Heading northeast uphill on the Yellow Butter BST, with the mountains of the Wasatch appearing above the ridgeline. Photos and review by Bruce is September 9, 2023.
Bonneville Shoreline Trail
Yellow Butter (Rose Canyon) Section
The Yellow Butter section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) is an old access road that has been designated as a trail. As such, it has some "issues" such as fall-line erosion and steep pitches. It is not an easy ride. Yellow Butter is a two-way trail that's often used with Yellow Fork and Big Rock to create a 7-mile loop.
Yellow Butter (Rose Canyon) Section
The Yellow Butter section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) is an old access road that has been designated as a trail. As such, it has some "issues" such as fall-line erosion and steep pitches. It is not an easy ride. Yellow Butter is a two-way trail that's often used with Yellow Fork and Big Rock to create a 7-mile loop.
The Yellow Fork network has around 15 miles of singletrack trail in addition to the 6 miles of doubletrack Yellow Butter BST. For general area information, and a discussion of the easier rides in Yellow Fork, see the Yellow Fork page. For information on the technical singletracks in Yellow Fork (most of which connect to Yellow Butter at some point) see the page for Yellow Fork tech rides.
View on the Big Rock trail. The Big Rock trail can be an alternate to an ugly section of Yellow Butter.
Looking east on the Yellow Butter trail near the ride's highest point (7000 feet) near the connection to the top of Horsin Around.
The most popular option that uses Yellow Butter is a 7.3-mile lariat loop of Yellow Fork to lower Big Rock, Yellow
Butter, then Yellow Fork downhill. This loop has 1500 feet of climbing.
Yellow Butter is highly sun-exposed and reaches an elevation of 7000 feet, so come prepared with sunblock and extra water.
Trailhead and Connections
Paved parking lot. The gate on the right is the doubletrack beginner trail (Yellow Fork Road). You can pedal the road (or the singletrack Yellow Fork) uphill to the northern end of Yellow Butter.
Yellow Fork Trailhead
The Yellow Fork Trailhead is at the end of the Rose Canyon Road in southwest Salt Lake County. From the Bangerter Highway, go west on either 12600 or 13400 South and turn left (south) when you reach Rose Canyon Road (6400 West). The Rose Canyon Road will turn right just before 13900 South. Now follow the road around 5 miles southwest to the trailhead.
The Yellow Fork Trailhead is at the end of the Rose Canyon Road in southwest Salt Lake County. From the Bangerter Highway, go west on either 12600 or 13400 South and turn left (south) when you reach Rose Canyon Road (6400 West). The Rose Canyon Road will turn right just before 13900 South. Now follow the road around 5 miles southwest to the trailhead.
The Yellow Butter trail, formerly known as Butterfield Peaks Road, runs south from the parking entry.
Yellow Butter Western End
The Yellow Butter Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) is the dirt road to the left of parking. There's a gate with a ride-around for bikes. Many riders use this as their climbing route for a quick loop down Big Rock (intermediate) or Water Fork (expert).
The Yellow Butter Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) is the dirt road to the left of parking. There's a gate with a ride-around for bikes. Many riders use this as their climbing route for a quick loop down Big Rock (intermediate) or Water Fork (expert).
On the Butterknife BST just above the Yellow Fork trail.
Connecting via Butterknife BST
You can pedal to the Yellow Fork trail from Butterfield Canyon via the Butterknife BST. This route (starting at the Butterfield Park trailhead) is 8.4 miles with 1200 feet of climbing to arrive at the middle of the Yellow Fork trail. As you reach Yellow Fork, turn uphill and pedal 1.4 miles to where Yellow Fork's singletrack ends on Yellow Butter.
You can pedal to the Yellow Fork trail from Butterfield Canyon via the Butterknife BST. This route (starting at the Butterfield Park trailhead) is 8.4 miles with 1200 feet of climbing to arrive at the middle of the Yellow Fork trail. As you reach Yellow Fork, turn uphill and pedal 1.4 miles to where Yellow Fork's singletrack ends on Yellow Butter.
