ATV Adventures: Young Powersports presents the ‘Ride Utah Challenge’
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- Riding the Curtis Creek Trail to Randolph, one of five rides in the “Ride Utah Challenge.”
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- On the Skyline Trail from the Bountiful “B” to Smith Creek Lakes, another of the “Ride Utah Challenge” rides.
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- Lynn Blamires
Earlier this year, Nick Faulkner of Young Powersports asked me to come up with five trails in the upper half of the state that he could offer as a way to help people know where to ride.
I gave him a list of five trails that included detailed instructions to the staging areas, the trails and the GPS tracks for each one. The result is a booklet with the title “Ride Utah Challenge.”
The purpose of the task is to ride these five trails and show evidence that you did. They call it a “Trails Passport.” When you have ridden every trail, bring the book into any Young Powersports location to confirm completion and redeem your free Young Powersports swag pack.
These are the five trails in this year’s challenge and each one includes instructions on how to reach the trailhead:
Curtis Creek to Randolph
The trail goes north through some beautiful stands of pine and aspen. There are also some overlooks that are worth stopping for a break.
Take the trail marked Lamb Spring Canyon for some extra fun and great scenery. This trail comes back to the main road at Roundup Spring. You will want to turn right, but that trail will not go to Randolph. Turn left and then take the first right.
This will take you to a four-way junction. The sign will direct you to Randolph, where you will come into town on the Old Canyon Road.
Turn south on Main Street. Just past the city park on the left is Crawford’s Trough. This burger joint is worth stopping at for lunch.
Bountiful ‘B’ or Farmington Canyon to Smith Creek Lakes
If you haven’t taken this trail before, you will be amazed that there is such a beautiful trail so close by. You can ride up Farmington Canyon or you can stage from the Bountiful “B.” From the Bountiful side, you will see some amazing views as you travel around the west side of the mountain.
Although you start from different staging points, both trails will take you past the Bountiful Peak Campground and across Farmington Flats on a beautiful trail through the trees.
The Farmington Flats Trail comes out onto the road to the radar towers where you will turn right and ride to the top. The view there is spectacular. You can see down into Morgan Valley on the east side, and the shores of the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island on the west.
The trail goes north to the three Smith Creek Lakes. The last one is a great swimming hole in August.
Mantua to Inspiration Point
Take the Willard Peak Road south out of Mantua; you can stage at Dock Flats. There is a junction near the top with a sign that has information about the work done in the 1930s by the CCC. Take the road south from the sign and follow it until it dead-ends at Inspiration Point. The view from there is worth the trip, especially at night.
Five Mile Pass to the Scranton Ghost Town
Ride south from Five Mile Pass. You are looking for the mouth of Barlow Canyon. This is a fun trail that winds through the narrow gorge. Take the first right turn up the canyon. This will take you up to a mine access called an adit. It is a horizontal tunnel that goes into a mine. Rebar prevents access, but you can see for some distance into the mine.
Come back off this spur and go further up to the ghost town of Scranton. A steep trail on the left will take you up to a large mine shaft covered with rebar. A fun trail behind the shaft goes further up the mountain.
Coalville to Whitney Reservoir and Moffit Pass
The trailhead is 20 miles east of Coalville on the Chalk Creek Road near the gas plant. There is a stone marker at the corner marking the square of land that Wyoming takes out of Utah.
The trail will take you to Whitney Reservoir through some great water crossings. From the reservoir, you can go west on a trail that will take you over Moffit Pass. The view from there is looking down into the Weber River Valley. From the top, it drops back down to the reservoir.
These are five trails that will round out your summer fun. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and pick up the “Ride Utah Challenge” at Young Powersports.
Contact Lynn R. Blamires at quadmanone@gmail.com.