View south from the hillside. In the valley, you can see all the way to Elk Ridge on the south. Photos and GPS track July 10, 2015 by Bruce. Update May 2, 2022.
Crop Circles
Crop Circles is a series of loop trails just north of the Dry Canyon Bonneville Shoreline Trailhead on the hillside above Lindon. These "social trails" have been adopted by the U.S. Forest Service as official public trails. There are no trail markers or signs at this time (spring 2022), as official trail designation signs are still awaiting funding.
The trails are most easily found by heading north on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) from
the Lindon (Dry Canyon) Trailhead. There are lots of old abandoned roads,
game trails, and
old hiking routes here, so you should have a means of knowing where you
are. A GPS navigation
app such as Trailforks is strongly recommended. The area has been closed
to motor vehicles
for only a few years, so you'll cross the remains of old jeep paths.
View uphill from the trailhead. Resist the temptation to ride up Dry Canyon. It can be done, but it's too steep to be fun, and it becomes unrideable after about two miles.
View from the Curley Springs area.
There are four loops stacked on the hillside. Below the BST, there's thewhich forms a loop with Canberra, Sunshine, and a piece of the BST. North and uphill is, forming a loop with the BST at the bottom. Above the main Crop Circles loop via a short connector
is the(designated forest trail #316). And at the top of the Middle Crop
Circle is a short connector
uphill to the#317.
Crop Circles Main Trail
Starting out on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail from the Dry Canyon trailhead. The south end of the main Crop Circle is 0.4 miles (and a bit of uphill) away.
From the BST/Dry Canyon parking lot, backtrack to the north end and find the trail near the
metal gate. Stay on the BST (as a few alternate paths fork away) for 0.4
miles. As the trail
veers to eastbound (directly towards the mountain) for the first time,
spot a trail forking
90 degrees right (south) just before the BST turns back northbound. That's
the south end of
Crop Circles.
The main Crop Circles loop is 1.9 miles around (1.5 miles of the Crop Circles trail and 0.4
miles of the BST at the bottom). The climbing rate is generally easy and
the trail surface
is non-technnical.
Looking south from the Middle Crop Circle as Orem and Provo fill the valley below.
Climbing through larger trees and cooler temperatures on the south side of the main Crop Circle.
This trail will climb up the mountain through some gentle switchbacks. At mile 1.0 from the
BST (1.4 from the Dry Canyon trailhead) you'll reach the "stem" that connects
uphill to the
Middle Crop Circle. The smaller trail breaking downhill left is the continuation
of the main
Crop Circle as it drops 0.5 miles down to the BST (see map). Most riders
will plan to take
this trail on their way down.
If you complete this lower circle without going higher on the mountain, it will be 0.4 miles
on the BST back to where you entered the circle and another 0.4 miles
back to the trailhead.
Note that the Sumac Hollow trail will join the northern limb of the Main Crop Circle for a short distance. In 2022, the trail signs that would help you sort this out are still waiting.
Note that the Sumac Hollow trail will join the northern limb of the Main Crop Circle for a short distance. In 2022, the trail signs that would help you sort this out are still waiting.
Heading uphill on the northern side of the main Crop Circles loop on a clockwise ride.
Middle Crop Circle
Grinding on uphill eastbound, with Cascade Mountain on the skyline.
At mile 1.0 of the Crop Circles trail (riding counterclockwise, northbound), a connector goes
uphill to the Middle Crop Circle. The connector is 0.1 miles long, then
the uphill route splits
into the Middle Crop Circle. You can go either direction, so take either
one uphill, then ride
the other one downhill. (Or ride around in a circle now. It's all good.)
Stay on the narrower singletrack as it joins then leaves a wider route. (Here's where your
navigation app helps!) The wide trail is Sumac Hollow, see below.
The Middle Crop Circle is 0.7 miles around. At the circle's highest point, a connector goes uphill to the Upper Crop Circle. The northern limb of Upper Crop Circle is 0.3 miles, while the southern limb is 0.4 miles. Most riders will climb via the southern limb.
