View of Joes Valley Reservoir from the upper side of the Littles Creek Loop. Photos, video, and review by Bruce on May 12, 2025.
View of Joes Valley Reservoir from the upper side of the Littles Creek Loop. Photos, video, and review by Bruce on May 12, 2025.
Littles Creek Riding Area
at Joes Valley

The Littles Creek trail system lies on the northwest corner of Joes Valley Reservoir west of Orangeville and east of the Skyline Drive. There's 10.1 miles of trail here, organized as a long north-south loop with three trails that cut across the loop. The riding ranges from easy to intermediate, with no significant technical features. All trails are two-way, although the Burns Trail is almost always done in the downhill direction.

My check-out ride to hit all the trails was 14 miles with 1400 vertical feet of climbing. At the time of my review, the trails are new and still quite soft. They'll get faster as the surface firms up when more riders discover this nice system. The trails are easy to ride and scenic. They're on Forest Service land and will be maintained as a partnership with local riding organizations.

While the trail-marking seemed complete on the lower side of the loop, the trail forks for the transecting routes had no trail-posts on the upper side. I assume they're coming soon.

Rocking through pinion forest.
Rocking through pinion forest.
Looking south from the loop toward the White Knoll (10,000 feet).
Looking south from the loop toward the White Knoll (10,000 feet).

The Littles Creek trails lie between 7100 and 7400 feet elevation, with a trailhead just off Highway 29 at the northwest corner of Joes Valley Reservoir. They were purpose-built for mountain biking, although Forest Service policy makes the Littles Creek trails open to all non-motorized users.

The expected riding season for this trail system will be mid-May through October.

Joes Valley is a popular destination for boating and fishing. Above Joes Valley, Highway 29 converts to a gravel road for the climb to the Josephite Point (Pete's Hole) trail and on uphill to the Skyline Drive. The Littles Creek trails are just across the mountain from the Ephraim Canyon trail system.

The main route is the Littles Creek Loop trail, a 6.6-mile elongated ellipse. This route is rated easy, although there are some tight corners and wash-crossings that will have true beginners off their bikes. (See the detailed trail description below.) The Littles Loop contains three trails that link the upper side to the lower. These become more difficult south to north.
Views of the lake are frequent.
Views of the lake are frequent.
Looking uphill where the Orange Trail crosses the lower side of the Littles Loop Trail.
Looking uphill where the Orange Trail crosses the lower side of the Littles Loop Trail.
The southernmost trail that transects the Littles Creek Loop is, the Orange Trail. It connects Highway 9 near the Pavilion trailhead entry up to the lower side of the loop, then continues the climb to the uphill side of the loop. This trail is an easy 1.4 miles. It spends most of its time in a huge sage meadow. See below for more information.
The middle transecting trail is 959, named after the Civilian Conservation Corps camp that did erosion-control work here during the Depression. This is the shortest connector at 0.7 miles, because the lower half of the Littles Loop lies at higher elevation here. I'd consider this route early-intermediate. 959 has easy sage-meadow riding near the top and more twisty riding in the trees near the bottom.
Zooming into a hairpin turn on the lower part of 959.
Zooming into a hairpin turn on the lower part of 959.
Approaching a hairpin on the Burns Trail, with Joes Valley in the background.
Approaching a hairpin on the Burns Trail, with Joes Valley in the background.

The northernmost connector is the Burns Trail. It's most commonly done as a downhill, running 300 vertical feet over 1.4 miles. It ends on the Littles Creek Loop just 100 feet from the trailhead roll-over. The Burns Trail is rated intermediate. It has a lot of tight turns -- not all of which are banked -- and spends most of its time flying through pinion and juniper forest. See below.

