The Snow Gauging trail is 1.3 miles long, with 600 feet of elevation change. It connects the Horse Flat trail (0.5 miles above the Alpine Loop summit parking) to the Salamander Flat trail near the Alpine Loop road crossing. The trail is intermediate in skill requirement and can be ridden either direction. At this time bikers are almost exclusively doing the Snow Gauging trail as a downhill.

So the track tends to be narrow (about 12 inches). Many years I've had to hop over logs lying on the trail. There are occasional roots. So while I wouldn't call it an expert-level ride, it requires good bike-handling skills to keep your handlebars clear of the aspens and your pedals free of the vegetation at trailside.

The Snow Gauging trail starts 1/2 mile uphill from the Alpine Loop summit trailhead on the Horse Flat trail . From the parking circle, find the trail on the western side. As you go through the log fence, the trail immediately splits into the Willow Hollow trail (straight ahead and angling downhill) and Horse Flat (a left turn uphill).

Watch carefully for a trail fork here at mile 1.1 of the Snow Gauging trail -- unmarked in 2018. The right fork is the official trail. (The left fork will still get you there. It circles around and joins the Salamander Flat trail just south of the Alpine Loop road crossing. This option is used by riders who are heading toward the Timpooneke trailhead. See the map.)

To complete the small loop through Salamander Flat, turn right and begin a short climb.

As you begin a downslope on the ridge above Salamander Flat, 0.4 miles from where you joined Salamander Flat, fork right downhill on the Willow Hollow trail. It will drop you to the Salamander Flat parking area about 200 feet downhill. Cross the parking area to the continuing singletrack.

Although I've described this loop starting at the Alpine Loop summit, consider beginning at Salamander Flat. The Salamander Flat trailhead is an excellent spot to begin your loop -- beginning with the Willow Hollow climb -- because it's usually less crowded than the other trailheads. This option also puts the main climb right at the beginning of the ride.

Salamander Flat campground trailhead.  From I-15, take the Alpine-Highland exit and drive 7 miles to the mouth of American Fork Canyon. Pay your $6 fee (as of 2018) there. Five miles later at the fork in the road, go along the south fork of the river. About 4 miles up, there's a T intersection in the road. Turn left. Drive uphill past two trail crossings (Salamander Flat trail and Snow Gauging trail). 0.9 miles from the stop sign at the T, turn left on a gravel road and drive 100 yards to the parking area.
Alpine Loop summit trailhead.  From the T intersection above, continue all the way uphill to the top of the Alpine Loop. There's a parking lot on your right just before the top of the ridge. From parking, find the trail on the west side of the loop (the side that overlooks AF Canyon). Go about 10 feet down this trail, then keep straight and to the right at any sucker forks in the first 100 yards.

Bathrooms:  Summit and Salamander Flat trailheads.