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/
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