HAM Trail and Dawn's Trail

View toward Park City Mountain Resort's ski slopes from the upper HAM Trail. Review and photos by Bruce on July 9, 2012.

HAM Trail - Dawn's Trail
Connectors from Armstrong to Spiro

There's not much to say about the these trails, except that they are short (0.8) mile connector trails jumping the gap between upper Armstrong and upper Spiro . HAM and Dawn's aren't "destination" trails, but a way to get somewhere else faster. Our featured ride uses HAM to create a shorter version of the Armstrong-Spiro loop ride for less-strong riders.

Ham Trail

The loop ride with HAM is 6 miles of singletrack with 1000 vertical feet of climbing, easier-intermediate technical. When climbing Armstrong (a one-way uphill trail), HAM forks away to your left at mile 3.7 from Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) parking. After descending a bit, it turns toward the valley and traverses to Spiro (mile 4.5). Descend Spiro. At mile 6.4, you're back to pavement. At PCMR parking, you're at mile 6.8.

The fork from Armstrong onto HAM.

View up-canyon as we start downhill on HAM from Armstrong. After about 1/3 mile, the trail turns back down-canyon and zooms toward Spiro.

The other use of HAM is as a shortcut to reach the northbound Midmountain Trail from Spiro. If you climb Spiro (instead of the longer, less-steep Armstrong), then jump over to Armstrong via HAM, you'll bypass about 3 miles of riding. (Spiro turns south before reaching Midmountain. Northbound HAM skips this detour.)

HAM is also useful for a shorter trip to the Wasatch Crest from Park City. As above, take Spiro to HAM to upper Armstrong, but then fork hard left on southbound Midmountain and climb a bit further to the Pine Cone Ridge trail, a new route to the Wasatch Crest Trail.

Typical trail view on the HAM traverse near Spiro, in groves of maple and chokecherry understory.

Riding directions, HAM loop from PCMR parking:
0.0   Leave parking to North
        N40 39.247 W111 30.550
        Cross to Three Kings Dr northbound
0.3   L uphill on Crescent N40 39.382 W111 30.813
0.4   R to gravel area, L onto ST
        N40 39.401 W111 30.899
0.5   R on Armstrong N40 39.341 W111 30.900
2.1   Keep R on Armstrong (L = Dawns)
        N40 39.045 W111 31.735

3.7   L on HAM N40 38.898 W111 31.979
4.5   Keep L on Spiro N40 38.807 W111 31.622
5.4   Keep L (R = Eagle) N40 39.163 W111 31.129
6.3   Keep L (R = Silver Spur) N40 39.306 W111 30.895
6.4   Hard R at Armstrong/Spiro junction
         N40 39.341 W111 30.900
6.5   Onto pavement
6.8   Back at parking

Dawn's Trail

View through the fir trees in a shady portion of Dawn's. (October 26, 2015)

Dawn's Trail is lower on the mountain than HAM, creating a shorter loop with less climbing when combined with Armstrong and Spiro. It forks off of Armstrong 1.7 miles uphill at an altitude of 7350 feet.

The trail is 0.8 miles long, curving around the canyon between Armstrong and Spiro and climbing 150 vertical feet. It meets Spiro just above the Eagle Trail fork, 1.3 miles from the bottom.

At 0.7 miles from Armstrong, Dawn's Trail splits. The part straight ahead and downhill is hiking-only. Bikes take a right turn and climb a couple of switchbacks up to Spiro.

Even in the dryer areas, it's hard to catch any views through the trees. We're curving around in through an area of sage and gambel oak.

Climbing up the switchbacks to Spiro.

From the bottom of the Spiro singletrack, a loop of Armstrong uphill, Dawn's, and Spiro downhill is just under 4 miles long with 700 vertical feet of climbing.

Riding directions, Dawn's loop from PCMR parking:
0.0   Leave parking to North
        N40 39.247 W111 30.550
        Cross to Three Kings Dr northbound
0.3   L uphill on Crescent N40 39.382 W111 30.813
0.4   R to gravel area, L onto ST
        N40 39.401 W111 30.899
0.5   R on Armstrong N40 39.341 W111 30.900
2.1   L onto Dawn's
        N40 39.045 W111 31.735

2.8   R and uphill (straight = hiking only)
        N40 39.186 W111 31.363
2.9   L downhill on Spiro
        N40 39.167 W111 31.337
4.0   Silver Spur N40 39.307 W111 30.897
        Option L for ST return
4.1   R to stay on Spiro (L = Armstrong)
4.2   Bottom of Spiro
4.6   Back at parking

Map of the Spiro/Armstrong area.

Getting there: In Park City, follow the signs to Park City Mountain Resort. As you see the first parking area, turn in and park there. Now ride your bike back out onto Silver King Drive, heading west (uphill, toward the mountain, and the way you were heading when you first saw the parking lot). Turn right onto Three Kings. The next left will be Crescent Drive. Turn uphill. Look for some yellow posts on the right, where Crescent Drive turns left. Go R through the posts and find the singletrack on the uphill side. N 40° 39.390' W 111° 30.895'

Parking: Not at trailhead! Use north Park City Resort lot.
Water: None at trailhead.
Bathrooms: None.
Bike services: Multiple in Park City, includes rentals
Camping: Hailstone on US 40