Yellow Butter Section of the BST
Looking southwest from the trail. We see Lone Peak, Box Elder, Timpanogos and Cascade Mountain.
Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST)
Yellow Butter section in Yellow Fork
Yellow Butter is an old access road that has been closed to motorized traffic and is in the process of "re-wilding." It has been designated as the route for the Bonneville Shoreline (BST) through the Yellow Fork and Rose Canyon area. I will describe the ride in the clockwise direction -- from the trailhead via the old Buttefield Peaks Road around to the top of the Yellow Fork singletrack.
Fair warning!
The Yellow Butter route, as it currently exists, presents significant problems for the casual rider. There are sustained steep sections (with a grade of around 700 vertical feet per mile (15% slope) that are severely eroded or covered with loose boulders. About the best that can be said of these areas -- as opposed to the singletrack option that gets you to the same place -- is that the track is wide enough to walk alongside your bike while you push it.
The Yellow Butter route, as it currently exists, presents significant problems for the casual rider. There are sustained steep sections (with a grade of around 700 vertical feet per mile (15% slope) that are severely eroded or covered with loose boulders. About the best that can be said of these areas -- as opposed to the singletrack option that gets you to the same place -- is that the track is wide enough to walk alongside your bike while you push it.
A not-so-steep and not-so-sloppy section of Yellow Butter.
Looking down the BST on the east side of the ridge.
At the Yellow Fork trailhead, Yellow Butter begins as the gravel continuation of the old Rose Canyon Road. When done clockwise, it ends at the top of the Yellow Fork singletrack trail. Yellow Butter is 6.1 miles long, with a trailhead elevation of 5600 feet and a top elevation of 7000. It can be done in either direction, with difficult climbs and downhills both ways. Many riders will divert onto singletrack such as upper Big Rock or Rio Escandido to skip uglier sections of the trail.
The Yellow Butter trail is mostly sun-exposed dirt road, with a few spots where greenery is just beginning to grow toward the trail. The expected riding season is mid-May through October.
Loose cobble and run-off ruts, but with a rideable line on the right side.
Getting higher on the clockwise ride and we're seeing the Butterfield Peaks.
The eastern side of Yellow Butter is a popular climbing route for riders looking for a quick trip to the top. This section is actually good riding, although it is a road. At mile 1.6, Yellow Butter is the right-fork option. However most riders seem to be climbing the old Butterfield Peaks road by staying left, rejoining Yellow Butter via Water Fork at the ridgeline.
At the ridge at mile 2.4, you can fork onto Water Fork (expert downhill
back to the trailhead). Water Fork doesn't seem popular with bike riders,
when compared to other similar descending options such as Moon Ridge.
After you descend Yellow Butter from the ridge to mile 2.9, there will be singletrack forking away on both sides. You can fork right to descend the intermediate singletrack Big Rock trail or climb to the left for the tough expert Breccia loop.
Looking north from the ridge, we can see the top of the Rio Tinto tailings.
Heading downhill from the top of Big Rock.
Yellow Butter now drops 300 vertical feet over 1/2 mile of eroded, rock-strewn trail. The absence of a riding line (and of fresh tire tracks) says that almost everybody is diverting onto the Big Rock trail and bypassing this section both uphill and down. But if surfing chunks through erosion trenches at high speed is your thing, by all means go for it.
At mile 3.4 Yellow Butter hits the connector from Big Rock. Fork to the left here. (Across the trail is the Horsin Around singletrack. It has some "problem areas" but is a reasonable alternative to continuing clockwise on Yellow Butter. Horsin Around will rejoin Yellow Butter near the ride's highest point.)
Westbound Yellow Butter on the left, and Horsin Around on the right.
Climbing.
