Frodo's Playground DH

Frodo's Playground is a fun downhill-only trail in the Coyote (Riverview) trail system north of Heber. It lies directly uphill from the UVU Wasatch Campus trailhead, so it's a quick and non-strenuous climb to arrive at the top. The lower 0.5 miles of the trail from Middle Earth to Lower Riverview is complete, with another 0.3 miles at the top almost finished (April 22, 2024).

The trail includes rock roll-overs and wooden ramps. These stunts in the trail are intermediate in difficulty. But easy ride-arounds for the stunts make Frodo's Playground suitable for beginners and families.

The top of the trail is at 6000 feet elevation on a sunny slope. The expected riding season would be late April through October.

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.

The UVU Connector trail climbs uphill from the trailhead to the Upper Riverview (Rivendell) trail. On the way, it crosses the easy rides on Lower Riverview, the Riverview Doubletrack, and Middle Earth. Lower Frodo's Playground is reached via a right turn onto Middle Earth at mile 0.7 from the TH. The new upper Frodo is at mile 1.2 on the UVU Connector. ( This trailhead is also closest to the beginner skills area trails at Lower Potatoes and Isengard.)

South Coyote Trailhead
You can get to Frodo's Playground from the Coyote Trailhead in the south. Connect to Middle Earth for the northbound trip. Note that this trailhead has been affected by construction, and may not be available.

Riverview Trailhead
On US-40 north of Heber, turn east on Highway 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. That's your spot. Take the 0.3-mile connector to Upper Riverview and head 3 miles south to the UVU Connector trail.

Note that at the time of my ride, upper Frodo was NOT open for riding, with active trailwork still going on. I estimated the course and distance by looking at the trail from a distance.

Turns are banked and flow smoothly. The trail is 0.5 miles in length, descending only 150 vertical feet at a gentle and constant rate.

It's easy to flow down this trail on butter-smooth dirt with hardly a bump if you take the easy way around every stunt. So Frodo's Playground is suitable for mixed-ability groups and kids.

Frodo's Playground has several rock challenges and wooden ramps that would be rated intermediate. There's a final narrow hump-ramp that I would rate expert. All of these stunts have easy ride-arounds.

Once you're on the mountain, a loop around lower Frodo's and back to the top is just under one mile with 150 feet of climbing.

Bottom Line

Very nice trail that's easy to reach and easy to ride. Suitable for groups of mixed ability and families with younger kids.

Getting there, 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.

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.