Tall T

View from the top of Tall T on Beyond Peak, looking south over Midway and Charleston.

Tall T

The Tall T trail is located in upper Pine Canyon, a few miles above Midway and just below Guardsman Pass and Empire Pass. The trail connects the Bonanza Loop to the Wowza trail, crossing over Beyond Peak at 9350 feet elevation. The trail was opened in 2025, and became rapidly popular for both high-elevation loop rides and shuttled downhills.

The new connections to the WOW trail through Bonanza and through Tug of War to Tricky Pickle means that many riders are arriving on Tall T from the Park City side of the mountain.

The lowest elevation on the trail is at the southern end at 8850 feet. This spot is also the top of Wowza. After crossing Beyond Peak at 9350 feet, the northern end hits the Bonanza Loop at 8950 feet. Because of the high elevation -- and the north-facing slope of the northern half of Tall T -- the riding season for this trail is only July through September. (Note that the Bonanza Loop closes on October 1st and does not re-open until July 1.)

Rolling a turn, heading uphill on the northern side of Tall T.

Typical trail view on the northern side of Tall T.

The trail is dirt with occasional rock outcrops. I'd rate it easier-intermediate in skill requirement because of those rocky spots of trail. But Tall T ranks solid intermediate overall because of the distances and climbing involved for any ride.

Turns are nicely banked and ride smoothly uphill or down. The southern side has a more narrow track, mostly due to encroaching plants. Both sides of the hill feature traverses with gentle slope, ending in a fast banked turn to reverse direction.

On the southern side of Tall T, the trail is surrounded by aspen, with an occasional breakout to wildflower meadows. There are two spots where the trail enters fir forest before turning back toward warmer aspen slopes.

There will be occasional views from the trail on this southern side of the hill. At the top, or course, there are 180 degrees of mountain and valley views to the south.

Descending through aspens and brush on the southern side of Tall T.

Handlebar view toward a rocky stretch.<

On the northern side of Beyond Peak, the trail lies in mature fir forest, with an occasional grove of aspen. Until you're at the final meadow on top of the hill, there are no major breakouts where you can take in the views.

The northern side also features the only sustained stretch of "rock garden" tech riding on Tall T.

Tall T is a two-way trail, with significant traffic going both ways. It's 3.9 miles in length, and is a substantial climb when done in either direction. From the north (Bonanza Loop) side, there's a 450 foot climb to Beyond Peak over 1.5 miles. Riding from the south, after Wowza there's 750 feet of climbing interrupted by about 100 feet of descending to reach the peak.

Bruce attacks the final slope to the viewpoint on Beyond Peak.

Looking uphill as we approach a typical hairpin turn.

Regardless of how you arrive at Tall T, you'll already have done significant work before you arrive, and there'll be more work coming after. From the Bonanza Flat trailhead, it's 3.4 miles and 400 vertical feet before you begin the climb up the northern side of Tall T. From the WOW upper (Bounder Basin) trailhead, you'll do 650 vertical before beginning the 750 feet of climbing up the southern side.

The most popular ride options are:

(1) Out and back from upper WOW. Riders start at the upper WOW trailhead and climb through Wowza, then hit Tall T, turning back at Bonanza. Or at the viewpoint on Beyond Peak. Because e-bikes and dogs are forbidden in the Bonanza Flat nature conservancy, many choose this option. If you turn around at Bonanza, it's 7.9 miles out and 7.8 back with the Wowza DH, total climbing 2050.

Descending the southern slope, Bruce takes the alternate line over a rock outcrop.

A bumpy area is the exception to the general smoothness of the trail.

(2) Monster climb. Start at the bottom of WOW and climb all the way up to Empire Pass. You'll fork to the right at Bonanza to complete it counterclockwise. This is 14.6 miles. Your climb will be over 3300 feet.

(3) Full Pine Canyon descent. Shuttled ride. Starting at Bonanza or Empire Pass, go around Bonanza counterclockwise to Tall T. Take Wowza DH to WOW then roll down the canyon to the lower trailhead. 16 miles with around 900 feet of climbing.

(4) Empire Loop. This loop uses WOW, Wowza, Tall T, and Bonanza (plus the 9K connector to Empire) for the western side, with Tug of War and Tricky Pickle for the eastern portion of the loop. You can do it either direction. 15.4 miles with around 1800 vertical.

