Applecross MTB Upper Trails

Looking west toward Zion National Park from Stair Master. Review by Bruce on May 25, 2023. Updated July 12, 2024.

Applecross MTB Upper Trail System
The Applecross MTB system lies along North Fork Road, reached on Highway 9 just one mile east of Zion National Park. When complete, there will be around 35 miles of singletrack trail in the system. This page discusses the upper (northernmost) trails, found on the uphill side of the road. Trails range from easy to very difficult. With a top elevation of 6800 feet, the expected riding season will be late May through October.

The upper Applecross trails are linked to the Clear Creek trails (middle Applecross trail group) via the upper Canyon Connection singletrack. In turn, the Clear Creek trails are linked to the lower Applecross trail cluster via the Canyon Connection and Little Dipper trails. See those trail pages for further riding options.

These are beautifully built trails. Here's a swooping turn on Magic Carpet, an easier trail that descends from upper Elliptical.

And here's an intermediate descent, with steeper pitches and tighter turns on Ring Around The Rosie.

The upper trail group contains several excellent downhill-specific trails of varying difficulty. All of these DH options are easily reached via the Elliptical climbing trail.

Most riders will enter the upper part of the Applecross trail system from the upper Applecross trailhead. They will then climb uphill on the Elliptical or the Stair Master trail. (Alternative ways of reaching these trails are discussed below.) Many locals start at the lower trailhead and climb Canyon Connector, then Elliptical, all the way to the top before starting an assortment of loops on their way back down.

The upper Applecross trail cluster is the most popular (compared to the middle and lower trail groups). So if you have to choose -- because a ride through the entire area can easily exceed 30 miles -- the upper trails are a must-ride.

Individual trail descriptions are below, organized into separate sections for climbing (or two-way) trails and for DH trails.

Bruce rolls downhill on Magic Carpet.

Trailheads and Access

Upper Applecross trailhead. There's a nice map at the kiosk.

Upper Applecross Trailhead

Turn onto the North Fork Road from Highway 9 about one mile east of Zion National Park. Drive 4 miles uphill. Shortly after a connecting trail crosses the road, turn to the right and drive uphill into the parking area. The parking zone is organized as two stacked loops with multiple small "parking lots" along each loop.

The upper trailhead has plumbing, with flush toilets and sinks. There's also a water faucet for a hose to restock an RV or wash a bike. On the outside wall of the bathroom is a handy water-bottle filling station.

At the kiosk near the bathroom, you can take a short connector to the Elliptical trail (left uphill) or the Canyon Connection trail (right downhill and across the North Fork Road to the Clear Creek trail cluster).

Water bottle filling station!

Roadside parking just downhill from the upper Applecross system.

North Fork Road parking
This parking area is on the side of the North Fork Road 0.5 miles above the entry to the upper Applecross trailhead. Drive 3.2 miles uphill from Highway 9 on North Fork Road, passing the entry to the upper trailhead. Turn left into a large gravel parking area, just before the road makes a hard left turn. From this parking spot, you can connect to the climbing portion of Ring Around the Rosie at the fence just uphill.

Trail entry point: From this parking area described above, pedal 100 yards uphill on North Fork Road to a log fence at the apex of the turn in the road. After going through the motorcycle-excluder chute, turn to the right and begin climbing on the singletrack.

Control gate at the entry to the climbing trail. You may need to throw your bike over the fence.

Lower Applecross trailhead, looking north.

Lower Applecross Trailhead:
This trailhead is located on North Fork Road, just one mile outside the eastern border of Zion National Park off Highway 9. From inside Zion, drive uphill and out of the eastern gate, then turn left onto the North Fork (Zion Ponderosa) road. From US-89, turn westbound at the Carmel Junction onto Highway 9. Drive 11 miles then turn right on the North Fork road at the roundabout.

About 0.2 miles after turning onto the North Fork road, there's a fenced parking strip on your left.

Navigating uphill from the lower trailhead: Pedal through the opening in the fence, then turn left onto the Little Dipper trail. Ride Little Dipper around the hill, then up the canyon. It will be 1.0 miles to a 4-way trail intersection. Turn to the left on Canyon Connection, and it will take you to Clear Creek. Next use the climbing section of the Canyon Connection trail (second bridge across the creek) to get up to the canyon rim. Fork to the right and pedal out to North Fork Road. Cross the road and follow the connector up to Elliptical trail. It's four miles from the lower trailhead to Elliptical.

Heading toward the upper system as we descend Canyon Connection.

Climbing Routes! (and two-way trails)

Elliptical Trail (uphill-preferred trail)

Here's the entry to the bottom of the Elliptical trail from the trailhead.

