
Lonely Mountain is a popular trail on the front (western) side of the Coyote system. On the northern end, it climbs from Upper Riverview. On the south end, it ends on Chop'd Coyote. In the center, Lonely Mountain is joined by An Unexpected Journey. There are several excellent loop ride possibilities.
Lonely Mountain is 2.5 miles long, with an elevation gain of 650 feet when done from north to south. The top elevation is just under 6900 feet, for an expected riding season of early May through October.
Lonely Mountain is also your route to the Smaug Loop (discussed on this page), and is your connection to the top of the expert-level downhill Mordor and the double-black DH Skidder 1.


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.

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.

Climb 1.6 miles on the UVU/Riverview Connector trail. When you reach Upper Riverview, fork left to head north. After 1.1 miles, Mordor crosses to start the Middle Mordor trail section.


From the Riverview trailhead on Highway 32, pedal uphill on the Riverview trail until you reach the Coyote Loop at mile 0.3 then turn to the right.
At mile 0.4, Sheep Bones forks to the right downhill. If you're headed for the easier trails, descend Sheep Bones for one mile, then continue south on the doubletrack until Lower Potatoes crosses.
Lonely Mountain will be on your left at mile 1.9 from the trailhead. If you're headed for Middle Mordor, it's 1/2 mile further south on the trail at mile 2.4 from the Highway 32 trailhead.


Lonely Mountain joins Upper Riverview to Chop'd Coyote. It is also the access route to ride Mordor, Smaug, or Skidder 1. The trail is two-way.
The top of Lonely Mountain forks away from Chop'd Coyote at 2.2 miles from Upper Riverview if you're using Chop'd Coyote as your uphill. When descending Chop'd Coyote from the Coyote Loop at the top of the mountain, it's 2.7 miles from Coyote to the Lonely Mountain fork.


Around mile 1.1 of Lonely Mountain, you'll reach a flatter saddle area. The entry and exit from the Smaug Loop will be on your right. Not too far past Smaug's connections, you'll reach another trail fork. The trail to the left called Sting angles downhill. (It will return to the West Riverview trail at the Riverview trailhead connector.) Keep right to stay on Lonely Mountain.





At the far end of the loop, the high-expert Skidder 1 trail forks away.
The trail is a dirt bench-cut in an area of sage and oak brush. There's only about 50 feet of elevation gain as you pedal away from Lonely Mountain.


UVU Wasatch Campus trailhead: One mile south of the junction of Highway 40 and 32, turn east (toward the mountain) at the UVU campus. Northbound from Utah County, the UVU campus is a couple of miles north of Heber's business area. Go to the uppermost level of parking behind the UVU buildings and look for the step-over and kiosk. The singletrack UVU Connector trail climbs to Lower Riverview at mile 0.2 and Middle Earth at mile 0.7, then continues to the Riverview Trail at mile 1.6.
Coyote Lane trailhead: On US-40 just north of Heber, turn east on Coyote Lane. Just after the road crosses a canal, turn left into the parking lot. The singletrack starts at the northeast corner at the step-over, where you'll also find a repair stand and a kiosk with a trail map. The Coyote singletrack takes you uphill, where you can connect to Riverview after climbing 2.1 miles. You can also connect northbound via the Riverview Doubletrack and Lower Riverview trail or the Sheep Pen and Middle Earth trails. (NOTE: There is subdivision construction in the Coyote Lane area in 2022, which may affect your access plans. The trails below the Riverview Doubletrack are closed at this time.)
Trailhead options!
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. A singletrack trail climbs 1.5 miles to the Riverview Trail.
Wile E Canyon trailhead: The Wile E Canyon trailhead is located on the southern side of Highway 32, just over 4 miles from US-40. It's 1/10th mile east of the old Cutthroat trailhead (see below). There's room for about 8 cars here. From the parking lot, a connector trail takes you 120 yards uphill to the Wile E Canyon loop. To get to Beep Beep (or the Coyote Switchbacks or East Riverview), turn right at the trail fork, keep right at the next fork, then turn left onto the Coyote Riverview Connector trail as you approach the gravel road.
Coyote Riverview Connector trail (old Cutthroat): You can still connect through the old Cutthroat trailhead, although there's no longer a parking area here. For example, if the crowds have forced you to park where construction workers leave their vehicles along Highway 32, you can pedal to the gravel road to the new golf course leaves the highway, four miles east of US-40 and just east of the big rock-wall road-cut.
Puddy Tat parking: On Highway 3 around three miles from US-40, watch for a dirt road turning to the right in a huge sage meadow. There are a couple of buildings across Highway 32 at this spot. The parking spot is just through the fence, with a connection to Puddy Tat on the eastern side of parking. (This spot was still being worked on at the time of my review.)
Riverview trailhead: From US-40 just south of the Jordanelle reservoir, turn east at the traffic light onto Highwat 32 (at mile 14.2 from I-80 if you're coming from the north). On Highway 32, climb 1.1 miles. When you see the second entry into Riverview on your left and a road under construction to your right, the Riverview Connector trail starts on the uphill side of that road just after it leaves Highway 32. (In 2025, there's no longer protected parking here. It's unclear whether the trailhead will be restored when construction is complete.)Coyote Trailhead: The southern Coyote trailhead has been lost to subdivision construction. Access to the southern side the trail system is in limbo, but some riders find their way through the construction zone by pedaling up the gravel Coyote Canyon road.
Canal DT trailhead: Just uphill from the light on highway 32, watch for the canal crossing. Park along the road. Start riding south on the doubletrack just uphill from the canal.

Riding resources:
GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."):
Multi-track GPX area
master file
Lodging, camping, shops:
Links to area resources
Trail pages:
Coyote Loop
Riverview Trail
page
Chop'd Coyote page
Lower Riverview page
Wile E Canyon page
Bathrooms: No public restrooms nearby.
Water: Gas stations in Heber, campgrounds.
Camping:
Hailstone campground at Jordanelle on US-40, about 6 miles away.
Bike services: Slim and Knobby's
bike shop, Heber