See below, after the trailhead info, for specific riding notes on the north to south direction of Tall T.

Bruce descends the final stretch of Tall T toward Wowza.

Trailheads and navigation to Tall T

Looking north in the upper WOW parking lot.

Upper WOW (SR 222) trailhead
Drive to Pine Canyon (see below) then continue 5 miles past the lower trailhead and turn left at the sign. The upper WOW trailhead is the closest parking to Tall T, with 2.7 miles of singletrack to reach the bottom of Wowza and another 1.2 to Tall T. This large parking area is five miles up the Pine Canyon Road from the lower WOW parking (see below). It includes a toilet building.

For those who want go southbound through Bonanza and Tall T to Wowza, it's around 1.3 miles by pavement from this parking lot to where the upper side of the Bonanza Loop crosses the Pine Canyon Road.

Note that this trailhead requires you to pay the Wasatch Mountain State Park entry fee or have a Utah state parks pass. The entry to WOW is on the downhill side of the parking area, at a break in the log fence.

WOW will descend for a while, passing the entry to Tricky Pickle and the road connector trail. Just stay to the right. The trail then climbs through multiple turns until you reach the Wowza fork at mile 2.7 from the trailhead.

Climb Wowza for 1.2 miles. At the spot where the Wowza DH turns away to your left, Tall T continues straight ahead.

We've arrived at the top of Wowza. The DH is to the left. Tall T is ahead.

Looking southwest at the Bonanza Flat trailhead from the 9K Connector trail.

Bonanza Flat trailhead
The Bonanza Loop connects to Tall T, which connects to Wowza. The Bonanza Flat trailhead is on Guardsman Road, 1/2 mile west of Empire Pass and 0.4 miles west of the Pine Canyon road intersection with the Guardsman Road. The trail entry is on the southwest side of the parking area, heading west into the grove of aspen trees. (The trail on the southeastern corner, just downhill from the toilet building, is the return path, while the trail going uphill across the road is the 9K connector trail.)

In 2026, the parking fee for Bonanza Flat is a breathtaking $5 per hour on weekdays and $8 per hour on weekends. This fee can be worthwhile for vehicles with multiple riders, but will make a "lone ranger" think twice. Do NOT park along the road. You'll likely get a ticket, or worse, towed. My advice: find another trailhead and pedal to the Bonanza loop, or take the shuttle bus.

The trail starts on the southern (downhill) side of parking. Head west from the trailhead and descend to cross the Pine Canyon road. Continue counterclockwise around the Bonanza Loop. You'll reach a first "summit" then descend, then climb again. Just past this second "high point" the Bonanza trail will turn to the left, while Tall T forks away straight ahead.

Riding counterclockwise on Bonanza, we're at the turn where Tall T continues straight.

Heading out from the Empire Pass parking area on the westbound doubletrack.

Empire Pass
The trail can be reached through the Empire Pass parking area. This is a very small trailhead, and will usually be full. There's also parking one mile downhill where the Midmountain Trail crosses the Empire Pass road. You can climb Corvair, Tour des Suds, or Boulder to Empire Pass, then descend the 9K connector to Bonanza Flat.

To go to Tall T via Bonanza, take the doubletrack west past the top of Corvair, then turn LEFT 0.1 miles after leaving the parking area. Descend to the west for 1/2 mile, crossing Guardsman Road to the Bonanza Flat trailhead.

To take Tug of War and Tricky Pickle to WOW (and up Wowza to Tall T), find the broad doubletrack trail/road eastbound from the paved road, across from the small parking area. After about 250 yards, the Tug of War trail branches away downhill to the right.

After descending Tug of War for two miles, the trail becomes Tricky Pickle. At this spot, the trail makes a hard 180 to the right at a trail fork. The less-traveled trail on the east (straight) is still seeing some riders according to the Strava heatmap, but its "official" status is unknown to me.

Tricky Pickle will drop down to cross Pine Creek near Midway Reservoir. (Note: in 2026 Tricky Pickle is washed out at Pine Creek and is temporarily closed.) After 2.6 miles (4.7 from Empire Pass) Tricky Pickle will join upper WOW just 0.6 miles from the trailhead. If you're headed on toward Wowza and Tall T, make a hard 180 left on WOW.