The Elliptical trail is a climbing route from the upper Applecross trailhead to the top of the Duck Duck Goose and Ring Around the Rosie DH trails. It also delivers you to the top of the Magic Carpet and Maestro DH rides via a short connector near the top. Elliptical is 1.8 miles long, and is an easy ride with gentle slope and a wide bench-cut riding surface. It climbs from 6400 feet to 6800.

Elliptical is your key to the entire area. Elliptical has connections to Stairmaster near the top and bottom. It also takes you to the Lollipop loop. Near the top of Elliptical, a connector forks away to the "Diamond Deck" where you'll find the Magic Carpet easy DH and the Maestro expert DH trail. Elliptical ends at the "Compass Deck" -- the launching platform for Duck Duck Goose and Ring Around the Rosie.

Cranking up the hill on gentle slope.

Climbing eastbound on the return side of the loop.

Climbing eastbound on Elliptical.

From the upper trailhead, pass the kiosk, then keep to the left and uphill to begin Elliptical. At mile 0.3, keep left as Lollipop forks away. At 0.4, pass the downhill end of Magic Carpet by keeping left, then stay to the right at the fork with Stair Master.

From this point, the climbing is fairly consistent, although not too tough. It's another 0.9 miles uphill to the intersection with the Ring Around the Rosie Climbing Trail, and you'll gain 200 feet of elevation.

The intersection at mile 1.2 -- with the Ring Around the Rosie climbing trail and Stair Master is complex. But just keep right to continue uphill on Elliptical. (Stair Master is a short distance away to your left if you want to "switch" climbing trails here on your way up to the Compass Deck DH trails.)

Railing a turn on Elliptic shortly after passing the Stair Master fork.

Heading further uphill on Elliptical. The terrain here is a mix of pinion and cedar.

As you continue uphill on Elliptical, the connector to the Diamond Deck DH platform turns to the right. If you're heading to Magic Carpet or Maestro, turn here. Otherwise, keep left.

Next you'll cross an old doubletrack and join the top of Stair Master. Continue northwest until you hit the Compass Deck DH platform at mile 1.8 from the upper trailhead.

The combined Elliptical and Stair Master ends as the "Compass Deck" launching platform for three DH routes: Ring Around The Rosie (intermediate), Leap Frog (Expert and unfinished at the time of this review), and Duck Duck Goose (upper intermediate). Roll onto the platform and pick your route.

Any of these DH routes will take you down to the Ring Around the Rosie Climbing Trail -- and back up to the middle of Elliptical.

End of the trail, as we roll onto the big wooden platform to pick our DH.

Stair Master (two-way trail)

Climbing uphill on lower Stair Master.

Stair Master is a two-way trail that runs from lower Elliptical -- just above the trail fork with the bottom of Magic Carpet -- to upper Elliptical about 1/4 mile away from the "Compass Deck" (the western DH launching platform). The Stair Master trail is rated intermediate, but is still fairly easy. It's just steeper than Elliptical.

As a climbing route, Stair Master crosses the Ring Around the Rosie climbing trail 1/2 mile before it ends on upper Elliptical. You'll gain 350 vertical feet in 1.2 miles. Many riders will use only the upper portion of Stair Master, as a short-cut from the Ring Around the Rosie climbing trail to upper Elliptical near the DH launching platform.

Entry to upper Stair Master. We're looking west while climbing Elliptical.

A bit of twist in the trail as it winds through pinion, juniper and manzanita.

From the top of the climbing portion of Ring Around the Rosie, Stair Master is a rolling traversing trail. This section climbs 100 vertical feet over 0.5 miles. Stair Master is a good connection when riding multiple loops of the northern DH trails.

At mile 0.2 from the Ring Around the Rosie Climbing Trail, the Stair Master trail crosses a dirt road. Here you'll join the upper Elliptical trail as you continue on toward the Compass Deck.

The lower section of Stair Master (below the Ring Around the Rosie climbing trail) is often used as a descender after riding Ring Around the Rosie. This section runs 250 vertical feet over 0.7 miles, ending on Elliptical near the bottom Magic Carpet.

A section of bumpy trail.

Ring Around the Rosie Climbing Trail (uphill only)

Getting started, just a bit uphill from the trail entry.

At the log fence entry on the North Fork Road, Ring Around the Rosie converts from a DH trail to an uphill-only climbing trail.

The climbing trail extends from the log chute on North Fork Road up to a multi-trail intersection near the top of the trail system. First it crosses Stair Master, then ends on Elliptical. The climbing trail is 1.3 miles long, gaining 320 feet in elevation.

The trail does a zigzag course up the hill, with slightly-banked climbing turns. The many switchback turns make the climb feel like more work than it would seem from the statistics.

The terrain is red dirt with pinion and mixed bushes.

Heading into one of many many climbing turns.

The side-slopes are occasionally steep. Near the top the trail flattens out.

