View of the Heber Valley from Chop'd Coyote on June 5, 2015. Latest update July 15, 2024.
View of the Heber Valley from Chop'd Coyote on June 5, 2015. Latest update July 15, 2024.
Chop'd Coyote
with Stone Giants

The Chop'd Coyote and Stone Giants trails are found on the southwestern side of the Coyote riding area near Heber. Chop'd Coyote connects Upper Riverview (just south of the UVU Connector) to the Lonely Mountain Traverse trail and the Stone Giants trail. Stone Giants links the southern Coyote Trail to Chop'd Coyote at 7000 feet elevation.

This creates some fun loop options on the western side of the mountain. (In addition, Stone Giants offers an alternative path for the Coyote Loop -- plus a shortcut to the backside of the loop. See below.)

Chop'd Coyote was cut off by construction of a golf course in 2022. When first opened for riding in 2015, Chop'd Coyote was a simple way of dividing the Coyote Loop into two smaller halves. It joined Upper Riverview directly to the back side of Coyote.

I'm told you can still use Chop'd Coyote for a "half loop" ride, but you need to divert onto Stone Giants, then onto the Coyote Canyon doubletrack. This will take you to the old connection on the east side of the Coyote Loop.

Riding through a grove of tall oak on the best part of Chop'd Coyote -- which is now a golf course. RIP.
Riding through a grove of tall oak on the best part of Chop'd Coyote -- which is now a golf course. RIP.
Climbing further uphill on Chop'd Coyote after passing the connections to Lonely Mountain and Stone Giants.
Climbing further uphill on Chop'd Coyote after passing the connections to Lonely Mountain and Stone Giants.
You can still ride to the top of the hill as an out-and-back. There are nice views at the top. Done from the UVU trailhead, the out-and-back is 9.8 miles with 1700 vertical.
Chop'd Coyote connects to Lonely Mountain (northbound) then Stone Giants (southbound) at mile 2.3 from Upper Riverview. Lonely Mountain offers a nice loop ride on the front side of the hill.

From Chop'd Coyote, Stone Giants traverses the hillside for two miles, ending on the southern side of the Coyote Loop. (See the map below.) If you go downhill from the intersection of Stone Giants with Coyote, it's 2.2 miles down to the fork between Upper Riverview and the Coyote trail.

Heading northeast on Stone Giants, with Timpanogos and Cascade Mountain across the Heber Valley.
Heading northeast on Stone Giants, with Timpanogos and Cascade Mountain across the Heber Valley.
View along Stone Giants heading south.
View along Stone Giants heading south.
Stone Giants can also create a shortcut that divides the Coyote Loop into two halves. At the midpoint of Stone Giants, riders can turn uphill onto the Coyote Lane doubletrack. In 1.2 miles the doubletrack will connect to the Coyote Loop on the eastern side of the golf course. (Obviously it's not as "clean" as the old half-loop route -- and I haven't personally checked out this portion of the Coyote Lane doubletrack since construction started -- but I was told it works.)
Recommended Trailheads
Bruce heads uphill from the UVU trailhead.
Bruce heads uphill from the UVU trailhead.

UVU Trailhead
Most riders get to the Riverview area west-side trails from the UVU Wasatch Campus trailhead. This is found on the far north end of Heber on Highway 40, one mile south of the Highway 32 junction. At the UVU campus entry, turn east (toward the mountain). Go to the uppermost level of parking behind the UVU buildings. Look for the duck-under and kiosk.

Chop'd Coyote trail
The trail fork where Chop'd Coyote splits from Upper Riverview, looking north from Riverview.
The trail fork where Chop'd Coyote splits from Upper Riverview, looking north from Riverview.
Chop'd Coyote is a 3.7-mile trail that climbs from Upper Riverview at 6250 feet to a dead-end on the ridgeline at 7250 feet elevation. While it can be done as an out-and-back, most riders will use Chop'd Coyote as a climbing connection to Lonely Mountain or Stone Giants for loop rides.

