Treadstone area trails
"Knoll" area trails (Backspacer, Creed, Given to Fly, Nirvana, Deer Tracks)
The knoll in the Treadstone area sits in the middle of the main Eagle Mountain riding
area. Many other trails connect to
Treadstone, making it a main access route into the heart of Eagle
Mountain. The trail is easier-intermediate in technical requirement. For
connections to Eagle Mountain trails to the east and south, see the Lake
Mountain page.
View north. Initial photos
and ride review by Bruce on July 9, 2016.
Update for Creed and Nirvana December 29, 2017. Update for Given to Fly
and Backspacer April 14, 2018.
The Treadstone trail is 3.8 miles long. Individual section
have their own names, which may
be confusing to you. For example the first section from the parking lot is
called Behind the Boathouse. If you see a trail marker that confuses you,
continue on to the next trail intersection or crossing. Chances are,
you'll see a trail sign there that says Treadstone. If not, get out the
map or your cell phone and figure out where you really are.
Southbound on the Behind the Boathouse section of
Treadstone. The trailhead is just out of sight to the right of the homes.
Treadstone delivers you to the other area trails. As you
head uphill from parking, you'll reach the bottom of Given to Fly, then
the south end of Creed. At the prayer flags, Nirvana heads westbound,
offering connections to the top of Given to Fly and Backspacer. As you
descend Treadstone southbound, Deer Tracks connects down to the Race Loop
staging area, Cow Tracks, and the doubletrack access to Jackrabbit. On the
far south, Treadstone ends at the north end of Deadwood.
Looking north toward Eagle Mountain itself. That's actually the Bingham Canyon copper
mine tailings you can see on the ridgeline.
Treadstone Trail
In 2016 the Treadstone Trail was added to the Eagle Mountain trails in
the Hidden Canyon area. Treadstone is 3.8 miles long with an altitude gain
of 400 feet (from a base of 5000 at the parking area off Pony Express
Parkway).
Treadstone offers both new loop ride options and an
extension or variation of pre-existing loops. The riding season is March
through December, weather permitting. The riding is suitable for
intermediates, but will be satisfying cranking for hammerheads.
The famous Prayer Flags of Eagle Mountain are at the
Treadstone Trail's highest point. On a Saturday morning, you'll find plenty of
local bikers hitting this trail system.
Note January 2018: Sections of Treadstone are signed
with various names (in addition to the main trail name). These include
Billy Idol, Cougar Tracks, Behind the Boathouse).
The tread is narrow hand-cut singletrack, with constant
wiggles, dips, and turns. If you're looking for a fast emergency route back to town,
this is NOT it. This trail goes all over the place, back and forth.
(There's an ATV track that takes one mile to put you in the same spot your
bike will reach after 3.3 miles.) It climbs around, then over, a small
hill west of the parking area, then descends north on the backside of the
hill.
Climbing along the parched south-facing hillside
shortly after leaving Deadwood.
Treadstone lies at the northwest corner of Eagle Mountain's
Race Loop, but isn't actually part of the loop. It's not directly connected to the Mountain Ranch Bike Park trail
system. It's the main access route for multiple trails in the main riding
area. From the Pony Express Pkwy trailhead, it heads up and over a small
mountain, then descends to the Deadwood trail. On the way, it touches
Creed, Given to Fly, Nirvana (which is your route to the top of Given to
Fly and Backspacer), and Deer Tracks.
The trail winds back and forth constantly.
Bruce is eastbound on the southern side of the hill.
Many riders going clockwise on the Race Loop trails will fork onto the
southern portion of Treadstone after they finish Deadwood (instead of
turning onto dirt road). After riding 3/4 mile on Treadstone, fork right
onto Deer Tracks and drop to the trailhead. This singletrack route is only
slightly longer than the 3/4 mile of dirt road on the official race loop.
But it's a lot more fun and scenic.
We've turned around the mountain, looking down at the
parking area for the Race Loop. Plenty of parking, but bring your own
shade and water. Also, a potty if you'll need one.
For riders who are looking for just a few miles, consider
starting at the Race Loop trailhead. Climb Deer Tracks then take Treadstone to its north
end on the Hidden Canyon road. To get back, you'll climb south on the doubletrack for one
mile, gaining 200 vertical. This loop is 3.7 miles with 400 feet of
overall climbing.
Eagle Mountain is a great spot for
winter riding. Here Bruce hits Treadstone just south of Creed on December 29th. This spot is
part of the trail also carries the name "Supersonic."
With the addition of Creed, Nirvana, Given to Fly and Backspacer, many riders will use Treadstone
as their launching spot. Start at the Pony
Express Parkway lot. The first section of Treadstone is called Behind the Boathouse.
Find it by backtracking to the paved trail along the road. Head east 100
feet, then veer to the right. Keep right when Hidden Canyon forks uphill.
The downhill side (assuming you're riding
south-to-north) is fast, with banked turns and some straighter sections.
