Riding through mixed aspen and fir forest on the Bjorr loop. Photos and ride review by Bruce on July 18, 2018.
Beaver Mountain Resort Area Trails
The Beaver Mountain ski area is at the top of Logan Canyon. Because it's just up the canyon from Bear Lake, many riders interrupt their water sports at the lake to head uphill for a bike ride. The elevation is 7200 feet at the parking area. The riding season is late June through September.
The Beaver Mountain ski area is at the top of Logan Canyon. Because it's just up the canyon from Bear Lake, many riders interrupt their water sports at the lake to head uphill for a bike ride. The elevation is 7200 feet at the parking area. The riding season is late June through September.
There are two riding loops: Bjorr is an easy 1.9 mile ride with minimal climbing. The upper
loop is an upper-intermediate 3 miles. At this time (July 2018) the last
quarter-mile of the
upper loop isn't finished. But you can ride it clockwise all the way around
to the dirt road
by the tent camping area to complete a full circuit of 3 miles
Looking from the trail to the mountains in the east.
The upper loop rolls up and down as it contours the ski slopes. We're looking south.
To find the loops, continue to drive straight from the road past the lodge. (The paved parking
is a summer RV camp area. What appear to be big parking places are actually
RV sites.) As you
reach the end of the pavement and are forced to turn left, note the chairlift
straight ahead.
That's your bike's destionation. Now turn your car left to the gravel
parking area south of
the RV camping strip and find a spot along the edge.
Pedal southwest uphill along the edge of the parking lot, aiming for the chair lift. Now ride
past the Beaver Face chairlift on the left (downhill) side. Follow the
doubletrack 0.1 miles
as it curves around to the left and begins to drop a bit downhill. When
a singletrack trail
crosses, go left for a clockwise Bjorr loop or right to get to the upper
loop.
This is the path to the trail, as of 2018.
Bjorr Loop
Drone view of the trail.
The Bjorr loop is 1.9 miles long. The trail was completed in 2017. It twists through a forest
of aspen and fir. It's a technically easy ride, although the frequent
turns may be hard for
true beginners. There's 200 vertical feet of climbing over the course
of the loop.
When ridden clockwise, the trail heads generally northeast, twisting around in the forest just
below the entry road to Beaver Mountain. Then it turns to the south and
crosses a wide meadow
of Mules Ear.
Riding through a huge meadow of Mules Ear at the northeast corner of the Bjorr trail.
Heading uphill on a clockwise ride.
The trail then begins climbing back to the southwest. The terrain changes from dense forest
to meadows and ski slopes with little groves of trees.
As the trail approaches the ski area base, the trail to the upper loop forks away to the left.
Keep right, and in about 100 feet you'll cross the doubletrack trail you
rode to get to Bjorr.
Almost back to the resort base.
Cottonwood Loop
Climbing away from the Bjorr trail.
The upper loop forks uphill away from Bjorr about 100 feet south of where the trail crosses
the doubletrack from the ski lift. It immediately begins climbing, and
continues uphill for
the next 1.3 miles. As you reach the top of the ski lift, your elevation
gain will be around
250 vertical feet. The total climbing for the whole loop is around 400
feet.
On the way uphill, the aspen and fir briefly give way to big pines and mountain mahogany. There's
a bit of sage flat on the ridge, then back to aspen and fir. Cross the
ridge to the meadow
of the ski slopes.
After dropping away from the ski lift, the trail meanders up and down on the hillside as it tracks northwest. There will be little groves of trees, with somewhat more-techy riding than on the Bjorr loop.
After dropping away from the ski lift, the trail meanders up and down on the hillside as it tracks northwest. There will be little groves of trees, with somewhat more-techy riding than on the Bjorr loop.
Looking back downhill as we climb clockwise.
The terrain is a mix of meadow, ski slope, and groves of pine and aspen
After a hard right turn onto a service road for 100 feet, the route again splits off onto singletrack
for the descent. In July 2018, the trail is still under construction on
the final bit of forest
down through the tent camping zone. You can (carefully) ride the flag
line -- which has been
partially cleared -- down to the dirt campground road. Take the dirt road
down to the upper
parking area, then connect south to lower parking..
The flags indicate that the future trail will go south from the campground road, then turn
and descend to the Beaver Face lift. The trail should be finished during
2018.
Heading to the north on brand-new trail.
Looking down at the resort base as we contour the hillside heading north.
Bottom Line!
The Bjorr loop is a friendly ride for mixed-ability groups and experienced beginners. Not a lot of trail at this time, just 5 miles total. So hard-core riders will want to combine these trails with other riding in the area such as Stump Hollow . But if you're already in the area, for example in Logan or on a Bear Lake vacation, it's worth the trip up the mountain.
Aerial map of Beaver Mountain trails
Getting there:
In Logan, turn east at 400 North on US-89 towards Logan Canyon (about 2 miles). After you enter the canyon, drive 24.5 miles, almost to the top. Turn left toward Beaver Mountain Ski Area on Highway 243. The road will turn from northbound to southwest. After 1.5 miles from US-89, keep straight and drive past the lodge, then turn left in front of the ski lift and find a parking spot in the gravel south of the RV camp area.Note the green area on this map is flagged but has NO trail in July 2018. For now, ride down the doubletrack through the camping area when you reach the end of the trail. The full loop should be ready to ride in 2019.
In Logan, turn east at 400 North on US-89 towards Logan Canyon (about 2 miles). After you enter the canyon, drive 24.5 miles, almost to the top. Turn left toward Beaver Mountain Ski Area on Highway 243. The road will turn from northbound to southwest. After 1.5 miles from US-89, keep straight and drive past the lodge, then turn left in front of the ski lift and find a parking spot in the gravel south of the RV camp area.Note the green area on this map is flagged but has NO trail in July 2018. For now, ride down the doubletrack through the camping area when you reach the end of the trail. The full loop should be ready to ride in 2019.
Riding resources:
Map for printing:
View
map
GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
Area
multi-track file
Bjorr
track
Lodging, camping, shops:
Links to Logan resources