Trailheads
Southern fence of the huge parking area. The ride-over takes you on the counterclockwise loop, or to the bottom of Burns. For a clockwise loop, go to the left of the fence.
Southern fence of the huge parking area. The ride-over takes you on the counterclockwise loop, or to the bottom of Burns. For a clockwise loop, go to the left of the fence.
Littles Creek Trailhead:  From the Wasatch Front take I-15 to Spanish Fork, and turn onto US-6 eastbound. In Price, turn right southbound on Highway 10. After 28 miles, turn right on SR 29 toward Orangeville. Drive through Orangeville and stay on SR 29 up the canyon. At the Joes Valley dam, follow the road to the north end of the lake. Just as the road turns south, turn right into the Littles Creek trailhead and go to the south fence near the entry. (The big roll-over at the west end is the ATV trail. Instead, find the singletrack entry on the south side.) The trail at the break in the fence (at the ride-over) takes you counterclockwise on Littles Creek Loop, while the trail between the boulders left of the fence will take the loop clockwise. There is no toilet or water at this trailhead. But there is a nice map and a bike workstand with tools.
Looking west from Highway 29 near the Pavilion trailhead, where the Orange Trail climbs to the Littles Creek Loop.
Looking west from Highway 29 near the Pavilion trailhead, where the Orange Trail climbs to the Littles Creek Loop.
Pavilion trailhead:  Go to the Littles Creek trailhead as above, but drive past and go another mile south. (As you approach the turn-off for the Pavilion (on your left near the lake), look for the singletrack entry on the right side of the road about 100 yards from the entry road.) After parking, backtrack to Highway 29. Turn right and pedal to the Orange Trail, on the uphill (left) side of the road. The pavilion trailhead has a bathroom.
Littles Creek Loop Trail
Looking down toward the trailhead area from the far northern end of the loop.
Looking down toward the trailhead area from the far northern end of the loop.
The Littles Creek Loop trail is 6.6 miles long. It's a very elongated oval, with the upper (western) side lying about 300 vertical feet above the lower side. There's some up-and-down riding that brings the total climbing to around 500 feet.
Overall, the loop is easy, with a generous riding surface and no engineered technical features. There are a couple of tight turns where the trail crosses a wash that will make most beginners get off their bikes. The climbing rate is always gentle. On the northeast corner of the loop, there are side-slopes and turns in the trees that will approach intermediate riding skill as the trail wears in.
The trail runs through groves of pinion and juniper. These rougher sections have a nice broad bench-cut, although the turns are sometimes tight.
The trail runs through groves of pinion and juniper. These rougher sections have a nice broad bench-cut, although the turns are sometimes tight.
Looking south from the upper side of the loop on the counter-clockwise ride.
Looking south from the upper side of the loop on the counter-clockwise ride.
The loop is two-way. I rode counter-clockwise. This put the sage meadows and long views on the first half of the ride, and the twisty forest riding on the return.

For the counter-clockwise loop, go across the roll-over at the mountain biking entrance. At the trail fork in 100 feet, turn 90 degrees right and begin climbing the hill. (The trail on the left is the return from Burns.)

On a counterclockwise ride, you'll arrive at the trail fork for Burns at mile 1.3. There was no marking post at the time of my ride. Keep to the right to continue on the loop.

At mile 2.1 of the loop, you'll hit the top of the 959 trail. Keep straight and right for the loop.

Riding through pinion forest, with occasional cedar and juniper, and a ponderosa here and there.
Riding through pinion forest, with occasional cedar and juniper, and a ponderosa here and there.
There's an aspen grove as we approach Littles Creek.
There's an aspen grove as we approach Littles Creek.
The Orange trail forks downhill from the Littles Creek Loop at mile 3.1 of the counter-clockwise ride. Again, keep to the right uphill.

You'll now flirt with some private property fences as you continue south.

The Littles Creek Look will briefly join the Orange Olsen ATV path at the southwestern end. As you exit past the boulders and carsonite post, continue your previous direction of travel. You'll quickly come to the Littles Creek crossing. At the time of my ride, there was a plank across the rushing waters. A more ride-friendly bridge may come later.

Once you're past the creek, go another 50 yards on the ATV path and watch for big boulders and a carsonite post on the downhill side. Continue on the singletrack.

Creek crossing on the upper loop. The lower side has a lovely bridge.
Creek crossing on the upper loop. The lower side has a lovely bridge.
The trail meanders through ponderosa forest on the southern end.
The trail meanders through ponderosa forest on the southern end.
The southern side of the loop features an interesting forest with a mixture of ponderosa pine, pinion, cedar, and juniper. The understory is largely bare in the trees, with sage meadows intermittently between groves of conifer. The trail twists back and forth through broad turns.

You'll cross a gravel road on the south end. Keep straight across.

As the loop now meanders north, you'll cross the Orange Trail at mile 4.9. (As a reminder, if you need a toilet, there's one at the trailhead across from the bottom of the Orange Trail.)

Shortly after the Orange Trail, the loop begins to climb up the hillside away from the highway and lake. At mile 5.8, while riding through some slightly more-technical twisty bench-cut, you'll pass the downhill end of the 959 Trail.

Now the trail works its way down to the sage flat, and will reach the parking area just outside the main fence near the entry road.

Heading north to finish. The dark dot near the road is my car.
Heading north to finish. The dark dot near the road is my car.
Burns Trail
A hairpin turn with a view!
A hairpin turn with a view!
The Burns Trail is 1.4 miles long, descending 300 vertical feet through a series of sloped traverses separated by hairpin turns. The surface is dirt, with no big rocks, drops, jumps, or technical features.

A look at Strava tells me that almost everybody is doing this trail as a downhill. But it is, technically, a two-way general purpose non-motorized trail. So watch out for hikers, horses, and climbing mountain bikers.

