Seldom Seen DH trail

Seldom Seen is a one-way DH flow trail at Park City, new in 2023. The trail begins on Spiro and descends to First Time Return over a downhill of 1.8 miles, with a descent of 600 vertical feet. The ride is intermediate in technical requirement but can be managed by any experienced rider.

Note that, as of 2024, lower Spiro (below the Seldom Seen trail fork) is one-way UPHILL ONLY for bikes. If you are descending Spiro, you MUST exit onto Seldom Seen.)

There is no shuttle option for Seldom Seen. The minimum ride would be 7.5 miles, riding a loop of Silver Spur, Armstrong, Ham, and a short section of Spiro. This ride reaches a top elevation of 7900 feet, from a base of 6900 at Park City Mountain Resort. Overall climbing on this ride is a bit over 1100.

The descending part of the loop ride is partly on Ham and Spiro before reaching Seldom Seen. And at the end of Seldom Seen, the ride continues on First Time Return for the final half mile.

Loop via Silver Spur, Armstrong, and Ham:
From Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) parking, head uphill toward the lift to Jenni's trail. Turn to the right on Silver Spur. Pedal north across the hillside to mile 0.7, where you turn DOWNHILL to the right on Spiro. In 50 yards, veer left onto Armstrong and begin your climb.

Pass Dawn's Trail at mile 2.8, then turn away to the left from Armstrong onto Ham at mile 4.4 from PCMR. Descend on Ham then climb back uphill a bit. At mile 5.2, keep left as you reach Spiro.

Spiro will have a bit of up-and-down before it reaches the entry to Seldom Seen 0.4 miles later. You're now at mile 5.6 from PCMR parking.

Other climbing options:

Spiro: You can go directly up Spiro to Seldom Seen. This is a steeper, more technical climb than Armstrong.
Mother Urban: Climb to Midmountain, then turn right and pedal to the top of Spiro. Descend to Seldom Seen.
Jenni's: From PCMR, climb Jenni's all the way to Midmountain. Head north (right turn) to the top of Spiro.

As you descend on Spiro, Seldom Seen will be to the right, angling a little bit uphill. Climb gently for 100 yards to begin the downhill.

Seldom Seen is a bench-cut, highly-engineered trail. Turns are highly banked, and many of the steeper turns have a base of erosion-control webbing. The trail is constantly moving -- either up and down, or twisting back and forth.

Most of the ride will be in maple and aspen forest. But the trail crosses a few ski slopes, so it will break out into meadows and run straight when it hits ski trails.

There will be some bumps that can launch you, but there are no obligatory stunts. An early-intermediate can navigate this trail without fear of injury.

At mile 0.4 of Seldom Seen, the downhill route will cross Eagle, which is a trail that climbs between Spiro and CMG. There will be a seond trail crossing around mile 0.6. Just keep straight through these areas.

At mile 1.1, Seldom Seen will cross Jenni's trail. Jenni's is a popular climbing-only trail. Slow down when you see the signs. While riders will be coming from your left on the one-way climb, hikers may be going either direction. So slow down and look both ways as you approach!

Seldom Seen will cross Jenni's again after another 0.6 miles, at mile 1.7 from the origin on Spiro. This crossing is a bit more open, so you'll be able to see riders and hikers as you approach.

At mile 1.8, Seldom Seen joins First Time Return. This trail intersection includes Jenni's, and it's pretty complex. Don't stop to figure it out. Just keep your bike moving straight ahead and you'll roll into the first turn of First Time Return.

You'll be back at the bottom of Silver Spur at mile 7.5, in case you're good for another go. Two laps is 15 miles and 2100 vertical.

Bottom Line!

This is a very fun, well-built DH flow trail. It offers a great alternative to descending lower Spiro, but can be considered a destination trail in itself.

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. Look toward the hill and pedal toward the first ski lift, to the right of the buildings. Find Jenni's trail heading uphill, then turn to the right on Silver Spur for the loop ride described above.