To reach Chop'd Coyote you first need to get onto Upper Riverview. Climb 1.6 miles from the UVU trailhead on the UVU Connector trail. Turn right (south) onto Upper Riverview. Now pedal 0.4 miles south and find the bottom of Chop'd Coyote.

The terrain is mostly sage brush with small stands of short gambel oak. The slope is sun-exposed after early morning, and tends to get hot in summer. As the trail zigzags cross the mountain face, there are constant views of the Heber Valley.

Terrain on the west side of the hill -- mostly sage, a bit of oak, and cactus on the lower elevations.
Terrain on the west side of the hill -- mostly sage, a bit of oak, and cactus on the lower elevations.
Handlebar view while descending, looking west toward Cascade Mountain and Timpanogos.
Handlebar view while descending, looking west toward Cascade Mountain and Timpanogos.
The trail is machine excavated, so it's broad and climbs at a gentle rate. Most turns have been worked so they're smooth and flow well for climbing. But there are some tight switchback-style turns on the steeper slopes that are difficult to clean. Downhill, they don't allow speed, and sometimes lack a decent run-out. Chop'd Coyote is not a high-speed descender, so for loop rides most bikers would use it as the climbing side of their loop.
In 2024, there are two connecting trails to upper Chop'd Coyote. The top of Lonely Mountain forks away from Chop'd Coyote at 2.2 miles from Upper Riverview. Lonely Mountain keeps straight while Chop'd Coyote turns 180 degrees to the right.

Lonely Mountain can take you down to Mordor for an expert-level continued descent or further down to Riverview and Upper Potatoes for an intermediate downhill.

High on the mountain, with Timpanogos and the Heber valley below.
High on the mountain, with Timpanogos and the Heber valley below.
View from the top: looking across the Heber Valley toward Deer Creek and Provo Canyon in October.
View from the top: looking across the Heber Valley toward Deer Creek and Provo Canyon in October.
At the next uphill turn of Chop'd Coyote (mile 2.3), you can keep to the right on Stone Giants, while Chop'd Coyote turns hard left here. Stone Giants takes you 0.8 miles to the Coyote Lane road, or 1.9 miles to the Coyote trail on the southern side of the Coyote Loop.

If you stay on Chop'd Coyote, you can climb another 1.3 miles and 350 vertical feet to end at the construction zone. (I have no information on whether the top of the trail will connect across or around the golf course at some time in the future.)

Stone Giants trail
Stone Giants generally contours the hillside, with short ups and downs.
Stone Giants generally contours the hillside, with short ups and downs.
Stone Giants is a two-way trail that links Chop'd Coyote to the Coyote trail on the upper west side of the mountain. It runs at around 7000 feet elevation. Stone Giants is 1.9 miles long and is essentially a traversing trail. There are some quick up-and-downs, but it's mostly fairly flat. The trail gains 100 vertical feet when riding north to south.
Southbound:
On the northern end, Stone Giants begins at mile 2.3 of Chop'd Coyote, just one switchback turn uphill from the trail fork with Lonely Mountain. Keep straight at this turn to start Stone Giants southbound at 6950 feet elevation.
View to the west from Stone Giants.
View to the west from Stone Giants.
Arriving at the Coyote Lane cross-over when heading south -- riding from Chop'd Coyote to the Coyote trail.
Arriving at the Coyote Lane cross-over when heading south -- riding from Chop'd Coyote to the Coyote trail.
At mile 0.6 from Chop'd Coyote, keep uphill and left as an under-construction trail forks downhill to the right.

At mile 0.8 you'll reach the Coyote Lane doubletrack road. Go across and turn right uphill to resume the trip southbound.