Turns and twists are usually -- but not always -- banked to hold you onto your riding line. Between the hairpin turns, there are little dips and wiggles, most of which are gently banked.
On a twisty downhill traverse, heading north.
On a twisty downhill traverse, heading north.
Rolling around a fresh and loose, but nicely banked turn!
Rolling around a fresh and loose, but nicely banked turn!
At the time of my ride, the riding surface was typical for a new trail: a bit loose and sloppy in the corners. With time, this trail should dial in to a blazing smooth romp.

The bottom of the Burns trail is on the outgoing limb of a counter-clockwise ride of the Littles Loop. Many riders do laps on this segment, climbing the northern end of the loop, then dropping down Burns.

959 Trail
Looking across the loop trail at the uphill origin of the 959 Trail.
Looking across the loop trail at the uphill origin of the 959 Trail.
>The 959 Trail is the shortest of the transecting trails. It lies near the middle of the loop. At the top, it forks away from the Littles Creek loop in a meadow of sage and meanders down. This part of the trail is pretty mellow, although I noted a rock launch and a tree-trunk ride as trailside options.
As 959 reaches the pinion forest, it gets a bit more techy, with tighter turns and steeper slope.
Riding uphill on 959 through pinion forest.
Riding uphill on 959 through pinion forest.
The upper half of 959 is smooth and swooping.
The upper half of 959 is smooth and swooping.
At the bottom, 959 joins the lower side of the Littles Creek Loop in a bench-cut area higher on the hillside. Because of this, it's shorter (0.7 miles) than the other transecting trails by half, and has only 200 vertical feet of elevation change.
Orange Trail
Looking east from Highway 29 at the Pavilion trailhead.
Looking east from Highway 29 at the Pavilion trailhead.
The Orange Trail runs from Highway 29 (just outside the Pavilion trailhead) up to the lower side of the Littles Creek ellipse loop, then continues on the the upper side of the loop. There's 0.3 miles between the road and the loop, then another 1.1 miles between the two limbs of the loop.
The Orange trail spends its entire time meandering back and forth across a broad sage area. Typically, the southbound "zig" as you climb is sloped, while the northbound "zag" is pretty flat.
Meandering to the south as we climb.
Meandering to the south as we climb.
A couple of lonely ponderosa along the Orange Trail as we descend.
A couple of lonely ponderosa along the Orange Trail as we descend.
I'd say the main purpose of the Orange Trail is to provide access to the system for people who need a toilet where they park. It's a pretty tame ride.

Mini-loop with Burns Trail

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Getting some speed.
Getting some speed.
Bottom Line!

Very nice trail system with easy riding and great views. A great side-dish for a vacation that involves fishing and camping at Joes Valley, or anywhere in the Skyline Drive area. These trails are just across the mountain from the Ephraim Canyon trail system if you're doing a multi-day trip.

Getting there
Littles Creek Trailhead:  From the Wasatch Front take I-15 to Spanish Fork, and turn onto US-6 eastbound. In Price, turn right southbound on Highway 10. After 28 miles, turn right on SR 29 toward Orangeville. Drive through Orangeville and stay on SR 29 up the canyon. At the Joes Valley dam, follow the road to the north end of the lake. Just as it turns to the south, turn into the Littles Creek trailhead. The big roll-over at the west end is the ATV trail. Instead, find the singletrack entry on the south side. The trail at the rollover takes you counterclockwise on Littles Creek Loop, while the trail to the left of the fence will take the loop clockwise. There is no toilet or water at the trailhead.
Pavilion trailhead:  Go to the Littles Creek trailhead as above, but drive past and go another mile south. (As you approach the turn-off for the Pavilion (on your left near the lake), look for the singletrack entry on the right side of the road about 100 yards from the entry road.) After parking, backtrack to Highway 29. Turn right and pedal to the Orange Trail, on the uphill (left) side of the road. The pavilion trailhead has a bathroom.
Option, Ephraim Canyon SR 29 over Skyline Drive:  From the Wasatch Front, you can reach this trail through Ephraim. This will involve a lot of sometimes washboard gravel road and a climb to 10,000 elevation. Although shorter in miles, you won't save much time, or any gas, with this route. Take Highway 132 from I-15 and veer right on US-89 into Ephraim. On US-89 go to 400 south and turn east (left) towards the mountains. At 300 East, turn right. You're on state road 29, the Ephraim Canyon Road. Climb all the way to the Skyline Drive and turn left (north). After one mile, turn right downhill as SR 29 heads toward Joes Valley and Orangeville. Drive downhill to Joes Valley. When you hit pavement, continue to the trail head at the north end of the lake.
Option, Highway 10 from Interstate 70:  Riders from southern Utah can drive north from I-70 on Highway 10. About 38 miles from I-70, turn left on the south end of Castle Dale on SR 57. At the intersection with SR 29 follow the Joes Valley signs left. Climb the canyon up to Joes Valley and proceed to the trailhead.

2025 map
2025 map