned to asphalt, spot the dirt route on your left. This is Old
Parley's Road. Follow
it 0.3 miles to Parley's Pointe on your left.
This is the entry to the Old Parley's Canyon trail, seen riding southbound on the paved BST.
Looking down at the Benchmark trailhead from Parley's Pointe.
Benchmark TrailheadThe Benchmark trailhead is at the end of the extension of Benchmark Drive. It has room only
for 5 vehicles, but there's gravel roadside parking on the downhill side
of the road near the
trailhead. From the trailhead, go southeast 0.3 miles to join Parley's
Pointe. Keep left to
climb, or right to descend into Parley's Canyon.
NOTE: A trailhead and connector are being developed at the southern end of Scenic Drive lower
on the hill. The connecting trail is flagged but in November 2021 construction
has not yet
begun. It will tie into the Benchmark connecting trail.
Lakeline Drive Trail Entry / East Bench Preserve trailheadTo reach the trail's northern end, climb subdivision streets to Lakeline Drive. There's a small
trailhead for the East Bench Preserve at the end of the road. The entry
to Parley's Pointe
is on the uphill side of the road, 1/10th mile downhill from the trailhead.
Most hikers and
riders are parking along the road at this time.
East Bench Preserve entry. The Parley's Pointe trail is behind my back, 1/10th mile down the road.
Riding the H Trail's narrow singletrack up through the East Bench Preserve.
H Trail (East Bench Preserve)Some riders climb singletrack from the north end of Scenic Drive. About
100 yards uphill, keep right onto the smaller trail. You'll climb through
switchbacks 1/2 mile up to the main preserve trail. Turn right and keep
level for 0.3 miles, then join the wide water-line trail and pedal out
through the reserve gate. Go downhill on Lakeline Drive for 0.1 miles
and
turn left to the trail. I DO NOT recommend this route for most riders,
as
the climbing singletrack is expert-level riding. See the
H
Trail page
.
You can also park at the Devonshire Drive preserve trailhead and take the main preserve trail
1/2 mile across the hillside to Lakeline Drive.
Riding Parley's Pointe
South to North
We're on the Old Parley's Road trail heading into the canyon.
From the paved lower Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) find the Old Parley's Road trail on the
uphill side, as described above. Pedal 0.3 miles into Parley's Canyon.
The trail is flat and
easy. Some parts are old broken pavement, while in other areas erosion
has completely removed
the old asphalt. (The Old Parley's Road trail dead-ends where the old
road hits the new I-80,
about 1/2 mile up-canyon from the entry to Parley's Pointe BST.)
When you come to a flat area on your left at mile 0.3 from the paved BST, turn left onto the
Parley's Pointe BST trail. (In November 2021, trail signs have not yet
been completed.) When
the trail hits the hill, it turns onto the slope and begins some serious
climbing.
Looking left from Old Parley's Road. This is the Parley's Pointe BST.
Looking ahead to the next hairpin turn as we climb. View is southeast.
On its southern end, Parley's Pointe is a steady climb through a series of turns. For me, the
pitch meant granny gear. You'll gain 250 feet of elevation in just the
first half mile. This
steady 8 to 10% climbing pitch will continue for the next mile as well.
The trail surface on
this southern end contains a lot of rock, with both rounded river rocks
and chips of limestone.
This means this southern side of the trail should hold up well in wet
weather.
Enjoy an occasional view into Parley's Canyon as you climb. At mile 0.6, you'll reach the Benchmark
Drive access trail. The trail straight ahead traverses the slope 0.3 miles
north to a small
trailhead. Turn hard right uphill to continue on Parley's Pointe.
Looking east from the trail into Parley's Canyon.
The trail winds up the hillside. The streak near the top is also our trail.
The trail will continue to wind back and forth across the hillside as it gains elevation. Just
when you think you're through climbing, you'll turn a corner and see more
zigzag trail high
on the hill ahead of you. The terrain here is mostly open grassland with
an occasional tiny
stand of scrub oak.
Beginning at mile 1.7 with a ridgeline viewpoint, the trail traverses the slope as it works
its way north.
Climbing past a limestone outcrop on a steep side-slope. Heading north.
View west. We're right at the top of the inversion layer.
Looking south down the length of Salt Lake Valley.
Another limestone rock outcrop, and still climbing.
There will be two more ridgeline viewpoints over the valley. The final viewpoint is also the
ride's highest elevation at 5600 feet, at mile 2.6 from Old Parley's Road.
At this spot, you've
climbed a total of 900 feet.
The trail now descends quickly through a series of turns. Some of them are rather tight. This
northern side of the trail is also easier for hikers to reach, so it will
be more populated
with people and dogs. On my weekday ride, it seemed I was constantly pulling
over to let dog-walkers
bring their pack of canines past.
Looking at the descending trail from the last ridgeline viewpoint.
A sun-exposed turn. Those in the shade were black frozen mud.
Here the trail has more dirt and less rock. There's also a bit more shade with larger groves
of oak. I rode while the ground was frozen solid, but during the off-season
this stretch of
the trail may be muddy in the afternoon.
The trail ends on the uphill side of Lakeline Drive, about 1/10th mile downhill from the
East Bench Preserve
trailhead. At this time (November 2021) there are no marking signs. But you'll probably see
the cars parked in the middle of nowhere, which will be your tip-off that
the trail is nearby.
The clear strip between the cars is the trail on Lakeline Drive.
Map of Parley's Pointe BST
Getting there:(see descriptions near top of page for further information)
Wasatch Blvd TH (via paved BST): From I-215, take the 39th South
exit. Turn left onto Wasatch Boulevard and go north to 33rd South. Turn
right, then follow the road left to go north again. The trailhead is at
the end of the Wasatch Blvd. Begin on the paved bike trail 100 feet south
of the parking lot. Navigate as described above to the Old Parley's Road
trail.
Benchmark TH: From southern Foothill Drive, turn east onto 21st
South. At Scenic Drive, turn right. Turn hard left at Lakeline Drive, then
right on Benchmark Drive. The Benchmark connecting trail begins at the
south end of the small parking area.
East Bench Preserve TH: As above, turn off Foothill Drive onto 21st
South. Turn right on Scenic Drive. Turn hard left to Lakeline Drive and
continue uphill to the end of the road to park. Coast back down the road
1/10th mile and find the singletrack trail on the uphill side of the road.
Paved BST from the north: While pedaling, go to the intersection of
Foothhill Drive with Stringham Ave on the west and Thunderbird Drive on
the east. Get onto the wide sidewalk on the east (mountain) side of
Foothill Drive and pedal southeast. The path will turn to paved bike
trail. Find the Old Parley's Road trail as described above.
Bathrooms: none at any trailhead
Water: none
Repair kiosks: none