The Middle Crop Circle is 0.7 miles around. At the circle's highest point, a connector goes uphill to the Upper Crop Circle. The northern limb of Upper Crop Circle is 0.3 miles, while the southern limb is 0.4 miles. Most riders will climb via the southern limb.
View northwest over Utah Valley.
Hitting a turn on the Middle Crop Circle, with Utah Lake in the background.
As noted above, one section of the southern limb of the Middle Crop Circle is shared with the
Sumac Hollow trail. When climbing, the trail will make a hard right turn
to join a bigger trail.
That's Sumac Hollow. After 100 yards of climbing, veer to the left to
leave the combined trail.
Upper Crop Circle
At the top of the Middle Crop Circle, another short connector (a bit over 0.1 miles) takes
you up to the Upper Crop Circle. At the fork, the easiest navigation will
be to keep left and
ride the loop clockwise.
View northwest as we wind up switchbacks.
Eastbound on the Upper Crop Circle.
Near the end of the clockwise loop (or shortly after starting Upper Crop Circle when going
counterclockwise) you'll find yourself at the fork to the connector to
Curley
Springs
and upper Sumac Hollow. This trail heads straight south traversing the hill. It will dump onto
the rough steep Sumac Hollow trail after about 1/10th mile.
As you complete the loop, head back on the stem to the Middle Crop Circle, then on to the main
Crop Circle. On the way down, drop to the right into the oak brush for
the north side this
loop. At the BST, fork left and head south.
Heading north on the Upper Crop Circle.
Lower Crop Circle
The lower Crop Circle lies in an area that's almost completely grass.
There's also a loop below the BST. This loop actually consists of three named trails. You'll
run across the trail fork to this lower loop in a grass meadow about 0.1
mile after passing
the fork where you originally left the BST for Crop Circles (0.5 miles
from the Dry Creek trailhead).
Turn hard right and descend, first straight, then through a series of tight turns. As you near
the bottom, turn left on a horizontal trail to head southeast. Cross a
fall-line trail a few
feet later. You're now on Canberra trail #311, sometimes called the lower
BST.
View to the west, with little West Mountain showing as a dark hump sticking out into Utah Lake.
Grass, short scrub oak, and an occasional sage.
Keep straight at a connector down to the homes on your right, then just as you see a corner
of chain link fence around the homes, turn left uphill again on singletrack.
This is the Sunshine
trail. and it will climb back to the BST. It joins the BST about 100 yards
west of the Dry
Canyon trailhead. Turn left for more riding; right to descend to the trailhead.
Sumac Hollow trail
View down Sumac Hollow toward Utah Lake.
The Sumac Hollow #310 trail has been designated as an official route by the Forest Service.
At this time (2022), it's cobbled together from several bits of trail
and you'll almost certainly
take a wrong-way trail fork on your way down. Hopefully, future signs
-- and closure of the
many unofficial trails -- will make the navigation more obvious. But this
will not be your
favorite trail in the area.
The main purpose for Sumac Hollow is to provide a wide and straight path for horses and hiking
groups to get up and down the mountain. So while the Sumac Hollow trail
shares some mellower
pieces of the main and middle Crop Circles, the rest of it is steep and
loose. It's 1.2 miles
long with 750 feet of elevation change. Some bikers will enjoy the blistering
descent. It's
not a pleasant climb.
It's kinda OK as a bomber downhill if that's your thing.
Looking down Sumac Hollow shortly after leaving the Curley Springs trail. Most riders will never make it up this far. They'll take the trail down from the Upper Crop Circle.
At the top, the trail starts as the old access road from the ridge where the Curley Springs
trail turns north. Just after mile 0.1, there's a singletrack on your
right that connects over
to the upper Crop Circle loop. At mile 0.25, the trail joins the middle
Crop Circle loop for
around 100 yards. Keep straight here. At mile 0.4, you'll cross the downhill
side of the middle
Crop Circle.