After you ride a gentle 1/2 mile from the trail fork with the Big Rock connector, Yellow Butter veers a bit left and begins a cruel climb. You're now at mile 3.9 from the trailhead. And now you'll grunt uphill 350 vertical feet over the next 1/2 mile, a rate of 700 per mile, 15% slope. Erosion trenches and loose rock will occasionally make the climb difficult.
Still climbing, but at a mellow pace. View northeast.
At around mile 4.4 the climbing will mellow and the riding
becomes pleasant. At mile 4.9, the Horsin Around
singletrack will cross as Yellow Butter makes a turn to the right. At mile
5.2, the descending Moon Ridge singletrack forks away to the right.
(From here uphill, Moon Ridge joins the doubletrack. It will fork away to your right again after you climb another 50 yards. This upper section of Moon Ridge is your route to Gunslinger, if that's your target.)
Looking up Yellow Butter from the Moon Ridge trail fork.
After Moon Ridge comes the last section of loose ugly climbing, but it lasts only 1/4 mile this time. Upper Moon Ridge will cross at mile 5.4, and Horsin Around will join you from the left at mile 5.5 from the trailhead, at an elevation of around 7000 feet.
Yellow Butter will how begin to descend, gently at first. At mile 5.8 the Rio Escandido singletrack forks away to the right as Yellow Butter turns to the right in a draw. Consider using Rio Escandido to bypass the next bit of descending Yellow Butter. Seriously, in 2023 the expert singletrack was easier than the "intermediate" doubletrack Yellow Butter.
Descending toward the Rio Escandido trail fork.
Closeup of the trail surface below the Rio Escandido fork. The larger boulders are around 8-10 inches.
On Yellow Butter, you'll now drop 150 vertical in 0.2 miles, an average slope of 750 per mile. I found the loose boulders to be like descending a creek-bed. A rider I talked to said he usually climbed up Rio Escandido to avoid the ugly section. At mile 6.1, Yellow Butter ends at a trail fork.
Looking up Yellow Butter from the top of the Yellow Fork trail.
To the right, the Yellow Fork singletrack starts its descent.
This is your route to the trailhead, or to the continuing Bonneville
Shoreline (Butterknife).
To the left, the road-cut for Yellow Butter continues as a narrow singletrack called Wind Caves. (It seems nice at first, but will become steep as it climbs.) See the Yellow Fork tech trails page for further information.
The continuing Bonneville Shoreline is 1.4 miles down Yellow Fork, to
your left as you pass a picnic area and the singletrack veers right to
cross the road.
If you continue downhill on Yellow Fork, you'll arrive at the trailhead with a 9-mile loop. See the Yellow Fork page for navigation and options on that trail.
Descending Yellow Fork.
View to the east from upper Yellow Butter, riding counterclockwise.
Bottom Line:
Not my favorite section of the BST. The steeps will be brutal for most intermediate riders.
Getting there:
The Yellow Fork Trailhead is at the end of the Rose Canyon Road in southwest Salt Lake County. From the Bangerter Highway, go west on either 12600 or 13400 South and turn left (south) when you reach Rose Canyon Road (6400 West). The Rose Canyon Road will turn right just before 13900 South. Now follow the road around 5 miles southwest to the trailhead. The doubletrack beginner trail is to the right of the paved parking area. The singletrack is left of the entry to paved parking, across the foot bridge. The Yellow Butter BST is the gated gravel road on the far left.
The Yellow Fork Trailhead is at the end of the Rose Canyon Road in southwest Salt Lake County. From the Bangerter Highway, go west on either 12600 or 13400 South and turn left (south) when you reach Rose Canyon Road (6400 West). The Rose Canyon Road will turn right just before 13900 South. Now follow the road around 5 miles southwest to the trailhead. The doubletrack beginner trail is to the right of the paved parking area. The singletrack is left of the entry to paved parking, across the foot bridge. The Yellow Butter BST is the gated gravel road on the far left.