Trail view on Tricky Pickle.

Looking south (toward the bike park) at the lower WOW trailhead. WOW is across the road.

Lower Pine Canyon (SR-222) trailhead
This trailhead is used for shuttle vehicles, bike park riders, or for those who want to climb the whole thing. From Provo Canyon, drive east to the end of Deer Creek Reservoir. Right where the water ends, turn left (north) on U-113. Zero your odometer. Drive north 3.8 miles into Midway. On Main Street, turn left (west) onto Highway 222. Follow the signs for Wasatch Mountain State Park and/or for Guardsman Pass, staying on 222 as below. When you pass the campground (on your left), watch for a gravel pull-out area outlined by large boulders on the right side of the road about 1/4 mile later. The WOW trail starts across the road from this parking spot.

A Utah state park fee (or an annual pass) is required to park anywhere in Pine Canyon!

Cross the road from the trailhead and begin climbing. Stay to the right at the fork for Birdie Shot, then stay uphill left at the fork with Maple Grove.

After 7.8 miles on WOW, you'll reach the bottom of Wowza DH, then Wowza about 20 feet later. Turn left uphill on Wowza and climb 1.2 miles to the southern end of Tall T.

Bruce rolls through patchy aspen forest.

Riding notes, north to south

Looking to the east as we climb near the bottom of the northern side.

You'll reach the north end of Tall T via Bonanza. The Bonanza Loop has a recommended riding direction of counterclockwise for bikes. That means you'll start by pedaling west from the trailhead (or from the road if you grunted up Pine Canyon from the upper WOW trailhead). You'll reach a first "summit" about the time the general direction turns to the south. After dropping a bit, you'll climb again. Just after this second "high point" at 8900 feet elevation, you'll reach the Tall T trail fork. At mile 3.4 from the trailhead, Tall T is straight ahead to the right, while Bonanza turns left.

If you're grinding up the road as the start to your ride, you can cut about 400 feet of climbing off your ride by "going the wrong way" on Bonanza. That is, you'll turn into the downhill side of the loop 0.7 miles from WOW TH and climb clockwise up to the Tall T fork. You'll climb only 200 vertical feet on singletrack over 1.1 miles. And you'll skip about half of the road climb.

Just be aware that everybody else will be going the other way, often with speed, and on weekends this WILL be a problem. Yeah you're the climbing rider, but because you're riding against the flow, yield to everybody always. And I did NOT give you permission. I have merely pointed out that the connection is possible.

Southbound as we temporarily break out of the trees.

Elderberry and baby aspens on the edge of this break in the firs.

Immediately after leaving the Bonanza Loop, Tall T enters a deep fir forest. In general, the trail will traverse across the hill with a gentle easy riding slope, then make a hairpin turn to reverse direction. You'll lose count of the turns.

The riding path is usually very smooth. There is one prolonged rock garden ride but most riders will find it easy. (You can see it in the video.)

The riding path is wide on this northern side of the mountain. Turns are nicely banked and ride smoothly uphill or down. Even at 9000 feet elevation, I was able to crank up and around every turn without feeling that I was working too hard.

Notice the smooth hard surface of this turn.

Breaking out of the forest at 9350 feet.

Several times, you'll look up to the ridgeline and think you're almost there. But it's going to be a few turns more than you think. When you break out into a big meadow on the ridgeline, you'll know you're there.

At mile 1.5, after a bit over 400 vertical feet of climbing on Tall T, you reach the shoulder of Beyond Peak. The elevation is 9350 feet.

As you approach the carsonite post, the trail will turn to the left for the descending side. Stop here and take in the views. You worked too hard to just plunge down the other side.

Arriving at the saddle next to the tip of Beyond Peak.

Looking southwest with Timpanogos and Cascade Mountain forming the skyline. Midway and Heber are to the south.

Back to the north, there are few open views. So if you climbed from the south, stop at the post to look back!

Rolling down the south side, heading west, as we head into a typical turn.

