Gorgoza Park Trails
Gorgoza Park, Up Trail, Dead Reckoning, Arcylon, Pale Green Dot, and A Toll New World
The Gorgoza Park downhill loops lie on the slope above I-80 just east of Parley's Summit. This is the location of the classic Arcylon downhill flow trail, but with the new addition of an easy and an expert-level downhill trail. Connected to the loops are nice XC trails to the east and west: Gorgoza Park and A Toll New World.

These are free public trails located near the "pay-to-play" trails at the Woodward Park City resort.

While riding these trails, you'll encounter connections to neighborhood trails to the south and east. These are private trails for residents only. Also, do not attempt to ride into the Woodward Park City resort, which is a fee area. Follow the riding directions and obey the signs to be sure you're staying on public trails. If a branching trail appears very narrow and is unsigned, assume it's a connector to a trail you're NOT supposed to ride.

These trails start at a bottom elevation of 6350 feet, rising to 6700 at the top of A Toll New World. This creates a riding season of June through October. Except for Arcylon and Dead Reckoning (which require expert skills), these trails are acceptable for experienced beginners and intermediates.

The trailhead complex for the public trails is located on Discovery Way. There are three paved parking spots with room for around 20 vehicles total. Drive 1.1 miles east from the I-80 Summit Park exit on Kirby Road. Turn right on Discovery Way and go 0.3 miles. When you see overflow parking, the main parking area with bathrooms and running water is just to the right uphill around the corner.

The connector trails from the upper and lower lots join and extend 1/10th mile uphill to the flow trail loops. At the trail fork, you can take a hard left to the Up trail to head to Gorgoza Park or the downhill flow trails, or you can keep straight until you reach the A Toll New World trail.

You can also arrive at the area via the paved Millenium trail along Kirby Road. A paved spur follows Discovery Drive up to the trailhead. This creates an option for a loop ride with Gorgoza Park downhill and a paved return. Another way to arrive here is to drop down A Toll New World from the Road to WOS area.

Note: Do NOT park in the neighborhoods above or east of the trail, and do NOT drive into these neighborhoods to drop off shuttle riders. The trails in Sunridge are privately owned and you are only allowed on them if a resident accompanies you. Do NOT use the Woodward resort parking to reach these trails unless you're a paying customer!

The Up trail is the route to the top of all three downhill flow trails. It's also the route to the top of the Gorgoza Park trail, which forks away in the middle of the climb. The Up trail is exactly one mile long, with a bit over 300 vertical feet of elevation gain.

The Up trail begins 1/10th mile uphill from the Discovery Ridge trailhead with a hard left turn. After you descend a flow trail, the return trail will route you directly into the Up trail.

The surface is non-technical and suitable for beginners. The climbing rate is pleasant even for those who aren't in the best of shape.

At mile 0.5, the Gorgoza Park trail forks away to your left. Keep straight to continue the climb on Up.

The terrain is a mix of aspen and maple with an occasional fir. The understory is lush with shrubs and flowers. It's a very nice ride all by itself!

At mile 1.0 (1.1 from the trailhead), you'll reach the flow trails. While the climbing rate on the Up Trail is mild, I'd hate to do it on a heavy DH bike. But if that's how you got here, there are a couple of resting benches waiting for you at the top.

For the easiest way down, keep to the left for Pale Green Dot.

The first downhill option at the top of Up is Dead Reckoning. This is the most technical descent. It not only has stunts that require expert skill, it also has stretches of rock garden that have no ride-around. Do NOT take a noob down this trail.

Dead Reckoning has a TON of gap jumps. These are of varying length. The longest I saw was around 12 feet. The bottom of the gaps is filled with brambles -- and the greenery obscures your view of the landing and the length of the gap as you roll toward it. I strongly suggest a scouting run first. Fortunately, the gap jumps all have ride-arounds.

As I mentioned, there's a bit of technical rock on Dead Reckoning. And there are no alternative lines to go around them. Stopping to scramble down these spots is not a good idea, as this blocks the trail and other riders may hit you. If you're not sure of your ability to hit this stuff, don't ride this trail.

Between the raw rock sections, there's some high-speed cruising and banked turns. Just hold your line on the rocky stuff and there will be smoother riding ahead.

Dead Reckoning is 0.6 miles long. It's considerably shorter and steeper than Arcylon, which is your next DH flow option.

Arcylon is 0.8 miles long. The trail is posted as intermediate, but it's an expert-level ride if you try to hit the stunts. The entry begins with a rock-garden rollover designed to discourage tourists. That's the trickiest thing you're forced to do, as all the remaining tech spots have ride-arounds. Like Dead Reckoning and Pale Green Dot, the Arcylon downhill is closed to hikers, dogs, and horses.

The preferred riding attire for Arcylon is, of course, your best roadie lycra. Extra points for doing it on your cyclocross bike. And if you're wondering what bit of Native American culture or Utah Pioneer heritage is responsible for the name of the trail, spell "Arcylon" backwards.

If you need to stop or slow for any reason -- for example to snap a photo of a buddy -- swing well off the riding path first. Bikes and riders who are stopped in the trail may become roadkill. The trail isn't particularly steep, but it moves along at high speed, and sight lines are limited around turns and below stunts.

Most turns have high berms to maintain speed. On straight sections, there will be frequent bumps that form low gap jumps. These are flat enough that intermediates can simply roll them. Stunts are plainly marked, with the ride-around route obvious.