Creed Trail
Creed is 1.4
miles in length, spanning between the Treadstone trail (after it descends
off the hill northbound) and the Pony Express Parkway. The trail climbs up
and over a hill -- whichever direction you ride it. The climbing is around
250 vertical feet.
Heading away from the Pony Express Parkway on a
north-to-south ride on Creed in late December 2017.
The trail can be done either direction, but it rides much
better from south (from Treadstone) to north (at the Parkway). The
southern end is about 50 vertical feet higher than the northern end, so
there's a bit less climbing to get to the top of the hill. Also, there are
turns and drops on the north face of the hill that are easy to descend but
difficult to climb.
Jumps and drops are of modest size, and all have easy
ride-arounds.
On the southern end, Creed starts by forking away from
Treadstone just before it reaches a doubletrack at a field of winter wheat
in the valley. If you're riding Treadstone, turn left at this unmarked
trail fork. After about 100 yards westbound, the trail will turn north,
cross the valley, then begin climbing the small hill.
There are open views of the mountains as the trail
twists back and forth. That's Timpanogos straight ahead of my bike.
To start from the northern end, park in the open area along
the road east of Hidden Valley Elementary School. Take the sidewalk, then
paved path, west along the Pony Express Parkway until you spot the trail
on the hill to your left. In 2017, you'll need to rattle through some
cobble decoration to reach the trail above it, because there's no formal
trail connection here. Your second chance is a direct uphill connector at
the (temporary) end of the paved path.
A bermed turn hugs the slope above the subdivision
and elementary school to the northeast.
Turns are bermed for speed, and there are plenty of spots to
launch. But the trail is OK for an early intermediate rider.
Cresting the top of the hill, with the Oquirrh
Mountains to the west behind me.
Creed Trail and the northern
end of Treadstone...
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Nirvana Trail
Nirvana starts from the highest point of the Treadstone trail and
descends to the Pony Express Parkway over 2.2 miles. The elevation loss
will be 320 feet (starting from 5300 altitude). Nirvana is also your route
to Given to Fly and Backspacer. Although thought of as a descent, Nirvana
is also a good climbing route.
The trail starts at the "prayer flag pole." In December 2017,
the connection isn't obvious. If you don't see a trail fork, just walk
your bike over to the opposite side of the flags and find the trail
heading south.
Little Rocky rests against the flagpole at the top of
Nirvana. (The Treadstone trail is just out of sight 10 feet behind my
bike.)
Once you drop off the top of the hill and cross a jeep road,
the trail becomes almost pure dirt. It rode pretty smooth for a brand-new
trail. As it heads west, then north, the trail stays in the wild stuff
above the dry-farm in the valley. I didn't find anything scary or tricky.
Nirvana is a swoop and whoop type of trail.
Dirt ribbon descends through old burned trees. The
homogenous-looking area in the valley is the dry farm.
There will be a little bit of climbing when the trail turns
into a little valley. You'll turn to the south and climb about 80 vertical
feet to a higher level on the hill before resuming the northward journey. As you reach Pony Express Parkway, turn right and pedal the dirt ATV
path along the road until you reach the paved bike path.
Climbing
Nirvana. At the trail fork on the ridge, we'll head left toward the prayer
flags.
Given to Fly
Given to Fly is
two-directional, but you'll like it more as a downhill. As a climber, it's
mellow and easy at first, then reaches a plunge (which you're trying to
pedal UP) with a couple of rock
drops that will probably have you pushing your bike. The trail is 1.4
miles with 350 vertical feet of altitude change. The steep spots make
Given to Fly an upper-intermediate trail, although most of the trail is
quite easy.
The bottom half of Given to Fly is very smooth and
easy to ride, with minimal grade. If you're riding it uphill, things will
get substantially more difficult on the second half.
As an uphill:
The north (bottom) end of Given to Fly forks away from
Treadstone as you complete the Behind the Boathouse section and cross the
meadow. Keep straight here as Treadstone forks left uphill in the
Supersonic section, then cross over the Creed connector heading southwest.
Climbing
Given to Fly, with a few homes of Eagle Mountain visible behind me.
As a downhill:
You can reach the top of Given to Fly via Nirvana. As you
approach the prayer flags at the top of Treadstone southbound, veer right
(west). After 0.2 miles, keep left as Nirvana forks up and over the ridge
northbound.
At mile 0.5 from the prayer flags, fork to the right uphill and over
the ridge northbound to stay on Given to Fly. (Downhill and left is
Backspacer.)
Westbound while riding Given to Fly downhill. In 0.2
miles from the trail's origin on the ridgeline, keep right to cross over
to the north side of the mountain.
Backspacer
Backspacer is primarily done as a
downhill. But it rides well in either direction. It extends from Given to Fly (around 1/4 mile from the trail's
origin) down to the bottom of Deadwood. It crosses Treadstone on the way
downhill.
Dropping into the first turn on the downhill as
Backspacer begins. The trail fork is at the left edge of the photo.
Right-hand fork over the ridge if Given to Fly. Downhill and left is
Backspacer.
