An Unexpected Journey bike trail

View west from An Unexpected Journey toward Mount Timpanogos. Review by Bruce on August 25, 2023.

"An Unexpected Journey" is a two-way bike trail in the Coyote trail system. It links the northwest corner of the Coyote Loop ride to the higher traverse of Lonely Mountain. Opened in 2023, it creates new options for routes on the front side of the mountain.

The trail lies at 6700 feet elevation, traversing the hillside between northern Riverview (Coyote Loop) and Lonely Mountain with very little overall elevation change. Slopes are sun-exposed, so this trail will dry earlier in the season than those in the Cutthroat (Wile E Canyon) area. The expected riding season will be late May through October.

Rolling along the bench-cut of An Unexpected Journey.

Trailhead and Connections

Starting uphill on the UVU Connector trail from the UVU trailhead.

UVU Wasatch Campus Trailhead
Most riders ride the Coyote-area trails from the UVU Trailhead. This trailhead is closest to both the beginner skills area trails (Lower Potatoes, Isengard) and the Mordor DH. It also provides rapid access to Riverview and the Coyote Loop.

One mile south of the junction of Highway 40 and 32 (a couple of miles north of Heber on US 40), 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 takes you uphill to Lower Riverview, Middle Earth, and the Riverview (also known as Rivendell or Upper Riverview) Trail. To get to An Unexpected Journey, turn north (left) onto Upper Riverview and keep pedaling until you reach the ridgeline.

Looking uphill from the parking area off Highway 32 at 100 yards up the trail. Gentle turns such as these continue for the length of the trail.

Riverview Trailhead
On US-40 just south of Jordanelle Reservoir, turn east at the traffic light on Highway 32 and climb 1.1 miles. When you see the second entry into the Riverview subdivision on your left, note the gravel parking area on your right. That's your spot. This trailhead is the fastest access to Riverview and the Coyote Loop, Sheep Bones and Lower Riverview and isn't far from Upper Potatoes and Middle Earth.

Note that in 2025, there's road construction at the entry the parking area, so you may not be able to leave your vehicle here. Access by bike to the connector trail may also be interrupted.

Take the trailhead connector 0.3 miles uphill. Turn right to reach An Unexpected Journey via Riverview clockwise, or left to take Riverview to Lonely Mountain for a counter-clockwise ride.

Here's the Wile E Coyote trailhead, with the connector trail on the left.

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 East Riverview (or the Coyote Switchbacks), 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.

You can take either Beep Beep or East Riverview to get to the ridgeline where An Unexpected Journey begins. See the map.

An Unexpected Journey Trail

Looking southwest from the ridgeline trail fork where An Unexpected Journey leaves the Riverview West section of the Coyote Loop.

The northern entry to An Unexpected Journey is on the "West Riverview" segment of the Coyote Loop, at the spot where the trail crosses a ridgeline. When riding clockwise, this is at mile 2.5 of West Riverview (2.8 from the Riverview trailhead). Going the other way, it will be at mile 1.8 from the Coyote loop fork (2.2 from the Cutthroat trailhead).

Directly opposite from An Unexpected Journey on the ridgeline, going northbound, is the newer Road Runner trail.

The trail is 1.6 miles long, with some up-and-down riding totaling around 100 vertical feet. The southern end is on Lonely Mountain, at the point where the series of switchback turns gives way to a long traverse as Lonely Mountain heads southeast toward Chop'd Coyote.

View south as the trail contours the hillside in sage meadow.

View southwest along the Provo River toward Deer Creek Reservoir and Cascade Mountain.

The terrain is mostly sage on a fairly steep side-slope. There will be occasional small stands of gambel oak, with rare groves of maple. There are constant views to the west over the Heber Valley.

The trail is a modern bench-cut with frequent short up-and-downs to shed water. There's an occasional bump that's suitable for a small jump.

Taking a quick climb as we ride south.

Coming in for a landing on a small jump.

A loop ride from the Riverview trailhead is 8 miles and 850 vertical feet. This is the shortest ride that uses An Unexpected Journey. Climb the connector 0.3 miles to West Riverview and fork left. At the top of the ridge 2.5 miles later, turn right onto An Unexpected Journey. At Lonely Mountain, fork right downhill. Pass the two entrances to Smaug on your left. At Riverview, turn right and stay to the right on Riverview past Upper Potatoes and Sheep Bones on your left.

An Unexpected Journey Loop Ride

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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.