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Basics
- Length:
- 14 mile roundtrip
- Difficulty:
- Advanced
- Time To Allow:
- 2 hours
- Elevation Change:
- 1500 feet
Description
The Little Cottonwood Creek Trail is a lower-altitude alpine ride that starts right at the mouth of Salt Lake City's Little Cottonwood Canyon. The trail is a fairly wide single-track with some rocky sections. It's usually open by mid-April and can be ridden until November. (Patches of snow may be encountered in early or late season.) Out-and-back, the trail covers 7 miles. Elevation gain is 1300 feet. It's a quick ride, but will test your thighs if you're not in shape.Tour Companies
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Length:
14 mile roundtrip
Difficulty:
Advanced
Time To Allow:
2 hours
Elevation Change:
1500
Additional Details:
The first portion of the trail is smooth hard-pack dirt with a gentle slope. After a mile, the slope increases. Rocky sections will test your bike handling skills. ("Endos" are common on this trail during the ride back.) Most of the year, you''ll encounter some water running in sections of the trail. We''d rate this trail a solid intermediate with some intermediate-plus portions.Information provided by utahmountainbiking.com.
Much of the trail is shaded by the woods, with spruce, maple, oak, choke cherry, and box elder. The trail follows Little Cottonwood Creek up the canyon.
After three and a half miles (and 1300 feet vertical), the trail ends across the creek from an old ruin. Along the creek, you''ll see many reminders of the day when nature was to be conquered, controlled, exploited, or destroyed.
Even on weekdays, the trail sees fairly heavy use. But the trail is wide and passing is usually easy.
Note: Dogs are NOT allowed in the Cottonwood Canyons. If you want to ride with Fido, go to Mill Creek Canyon (a few miles north), Bonneville Shoreline (one mile south), or the Corner Canyon South Mountain Loop (five miles south).
Basic Directions
From the south, take the 90th South I-15 exit, which turns into 94th South. Continue east to the mouth of Little Cottonwood. Just before the stop sign (where you turn right onto the road up the canyon), you'll see a paved turnoff to your right taking you to the Temple Quarry Trail parking area. Park, and head up the canyon on the dirt trail that parallels the paved Temple Quarry Trail at the end of the parking lot. From the north, take Foothill Blvd. When you see the illuminated road condition sign at the mouth of Little Cottonwood, turn left then immediately left again into the Temple Quarry parking. The trailhead GPS is N 40° 34.310' W 111° 46.441'.