Backspacer is only 0.7 miles long. The vertical drop is
around 200 feet. The trail isn't particularly technical. This is an easy
descent. There is one dip through the wash that beginning riders will want
to walk. Near the bottom of Backspacer is a trail fork for Cropduster,
a popular option.
Rolling into a turn shortly after crossing Treadstone
on the way down.
At the end of Backspacer, you can head south on
Deadwood, north and uphill on Treadstone, or east on the race doubletrack.
As
a climbing route, Backspacer has slow and steady altitude gain, without
any particular challenges. It's a great alternative route if you're at the
north end of Deadwood and want to take the fastest route up to the prayer
flags.
Handlebar
view as I drop through the wash near the end of Backspacer.
Deer Tracks Trail
Treadstone can be reached quickly from the Race
Loop's trailhead via
Deer Tracks. The Deer Tracks trail forks westbound away from the dirt road
just where you enter the parking area. It climbs gently 0.2 miles to
intercept Treadstone at mile 0.75 from Deadwood. Like Treadstone, it's
narrow singletrack.
Just uphill from the trailhead, we're heading
southwest.
Deer Tracks is also a quick connection to the Mountain
Ranch trail system's Cow Tracks trail. From Cow Tracks, veer a bit
rightish then hold straight as you cross the branching doubletracks at the
top of the race parking zone. As you reach the westmost doubletrack,
heading southsouthwest, watch for the singletrack forking uphill on your
right.
From Treadstone, descend Deer Tracks then cross the open area veering
slightly left toward an ATV track. Just uphill on the ATV track, Cow
Tracks is on your left.
Almost to the connection spot, heading west, with
miles of Great Basin in view.
Sampler of Eagle Mountain Trails...
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Riding notes, Treadstone Loop from Pony
Express:
0.0 Intersection Pony Express Pkwy and Hidden Valley Pkwy
East on paved trail (south side
of Pony Express)
100 feet, singletrack uphill on
the right
N40 21.344 W111 59.483
0.7 Cross DT N40 21.069 W111 59.065
100 feet, then fork R (to Cow
Tracks)
N40 21.049 W111 59.032
50 feet, cross DT N40 21.038 W111 59.036
1.0 Keep R for Cow Tracks (L = Ridgeline ST)
N40 20.943 W111 58.911
1.6 R on DT N40 20.597 W111 58.592
100 ft across to far west side
(1.6 continued)
R uphill on ST (Deer Tracks)
N40 20.563 W111 58.613
1.8 R on Treadstone
N40 20.486 W111 58.730
4.0 Trail turns N (future ST fork?)
4.2 ST joins dirt road N40 21.001 W111 59.320
4.3 Keep L and join main dirt road
N40 21.053 W111 59.329
4.5 Straight down pavement
4.7 Back at Pony Express
Getting there:
Take the I-15 Lehi Main Street exit and turn west. Continue west on SR-73,
crossing Redwood Road (11600 West). Continue westbound uphill. Just after
climbing the hill, turn left at the stop light onto The Ranches Parkway.
At Pony Express Parkway, turn right. The road will veer a bit south
(left), then back west (right) as you get one mile from Ranches Parkway.
After you pass a large hill on your left, just before Hidden Hollow
Elementary, take the next left. (Note: as of 2020,
there is no longer primitive parking near the elementary school and
construction may block access. See below. You may need to get creative to
find a roadside spot.)
Behind the Boathouse (Treadstone) and Hidden Canyon trails: The paved trail eastbound directly along Pony
Express will take you to singletrack. Keep right for Treadstone, left
uphill for Hidden Canyon.
Creed: Cross the road and go to the sidewalk along the parkway
heading west. In 0.25 miles, spot the trail on the hillside to your left
and cross the decorative patch of chunk rock to get there.
Race Loop trailhead: After turning off Pony Express Parkway, go uphill to the end of the pavement and
it will become Hidden Canyon road. Stay southbound on the dirt road. Keep generally left and heading southeast at all road
forks, staying just below the slope of the hill on your left. When you
reach the broad valley and see a bunch of competing road forks at mile 1.3
from Pony Express Parkway, you're
there. (Note 2020: ongoing construction may often
make it impossible to get through to the Race Loop trailhead.)
Mountain Ranch trailhead: You can also pedal to the trail from the Mountain
Ranch bike park. Instead of turning onto Pony Express, stay Ranches
Parkway as it narrows and begins to wind
around. When you come to a T intersection at the end of The Ranches
Parkway, turn right on Golden Eagle Road. Drive about 1/3 mile and watch
for the trail kiosk on your left. Park by the trail kiosk and begin your
ride by climbing up the trail heading south.
Bathrooms: None at Hidden Canyon.
Porta-Potty at the Mountain Ranch
Bike Park.
Water: None.
Camping: No developed or designated campgrounds. Flat spots can be
found in the trailhead race-staging area.
Bike services: UtahMountainBiking store in Lehi.
Copyright 2016 UtahMountainBiking.com
Latest update April 2018
