Wasatch Crest Trail
A high-alpine ridge ride that starts near 9,800 feet, with views over both the Wasatch Front and Park City.
Trail beta
The ridge itself is open to bikes every day. The date changes your finish and your shuttle. Upper Mill Creek Canyon is open to bikes only on even-numbered calendar days (Forest Service rule), so the Salt Lake finish down Big Water works on even days only. The Pipeline trails are open any day. Shuttle schedules follow the same calendar: Salt Lake-side shuttles run on even days and Park City-side shuttles on odd days, so confirm the current schedule with the operator when you book. Shuttles drop at the top of Guardsman Pass, which is drop-off only with no roadside parking, and they do not take e-bikes. Finishes: Mill Creek (even days), Mill D and Big Cottonwood via Desolation Lake, or back to Park City: past the Spine, near the north end of the ridge, turn right on the Crest Connector, a singletrack that drops through forest to Mid-Mountain just north of Red Pine Lodge at The Canyons. Ride Mid-Mountain south toward town, a long traverse, then descend upper Spiro to Seldom Seen, a downhill-only bike trail that ends near Park City Mountain. Crescent Mine Grade is another way down. Lower Spiro and Armstrong are uphill-only for bikes, so confirm current trail directions before you ride. If you finish in Salt Lake, plan how you get back: most riders stay in Salt Lake or drive down, shuttle up, and ride to their car. The Park City bus leaves no car waiting at the bottom. Puke Hill is about 350 vertical feet in half a mile. The Spine, a rock fin above Desolation Lake, is the hardest section. The advanced sections on this ride are short and walkable.
When to go
High-alpine trail on Forest Service land with the start near 9,800 ft. It usually opens between late June and mid-July depending on snowpack, and rides through September, sometimes into early October before fall storms. Upper Mill Creek Canyon is open to bikes on even-numbered days only, which affects the Salt Lake finish.
Shuttle
Most riders take a shuttle to the top of Guardsman Pass: from Salt Lake on even calendar days, from Park City on odd days. You can also pedal the Guardsman road up, or ride the free Park City bus to the Bonanza Flat lot and pedal the last couple of miles.