Most riders will want to take a test-run down the intermediate lines to scope the transition zones below drops and jumps. For many of them, you can't see what you'll be getting into from uphill.

Most riders will, of course, keep heading back uphill to do multiple runs down the tech stuff. The total loop is 1.8 miles, with 0.8 of it being the downhill.

Arcylon and Dead Reckoning merge at the bottom, then join the trail back toward the trailhead, where you can catch Up for another go.

Pale Green Dot is the easiest way downhill from the top of the Up trail. It has a mellow rate of descent and wide easy turns. Older kids and experienced beginners should be able to ride it without terror. For this option, just keep to the left at the top of Up, passing the entries to Dead Reckoning and Arcylon on the right.

Pale Green Dot is 1.1 miles long. Comparing this to the 1.0 mile of climbing on Up should tell you that this isn't a steep ride. The trail drops 300 vertical feet.

There are occasional breaks in the trees that let you catch a view. The trail is a series of gentle traverses back and forth across the hillside.

At the bottom, Pale Green Dot hits the A Toll New World Trail. Turn right for the traverse back to the Up trail. You'll be joined by the combined Arcylon and Dead Reckoning. After a steepish but short climb, you'll hit the trailhead connector, where keeping to the right will take you back uphill for another lap.

The classic Gorgoza Park Trail was on the property now occupied by the Woodward Park City resort. It has been bulldozed. The new trail alignment is more exposed and has a lot more bumpy rock, but it's still a good ride.

Gorgoza Park connects the middle of the Up trail downhill to the paved Millenium Trail just east of the pond. On the way, it will pass connectors to neighborhood trails. (In 2022, I noted that the arrow had worn off of a carsonite post, so I couldn't distinguish "neighborhood access" from "continuing trail.") When in doubt, keep to the left on the downhill, to the right on the uphill.

On the uphill end, the Gorgoza Park trail forks away from the Up trail at mile 0.5 (0.6 from the Discovery Ridge trailhead). It begins with a long traverse near the top of the ridge, then drops down into the trees to skirt the top of the Woodward Park City resort eastbound.

The trail is 1.7 miles long, with a bit over 400 feet of elevation change. If done by climbing Up then making a loop with a return via the paved Millenium Trail and the Discovery Way spur, a lap will be 3.6 miles.

The upper half of the trail is fairly smooth. It's mostly maple and oak forest with occasional meadows. This area tends to be an east-west traverse with minimal elevation change.

The lower half of Gorgoza Park (past Pinebrook Point) is more open, with exposed sandstone occasionally making the trail rough. Because of this, the trail earns an intermediate rating.

The pitch of the trail increases and the path winds back and forth across the hillside. Much of the lower trail approaches the edge of the Woodward property repeatedly.

And if you need another reminder: For local residents there are connections to Gambel Drive (see map) just a bit to the east. The upper trail also connects to the Sunridge Perimeter Trail, as does a short connector on the ridgeline. The Sunridge Perimeter is a private singletrack that heads uphill to the southwest corner of Pinebrook and is for residents only.

A Toll New World starts at the bottom of the downhill flow loops. To reach it from the Discovery Ridge trailhead, just keep to the right. Pass the entry to Up, the bottom of Arcylon and Dead Reckoning and Pale Green Dot, then also keep right as a hiking trail forks away uphill. You'll find it at 0.2 miles from the trailhead.

A Toll New World is 1.5 miles long, with an elevation gain of 400 vertical feet. It ends on the gravel Toll Canyon Road -- where residents can connect uphill to Sunridge Perimeter, and the rest of us can descend and hit the No Worries trail up to Road to WOS.

The trail is mostly forested, with a couple of meadows where you can appreciate the views. It's noticeably cooler here than the Gorgoza flow trails below.

A Toll New World also makes a nice out-and-back for strong beginners and intermediates who want to add a few miles to their Arcylon laps.

If you're heading for No Worries and Road to WOS , keep right and downhill on the doubletrack when you reach Toll Canyon, Keep straight when it turns to pavement and follow it around the corner. Keep uphill at the fork going to the outbuilding, then find No Worries on your left 0.5 miles from A Toll New World.

The Gorgoza area trails are worth a visit. Located right off the freeway at the top of Parley's Canyon, they're nearby and are ready to ride a bit earlier than the upper Park City trails. The flow trail loops are fun, but you'll probably want to add some extra trails -- which this area provides!

Getting there:
From Salt Lake City, take I-80 east up Parley's Canyon. After crossing the summit, take the Jeremy Ranch exit. Turn right, then immediately right again to take Kirby Road westbound. After passing a small hill, you'll see a small gravel parking lot on the left side of the road. It's preferred that you save this little lot for hikers that are visiting the pond. Go another 100 yards to the big paved Gorgoza Park lot. (If the big lot is closed -- as it was on the Saturday I visited -- grab a spot in the little lot.) Head back out to the paved Millenium Trail and follow it east until it heads south uphill past the pond. Just above the pond, the mountain biking trail veers uphill as the Millenium trail turns sharply eastward. (Keep to the left of the two trails. The trail you see heading straight up the mountainside meadow gets there, but it's hike-a-bike steep.)

Do NOT park in the neighborhoods to the east of the trails, and do NOT use the neighborhood roads to drop off shuttle riders above Arcylon! Note that the Sunridge Perimeter Trail is a private trail for residents and their guests only.

Also do NOT park in the Woodward Park City resort lot unless you're a paying customer.