At mile 0.5 comes the first critical fork. The trail drops into what appears to be an S turn
with the wide path dropping steep downhill to your right. That's not the
trail! Instead, veer
left on a less-traveled (and fairly flat) path. Now the trail will join
and leave the Main
Crop Circle. Just keep straight southbound through this area.
Coming into the turn where I took the "obvious" path and wound up on the BST. Had to climb all the way back up to figure it out.
Rocking a mellower stretch of the trail.
The next critical fork is at mile 0.8 and this one's a doozy. When the trail hits the fork
between the BST and the south end of the main Crop Circle, stay a bit
left. After crossing
the Crop Circle trail, take the smaller trail to the left. The more-obvious
trail straight
and to the right is an unofficial route that drops to the BST.
Once you get through this jumble, it's a straight shot down to the parking lot.
Once you get through this jumble, it's a straight shot down to the parking lot.
Other area trails
Curley Springs:
The Curley Springs trail runs from the Dry Canyon Trail to Battle Creek Canyon. It traverses the mountain above Crop Circles and can be reached via a rough old doubletrack from the southeast corner of the Upper Crop Circle. Curley Springs is rough, eroded, and postholed by horses. It connects at the north end to Battle Creek, a very rough steep trail, littered with boulders, that descends to the Battle Creek BST trailhead (or via push-a-bike uphill to the Timpanogos Perimeter). On the south, Curley Springs connects to Dry Canyon, descending down to the Lindon BST trailhead. Uphill, Dry Canyon connects via steep trenched non-rideable trail to the ridge above Baldy on the GWT. If you're thinking about a loop with a short bit of Dry Canyon uphill, Curley Springs northbound, lower Battle Creek downhill, then BST southbound back to Lindon, it can be done. But it's nasty. Both Battle Creek and Dry Canyon often have a 20% slope; 1000 vertical per mile. You'll push your bike a bit. The unpleasantness factor is just too high for me to recommend it.
The Curley Springs trail runs from the Dry Canyon Trail to Battle Creek Canyon. It traverses the mountain above Crop Circles and can be reached via a rough old doubletrack from the southeast corner of the Upper Crop Circle. Curley Springs is rough, eroded, and postholed by horses. It connects at the north end to Battle Creek, a very rough steep trail, littered with boulders, that descends to the Battle Creek BST trailhead (or via push-a-bike uphill to the Timpanogos Perimeter). On the south, Curley Springs connects to Dry Canyon, descending down to the Lindon BST trailhead. Uphill, Dry Canyon connects via steep trenched non-rideable trail to the ridge above Baldy on the GWT. If you're thinking about a loop with a short bit of Dry Canyon uphill, Curley Springs northbound, lower Battle Creek downhill, then BST southbound back to Lindon, it can be done. But it's nasty. Both Battle Creek and Dry Canyon often have a 20% slope; 1000 vertical per mile. You'll push your bike a bit. The unpleasantness factor is just too high for me to recommend it.
Curley Springs mini-loop
:
There's a little loop ride on
the south end of Curley Springs. I recommend doing it clockwise. Starting
on the connector to between the upper Crop Circles and the Sumac Hollow
trail, you'll climb the last (steepest) bit of Sumac Hollow up to the
Curley Springs trail #51. A clockwise ride includes the Upper Curley Springs
trail #318, a fairly
easy traverse of 1/2 mile, then a short steep piece of Dry Canyon #49
best done downhill,
then a climb up lower Curley Springs (taking the easier new alternate
trails) for 0.6 miles to complete the 1.4-mile loop. This can be a fun
addition to a Crop Circles ride if you've got the leg for it.
