Need a bike? Need to get some of that old equipment out of your garage? This is the perfect opportunity and proceeds help fund the Park City High School Mountain Bike Team.
Bike Swap – April 27-28, 2024
Flying Dog Trail
Ohhhh, nowww you see it, right? A…flying…dog.
Flying Dog, or F-Dog for short, was completed in 2008 and sits on designated open space within Basin Recreation’s service area. According to Senta Beyer, Basin Rec’s Trails Project Manager at the time, “Flying Dog was another fine example of a public/private partnership, with the developer providing public trail access as part of the development process, in pursuit of the Trails Master Plan.” Basin Rec’s first district leader, Bonnie Park, remembers, “In the unique case of The Preserve, the trails were laid out before the lots were platted and and the developer also funded the construction.” At that time in Park City’s trail development, this trails-first approach was a rarity.
Considering the Glenwild trails, 24-7 and Cobblestone trails, “Flying Dog was kind of the last stretch of trail completing that long epic loop,” says Bob Radke, long-time professional trail builder who was, at the time, Basin Recreation’s Trails Maintenance Supervisor.
And, on the trail building crew, Heinrich Deters, now Park City’s Trails and Open Space Department manager reflects, “The presence of wildlife, particularly the large elk herd, was a highlight of those days, and I’m delighted to hear they still inhabit the area today.”
It would seem that Flying Dog’s creation exemplifies the highest of leadership objectives: balancing the rights of developers, directives of government, professional trail design, public access and Mother Nature. Kudos to those who played a part!
In 2008, the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) Summit, was held in Park City. Still a favorite to this day, one of the IMBA Epic Rides was the Flying Dog loop consisting of:
- Bad Apple – 0.5 miles
- Fink Again – 1 mile
- 24-7 – 1.5 miles
- Stealth – 0.5 miles
- Glenwild – 2.2 miles
- Cobblestone – 1.7 miles
- Flying Dog – 6 miles
- 24-7 – 1.5 miles
- Crazy 8 – 0.8 miles
- Bad Apple – 0.5 miles
There is no preferred direction on this trail, however, due to its popularity, we do recommend riding this loop as early as possible and on weekdays rather than weekends. As this route is long, remote, exposed, and can get hot even in the spring and fall, it is not recommended as an outing for even the most experienced canine buddies.
With over 1500′ of vertical gain, a handful of steep pitches, several exposed, rocky sections, and a few loose switchbacks, this upper-level intermediate/expert ride has a well-earned grunt-factor of 7 out of 10.That said, it’s worth the effort. After all, it wasn’t named an IMBA Epic Ride for no reason!
For more information go to MTF’s website: https://mountaintrails.org/
April Trail Report – In Like a Lamb Out Like a Lion
By mid-March, our team was ready to wind down winter grooming operations in Round Valley. After a few weeks of sunshine and near 60-degree temps, spring was in the air, mud-season had arrived, and the gravel and asphalt trails were edging out the snow-covered trails. If you’ve lived here long enough, you know that springtime in the Wasatch is never a sure thing. Ol’ Man Winter returned with multiple storms and several spring powder days to close out March.
When a weather window opened last Wednesday, ‘Roy (the City’s grooming cat) took an Uber XXL up to Bonanza Flat where at 8,500 feet, the vault toilets are buried up to the rooflines and the snowmobiles are still buzzing like mosquitos. We spent the day re-establishing the double-track connector and Nordic track, buried under nearly three months of winter since we exited the premises in early January.
The journey began at Empire Pass where the old “Church of Dirt” is now the synagogue of snow. As we tenuously traversed the steep, south-facing hillside above the Guard Road, more often than not, the location of said double-track was purely a guess, as our 10-foot-tall markers were either buried, broken or folded over by the wrath of a big Wasatch winter. My trusty co-pilot, Alec, kept an eye open for markers or any recognizable terrain features that would keep us on the righteous path, or any path for that matter.
Repeatedly moving forward and then backwards, we put ‘Roy’s blade to work, carving out a bench to keep us upright and on semi-level ground. In some of the steeper areas there was a little pucker factor, as the underlying sun-cooked snowpack was rotten and would sometimes settle beneath our tracks. In between the sun and flat light, we were able to catch brief glimpses of the two remaining markers and shadow on the hillside ahead, insinuating something well below the surface.
After nearly three hours of a somewhat arduous journey, we made the final ascent down to the “Y” at the Pine Canyon Road crossing and navigated around one last obstacle- a beat-up old Subaru wagon parked squarely in our path. We both breathed a sigh of relief that the hardest part was behind us. All that was left now was to track-pack and re-establish the remaining 10 kilometers of trail, leveling numerous drifts along the way. Piece of ice cream cake!
Park City Trail Series 2024 Dates
The 2024 Trail Series events have been announced!
Full Series
June – August, 2024
5K
June 1, 2024
10K
July 13, 2024
Half Marathon
August 3, 2024
Park City Trail Series is a 3-race series that runs from June – August. It starts with a 5K and works up to a half marathon. The courses are forgiving enough for new trail runners but bring the excitement that seasoned trail runners love. You can mix and match which races you would like to sign up for or get all three at an amazing price! Plus, you can 10% per person by signing up 4 or more people for the series. So, get your family, friends, neighbors, or whoever you need to recruit, and get signed up today!
2025 Regional Trails Mixer
May 5, 2025 from 5-8pm
Do you wonder as you wander? About the world of trails, who does what and how? Well, wonder no more; come out and meet the heroes of the trails and open spaces you love at the 3rd annual Regional Trails Mixer.
From the Park City Fire Department (PCFD) to the Wasatch Trails Foundation (WTF), all the acronyms you love will be there to share their missions, history, and plans for the future. Last year, we hosted 20 local organizations and 250 guests at the Legacy Lodge. Friendly faces, “free” food, and a cash bar (don’t forget your ID) create the perfect environment to learn and connect.
Plan to bring your friends and family; the more, the merrier. Join us in thanking Vail’s EpicPromise Foundation for providing the site free of charge. Although free, we hope that each attendee will consider making a $5 donation to cover food costs.
28th Annual Leadership 101
Join us for Leadership 101 — Charting our Community’s Future! Whether you’ve been here in Park City for a day or a lifetime…if you have an interest in the greater Park City community, this program is for you. Hear from some of the people making the decisions in our community and learn more about current issues. MTF presenting at 3:30.
The $50 registration fee includes breakfast and lunch. Register and pay with PayPal online or contact Paige Galvin via email, or by calling 435-615-5186.
Ticket purchase deadline is February 8.