At the top, there's a five-way trail intersection. Immediately to the right and downhill is the lower portion of Stair Master that drops to the southwest corner of the Elliptical-Magic Carpet loop. Hard left is the uphill section of Stair Master, which will climb to Elliptical. (This is a nice route to the Duck Duck Goose and Ring Around the Rosie DH trails.) Straight ahead and veering to the left is the outgoing Elliptical climbing trail. The trail on the right is the downhill side of Elliptical.

Lolllipop

Starting out on the stem of the lariat.

Lolllipop is a "side dish" near the upper Applecross trailhead. It's a lariat loop that spirals around, circling twice within itself as it climbs to the top of a small hill.

Lollipop splits away from Elliptical just 1/4 mile uphill from the trailhead. Many riders seem to be hitting Lollipop on their way downhill -- and out of the upper trail cluster -- using a short connector trail at the bottom end, rather than completing the full lariat.

In 1/10th mile from the fork off Elliptical, Lollipop splits. Take the left (uphill) fork. The trail will now wind around the hill to climb up and over the top.

At the loop fork. Go to the left.

A view to the east.

A view to the west.

A rock ramp and a drop, with bike leaning against it for size comparison.

While the trail is generally quite easy, there are a couple of rocky spots at the top. You'll also find some optional rollovers and drops.

At mile 0.8, the return route of Lollipop forks uphill to the right. You'll climb 0.2 miles back to the loop fork. If done in this way, Lollipop adds 1.1 miles to your ride.

Most riders continue straight at the 0.8-mile loop fork, entering the one-way Lollipop connector trail. This trail goes 0.2 miles down to the Canyon Connector trail just above the North Fork Road. From here, you can turn left to descend to the Clear Creek (middle) trail cluster or turn right to climb back to the trailhead.

On the one-way Lollipop connector, heading for Canyon Connector.

Downhill Trails

Magic Carpet Trail

The trail is a plush bench-cut winding through the trees.

The Magic Carpet trail makes an excellent downhill cruise for beginners, but experts will love it too. It forms a loop with the middle section of the Elliptical climb. The loop is 3.7 miles long, enough for a satisfying ride for experienced beginners.

Magic Carpet (or more accurately, the Diamond Deck connector) forks away to the right from upper Elliptical at 6800 feet elevation. The connector climbs to the DH launching deck, where you can continue straight onto Magic Carpet for an easy DH.

Over the next 2.6 miles it will descend (interrupted by some short stretches of climbing) to around 6500 feet before rejoining lower Elliptical. From the bottom of Magic Carpet, you can fork left to go down to the trailhead, or turn right to climb back uphill.

Bruce hits a turn on the way down.

The trail is designed to be done clockwise. The ride begins with a bit of climbing. From the complex intersection with the Ring Around the Rosie climbing trail, you'll gain around 100 vertical feet. At mile 0.3 from the intersection (1.4 miles from the trailhead if it's your first climb), you'll fork to the right on Magic Carpet. After another 1/10th mile, you reach the ride's highest point. Here there's a launching platform for the Maestro DH trail.

View to the south toward the Virgin River.

Rolling into a highly banked turn.

As you head east, the trail begins a swooping twisting downhill. You'll drop 300 vertical feet in elevation. There are a lot of beautifully banked turns on the eastern downhill side, with an occasional meander back uphill. Because of the up-and-down riding, your vertical for the loop will be around 500.

At the far southwest corner of the loop ride, at mile 2.7 of the Magic Carpet, you'll come to a T intersection with Elliptical. Turn to the right on Elliptical to climb back uphill. Or go left down to the trailhead or to North Fork Road.

The terrain is variable, ranging from tall pines to juniper scrub.

Maestro Trail (expert DH)

Looking down the steep wooden ramp of the Diamond Deck.

The Maestro DH trail is an expert-level downhill-only trail with engineered jumps and stunts. It starts on the "Diamond Deck" launching platform, reached via a 0.1-mile connector from upper Elliptical. (Magic Carpet also officially begins at the deck if you need a more tame DH.)

Maestro is 0.8 miles long, descending 400 vertical feet. It ends on lower Magic Carpet at 6400 feet elevation. From here, Magic Carpet takes you back to the Elliptical trail.

Maestro is highly engineered, with highly banked turns and steep jumping bumps.

Looking back uphill after a series of three jumps

A smooth area of downhill on Maestro.

While the rate of descent is often steep, there are relatively cushy cruiser sections between the plunges.

Maestro joins Magic Carpet at the bottom. The trail fork occurs as Magic Carpet is climbing, with riders coming uphill at 90 degrees to you on your left. Keep straight and right, as Magic Carpet is one-way back to Elliptical.

Rolling a turn.

Ring Around The Rosie (intermediate DH)

Turning to the right, we roll across a small ravine on wooden sidewalk.