Riding guide, Crop Circles Tour above BST:
0.0 North from parking, trail at apex of turn
N40 20.519 W111 40.623
L into trees (straight = old closed road)
Keep L but uphill to stay on main trail
0.4 R on Crop Circles N40 20.712 W111 40.814
1.4 Keep R (L = to BST) N40 20.867 W111 40.885
1.5 Fork R (Middle Crop Circle)
N40 20.898 W111 40.844
1.8 Fork R (L = other half of mid circle)
N40 20.970 W111 40.829
1.9 Confusing corner/fork/crossover, get
on to trail going NW (traversing)
N40 21.005 W111 40.840
2.4 Trail joins on R (might not see)
N40 21.190 W111 40.964
2.8 Fork R downhill (straight = to Curley Spr)
N40 21.016 W111 40.735
0.0 North from parking, trail at apex of turn
N40 20.519 W111 40.623
L into trees (straight = old closed road)
Keep L but uphill to stay on main trail
0.4 R on Crop Circles N40 20.712 W111 40.814
1.4 Keep R (L = to BST) N40 20.867 W111 40.885
1.5 Fork R (Middle Crop Circle)
N40 20.898 W111 40.844
1.8 Fork R (L = other half of mid circle)
N40 20.970 W111 40.829
1.9 Confusing corner/fork/crossover, get
on to trail going NW (traversing)
N40 21.005 W111 40.840
2.4 Trail joins on R (might not see)
N40 21.190 W111 40.964
2.8 Fork R downhill (straight = to Curley Spr)
N40 21.016 W111 40.735
2.85 Fork R (you'll return to this spot)
N40 21.028 W111 40.771
3.4 Keep R to rejoin outer loop
N40 21.190 W111 40.964
3.7 Again fork R downhill
N40 21.016 W111 40.735
3.75 Straight this time (See 2.85)
3.8 Close circle, head downhill
N40 20.997 W111 40.832
4.0 R on Middle Crop Circle
N40 20.970 W111 40.828
4.3 Close circle, R downhill
N40 20.899 W111 40.847
4.4 R downhill N40 20.869 W111 40.887
4.8 L on BST N40 20.903 W111 41.100
5.7 Back at parking
N40 21.028 W111 40.771
3.4 Keep R to rejoin outer loop
N40 21.190 W111 40.964
3.7 Again fork R downhill
N40 21.016 W111 40.735
3.75 Straight this time (See 2.85)
3.8 Close circle, head downhill
N40 20.997 W111 40.832
4.0 R on Middle Crop Circle
N40 20.970 W111 40.828
4.3 Close circle, R downhill
N40 20.899 W111 40.847
4.4 R downhill N40 20.869 W111 40.887
4.8 L on BST N40 20.903 W111 41.100
5.7 Back at parking
NOTE: Trails on this map shown in light blue with outlines are routes that currently are seeing substantial use, but are (to my best understanding) scheduled for re-wilding after signage for the official trails is in place.
Getting there, Dry Canyon Trailhead:
Turn east off State Street (Highway 89) at 200 South in Lindon, which also happens to be 2000 North for Orem. Keep straight as you approach the mountains. When the road begins to turn right (south), turn left onto Dry Canyon Drive heading northeast. Now keep straight uphill until the road turns into the trailhead. The parking area is at N 40° 20.52' W 111° 40.62'.
GPX Track Files (right-click and "Save as..."):
Area multi-track master file
Tour of Crop Circles above BST (5.7 miles)
Large-format topo map for printing: View map
Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Provo area resources
Turn east off State Street (Highway 89) at 200 South in Lindon, which also happens to be 2000 North for Orem. Keep straight as you approach the mountains. When the road begins to turn right (south), turn left onto Dry Canyon Drive heading northeast. Now keep straight uphill until the road turns into the trailhead. The parking area is at N 40° 20.52' W 111° 40.62'.
Bathroom at trailhead.
No camping nearby.
GPX Track Files (right-click and "Save as..."):
Area multi-track master file
Tour of Crop Circles above BST (5.7 miles)
Large-format topo map for printing: View map
Lodging, camping, shops: Links to Provo area resources