If you turn uphill on the doubletrack here, you can reach the eastern side of the Coyote Loop in 1.2 miles. Or so I was told. Since the construction of the golf course started, I haven't pedaled this section of road to be sure you can still get through.
Looking up the doubletrack Coyote Lane from the cross-over.
Looking up the doubletrack Coyote Lane from the cross-over.
Meandering past lichen-covered outcrops of igneous rock.
Meandering past lichen-covered outcrops of igneous rock.
From the Coyote Lane crossing, Stone Giants continues south for another mile. You'll pass a lot of Stone Giants.
You'll reach the Coyote trail as it makes a switchback turn. Keep to the right and downhill if you're making a short front-side loop. If you go uphill to the left, you're committed to the Coyote Loop ride, with lots of miles and quite a bit more climbing.
Arriving at the Coyote trail.
Arriving at the Coyote trail.
On the Coyote trail climbing uphill, we've reached the trail fork for Stone Giants, which is straight ahead. Coyote turns 180 degrees to the right.
On the Coyote trail climbing uphill, we've reached the trail fork for Stone Giants, which is straight ahead. Coyote turns 180 degrees to the right.
Northbound:
To ride Stone Giants from the south, climb the Coyote trail uphill to mile 2.2 from the Upper Riverview trail fork, which is mile 3.2 from the Sheep Pen fork. (See the map!) At an elevation of 7050, keep straight onto Stone Giants as Coyote makes an uphill switchback to the right.
When riding this direction, you'll cross Coyote Lane at mile 1.1 and reach Chop'd Coyote at mile 1.9. If you're making a big loop that includes Lonely Mountain, head downhill at the intersection with Chop'd Coyote, then keep straight at the next fork to leave Chop'd Coyote and start the Lonely Mountain Traverse.
Rolling through the giant rocks northbound
Rolling through the giant rocks northbound
Isolated view of the front side of Coyote
Isolated view of the front side of Coyote
Getting there, Riverview Trailhead:
From Salt Lake, take I-80 eastbound to Silver Creek Junction (just past Park City). Go south on US-40, past the Jordanelle reservoir and descend past the dam. At the traffic light at mile 14.2 from I-80, turn left on 32 and climb 1.1 miles. When you see the second entry into Riverview on your left, note the gravel parking area on your right N40 34.403 W111 25.214. That's your spot.
From Utah County, drive up Provo Canyon to Heber. At the traffic light on US-189/US-40, turn left and drive north through Heber. 4.7 miles from the intersection, turn right on Highway 32 and climb 1.1 miles to the parking area as above.

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 N40 32.798 W111 24.735. A singletrack trail climbs 1.5 miles to the Riverview Trail.

Coyote Trailhead:
Two miles south of the junction of Highway 40 and 32, turn east (toward the mountain) on Coyote Lane. Just after the road crosses a canal, turn left into the parking lot. The singletrack starts at the northeast corner at the step-over, where you'll also find a repair stand and a kiosk with a trail map. The Coyote singletrack takes you uphill. After merging with the gravel road to cross the bridge, veer left onto singletrack then keep generally right and uphill at the trail forks.

Cutthroat (Highway 32) Trailhead:
Drive up Highway 32 four miles. Look for a gravel road on the right side N40 35.430 W111 23.389. You can park along the road and clamber over the fence near the (locked) gate. Find the singletrack on your left and ride uphill, keeping to the right at the Wile E Canyon fork about 100 yards uphill. You'll reach the fork that starts the Coyote loop 0.4 miles from the highway.

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.

Riding resources:
Single-page, printable trail guide
GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
     Multi-track GPX area master file
     Northern half-loop
     Southern half-loop
Maps for printing:   H-Res topo map     2022 area map
Lodging, camping, shops:   Links to area resources
Bathrooms: No public restrooms nearby.
Water: Gas stations in Heber, campgrounds.
Camping: Hailstone campground at Jordanelle on US-40, about 6 miles away.
Bike services: Slim and Knobby's bike shop, Heber

Coyote area trail pages:
    Riverview Trail page     Lower Riverview page          Coyote Loop page     Isengard/Mordor page     Chop'd Coyote page     Cutthroat (Wile E Coyote and Looney Tunes) page