You'll immediately note that the trail on the southern slope has a different character. The trail tread is more narrow, and the constant fir forest switches over to aspen and scrub. At a couple of spots where the trail extends a long bit northeast, it enters conifer forest for a short time before turning back toward aspen.

The trail layout is much the same, as traverses with gentle slope separate hairpin turns. But like the northern half, the turns are nicely banked, smooth, and ride well up or down.

The trail "runs out of downhill" a couple of times and you'll use your pedals to keep moving. But the slope is very gentle. Overall, it looks like around 100 feet of climbing as you descend 650 feet of elevation. The trail gives back the climbing as more DH.

Descending through aspen, scrub, and wildflowers.

Typical stretch of trail on the southern slope.

When Tall T arrives at a dirt road, ride across. Just 50 feet later, you'll reach the trail fork for Wowza vs Wowza DH. Most riders will keep to the left to descend Wowza. But it's not a great DH -- there are spots where it doesn't flow very well when done in the "down" direction. So if you've got the skills, take the Wowza DH from here!

Wowza and Wowza DH end on WOW just a few feet apart.

Tall T from north to south

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Bruce rolls over a rock outcrop on Tall T.

Bottom Line!

Very fun trail! Well-built and easy to climb, especially considering the elevation. Fabulous view at the top of the peak. Many riders like the south to north direction, if you can only do it once.

Getting there, Pine Canyon (SR-222) lower trailhead: From Provo Canyon, drive east to the end of Deer Creek Reservoir. Right where the water ends, turn left (north) on U-113. Zero your odometer. Drive north 3.8 miles into Midway. On Main Street, turn left (west) onto Highway 222. Follow the signs for Wasatch Mountain State Park and/or for Guardsman Pass, staying on 222 as below. When you pass the campground (on your left), watch for a gravel pull-out area outlined by large boulders on the right side of the road about 1/4 mile later. The trail starts across the road from this parking spot.
From Salt Lake City, go up Parleys Canyon on I-80, then turn right (south) on US-40. Drive all the way into the middle of Heber, then at 100 South turn right on SR 113 to Midway. In Midway, continue straight as SR 113 turns south, and you'll be on SR 222. Go 2 blocks to 200 East and turn right. Turn left at 200 North and go about 1/2 mile west and SR 222 will turn right to be northbound again. When the road turns west, turn right to stay east of the golf course on 222. Once you pass the campground, look for the parking area on the right about 1/4 mile uphill.
Campground/Day-use trailhead: Just after SR 222 and the Pine Canyon Road join at the mouth of the canyon, drive uphill past the golf course entry. When you reach the campground entry (on the left), turn and go through the entry station (paying the day-use fee rather than the camping fee), then go to the right for the day-user parking lot. On your bike, exit the campground back to SR 222 and cross the road to the singletrack. Climb 1.3 miles uphill (keep left as the connector from Phosphate Hill joins) to the SR 222 trailhead and cross the road to continue.

Upper 222 trailheads: If you're shuttling, leave your pickup vehicle at one of the lower trailheads. At the SR 222 Pine Canyon trailhead (0.7 miles uphill from the campground), zero your odometer and drive uphill.
Shorter ride, cutoff trail: At mile 3.4, look for concrete barriers on the west (left) side of the road as 222 turns to the right. There's room for 3 parallel-parked vehicles here. This is the start for a shorter downhill. A doubletrack will take you 0.1 mile west to intersect the trail.
Longer ride, upper WOW trailhead: Continue on 222 uphill to mile 4.5, then turn left and descend to the large fenced parking area. The trail starts on the south (down-canyon) side of the parking area, directly downhill and across the parking lot from the entry road.

NOTE! The road to the Pine Canyon trailhead is labeled on older topo maps and software as highway 224. The road signs (and Google maps) show it as 222.

State Park FEE: In 2021, $10 per car ($5 seniors) if your vehicle is parked within Pine Canyon. Self-service fee deposit stations are located throughout the canyon. (You do not need to pay the fee if you're simply driving through.) You can pay with your smart phone. Yes, there's cell service at all area trailheads. If you need to use a fee envelope, bring exact cash or a checkbook. Plus, minor detail, a pencil or pen to fill out the fee envelope and dashboard ticket. If you have an annual pass, attach it to your rear-view mirror with a dangling holder.