Ring Around the Rosie is an intermediate DH, but it has two significant stretches of climbing on the way down. It's 1.5 miles long. Although the top (6800 feet) is 400 feet above the bottom (6400 feet), the times where you climb back uphill make the total descending around 500.

Turn left as you roll onto the platform from Stair Master. The trail begins with a wooden sidewalk from the launch platform. You'll pass by the top of an expert-level fly-over to your right, then go underneath it after you reverse direction. The trail rarely goes straight. The path is constantly twisting through banked turns.

Approaching a turn, we hit a bank to kick us uphill, then roll a power 180 on highly banked trail.

On the ridgeline before the final drop.

The descending is uncomplicated, with no mandatory drops, jumps, or tricky features. But the first time the trail turned back uphill for a sustained winding climb, it seemed painful. Probably because I wasn't in the mindset to grunt back uphill.As the trail approaches North Fork Road, it again turns back uphill to climb to a ridgeline. After following the ridge west for a bit, it drops off and begins a final drop to the entry fence.

The Ring Around The Rosie trail is joined by Duck Duck Goose (on your right) just a few feet from the bottom, then the combined trail passes the entry fence to re-enter the climbing trail.

Down the hill we go!

Duck Duck Goose (intermediate DH)

Looking north as the ramp descends to a drop.

Because of drops, features, and jumps, Duck Duck Goose would be an upper intermediate trail. I really liked this route. It flows more naturally top to bottom than Ring Around The Rosie, so if you can only pick one DH route, this is the one.

For Duck Duck Goose, turn to the right as you roll onto the platform from Stair Master. The trail begins with a down-sloping wooden ramp that leads to a two-foot drop. Then it's off to the races with a bit of undulating straightaway to get your speed up and get the juices flowing.

A rare bit of straight-ish trail.

Beautiful turn. These trails are superbly built.

Duck Duck Goose drops 400 vertical feet over 1.2 miles. Turns are highly banked and fun to rail. There's a little bit of gentle uphill near the bottom as you go around a ridge to the bottom of Ring Around The Rosie and the climbing trail.

While the trail is 99.9% dirt, there are a couple of rock features. This rock has a two-foot drop, but you could roll it.

Here's a rock-garden ramp. A bit bouncy but not tricky. And there's a ride-around it rocks aren't your thing.

Dropping down to a jumping lip. Clear the gap and land on the down-slope on the far side of the second bump.

Diving board. Easy wooden ramp with two feet of air down to a gentle slope. Really, you can just dribble off.

Leap Frog (expert DH)

Nothing but rocks and sticks underneath.

The middle option from the launch platform will be a high-expert line. While the trail name is here, this trail hasn't been built yet. The platform will probably drop onto a steep downslope.

This fly-over looks like a second entry point to the expert DH. It would be accessed from Ring Around The Rosie. But as you can see, it's not connected to any trail yet.

Waiting for a trail. Ring Around The Rosie runs underneath.

Magic Carpet loop ride

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Area map of Upper Applecross trails

Getting there, Lower Applecross Trailhead:
From inside Zion National Park, it's around one mile outside the east gate. Turn left onto the North Fork (Zion Ponderosa) road. From US-89, turn westbound at the Carmel Junction on Highway 9. Drive 11 miles then turn right on the North Fork road as above. About 0.2 miles after turning onto the North Fork road, there's a fenced parking strip on your left. To reach the upper trails, take Little Dipper to Canyon Connector.
Upper Trailhead: Drive three miles uphill from Highway 9 on North Fork Road. Drive three miles uphill from Highway 9 on North Fork Road. Shortly after a trail crosses the road, turn to the right into a large parking area. Turn to the right downhill as the trail splits as you pedal east from the trailhead kiosk.
Upper Trails roadside parking: Drive 3.2 miles uphill from Highway 9 on North Fork Road, passing the upper trailhead. Turn left into a large gravel parking area. The trail entry is in a log fence, 100 yards further uphill at the apex of the turn in the road.

Roadside spot above Clear Creek (unofficial).
Drive 2.7 miles uphill from Highway 9 on North Fork Road. As the road turns slowly to the right, pass a gravel road on your left, then turn into a second (gated) dirt road on the left. Immediately hook to the left for a single parking spot just off the road. The access trail crosses the road 100 feet uphill. To get to the upper trails, find singletrack on your right. It will take you up to a turn-around area of a dirt road. Keep right and you'll find singletrack that will take you to the southwest corner of the Elliptical loop. For the Clear Creek trails, go 100 feet on North Fork Road as above but turn left onto singletrack and descend to the main trail fork.

Bathroom with flush toilets and sinks at upper trailhead.
Water-bottle filling station and hose coupling at upper trailhead.
Other trails in this system: Applecross at Clear Creek Lower Applecross