Wasatch Dirt Thread

[Benneke10]

Peter Donner is a beast for clearning the switchbacks NW of Big Mtn Pass, those are brutal. He's also insane for riding that loop so much.

[dfinn]

If that was it that was a hell of a way to go out.





Assegais are excellent in all conditions, including snow.

[g_man80]

[Boissal]

If that was it that was a hell of a way to go out.

Indeed, high elevation season is ending with a bang, although when I rode Crest Friday afternoon the issue wasn't snow as much as temps high enough that I sweating my ass off on the up, barely needed to pull the long sleeves on the exit at 5PM.

I maxed out my trail karma for next season by rescuing 3 people in 1 week. Fixed a lady's brakes last weekend on MidMtn, her front lever was pulling to the handlebar with 0 braking, just had to adjust free stroke and she was on her way. Yesterday I ran into 2 youths walking their bikes just below Deso Lake, both with rear flats. Had a pump for 1st guy who hadn't actually flatted and a tube for the other. Nice to be able to save someone from hiking 5 miles to the road. They wanted to Venmo me $$, I asked for a beer to be left by my car if they had extras.

Dog & Deso lakes looking ready for winter:

[mar123]

yeah, what a great fall day! PC dirt was amazeballs.

[SJG]

14" by my estimation, at 10am. Alta, below Alf's.

[Benneke10]

Antelope Island in great shape right now. Recent precip consolidated the sand, no bugs

[Boissal]

Antelope Island in great shape right now. Recent precip consolidated the sand, no bugs

Noice, gotta take my annual trip up there and get bounced around along the NW shore then scared by fake cows.

Shoreline was running well today, late start meant cold mud but nothing overly heinous. Riding into City Creek with tonight's crazy sunset was all time, I wanted to stop and take a picture but the feeling was just too good to interrupt for the 'gram.
Looks like Tue could be perfect after a full day in the sun. There's a new section of trail going in after the old Bobsled entrance to bypass the dirt road section, nice to see some efforts to coral the 2-wheel crowd away from terrified hikers.

[Benneke10]

Gosh, that NW shore section is awful, probably won't be riding that one again. Did a full loop around the island today and the bison are everywhere. I left my bike and climbed up on some rocks to eat lunch with no bison in sight and when I returned one had claimed by bike. After a long staring contest the bison wandered off.

Thanks for the BST beta, will try to get out there this week

[Boissal]

Gosh, that NW shore section is awful, probably won't be riding that one again. Did a full loop around the island today and the bison are everywhere. I left my bike and climbed up on some rocks to eat lunch with no bison in sight and when I returned one had claimed by bike. After a long staring contest the bison wandered off.

Thanks for the BST beta, will try to get out there this week

That Lakeside section is really savage, I don't think I have any hope of clearing it without learning some serious trials skills first. I collected more bottom-bracket strikes in a mile than in the past 3 seasons of riding when I tried it last year. It was insanely beautiful at sunset though with nobody on the trail, I was happy to push the bike for a while and look up instead of having my nose on the front wheel.
Re: bisons, definitely an interesting objective hazard of riding out there. A nice change of pace from the Park City wildlife, slower than the moose but with pointier bits. Definitely less threatening than the apex predator up there, the dreaded sage grouse.

[mall walker]

shoreline was indeed sublime today from the zoo to sandhurst, tomorrow should be even better. few muddy sections and a tiny bit of snow west of city creek, perfect weather, not even all that crowded.

[dfinn]

^ double yup. Super pleasant this evening and no one was out.

[snowaddict91]

Hmm, I think I'm gonna bring my bike when I come to town weds. Skiing can wait.

[mall walker]

Hmm, I think I'm gonna bring my bike when I come to town weds. Skiing can wait.

I think that’s the call. I mean there are things that “go” on snow but they all look bony and contrived to me anyway.

[Boissal]

I think that’s the call. I mean there are things that “go” on snow but they all look bony and contrived to me anyway.

This. You could go shark fishing in a crowded pond or you could ride valley trails in better conditions than they've been since the spring. Winter lasts until May. Fall is damn near over.

[dfinn]

65 degrees at night in mid Nov, might as well crush some brauts and pump track laps

[mall walker]

foothill season is prime, didn't even find any mud today, awesome temps, empty...

[snowaddict91]

Not quite the Wasatch, but had a good ride in Green River today.





Maybe I'll squeeze in a bobsled Friday after work.

[Boissal]

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit this ^^^ looks good. Always wondered when stuff would start popping up around Green River.

[Phall]

Same, that trail network has always intrigued me


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[snowaddict91]

Mostly mellow and sandy with some techy sections and slick rock mixed in. Definitely worth a stop to stretch the legs!

[dfinn]

There's a whole buttload of singletrack just north of Green River around Woodside as well. Well known moto network but I bet some of it would be fun to pedal, not sure if it's on TF or not. Some techy, rocky stuff (west side of 6) and some swoopy ridges (east side of 6).

doesn't look like it's on TF but should be really easy to find on google maps

[Boissal]

Did a loop around Antelope Island yesterday, unfortunately the sun didn't come out until the last hour and it was a cold one. Made the riding on the W side a bit of a bummer, 6 miles of dirt roads with a few sandy or gravely sections and some really steep kicks.
Tortured rock formations and deep gravel:



Scenic:



The shaggy cows were out en force, as uninteresting in bikers as ever. Which is a good thing considering their size:

[zion zig zag]

^^^I heard it was crowded? It’s pretty out there but every time I go I remind myself why it’s only every couple of years.


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[Boissal]

^^^I heard it was crowded? It’s pretty out there but every time I go I remind myself why it’s only every couple of years.


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There were more cars with bike racks at the TH than I've ever seen but it was quiet on the ride, we passed 3 people right at the start, saw another rider on the long singletrack heading south, and a total or 4 or 5 on the W side. Lots of people parked at the bay and pulled over to watch the bisons but once you're more than 10 minutes from the TH it's the usual desert.

Agree on your assessment, it's a fun ride to do once in a (great) while. If the weather is sunny and cold it's a perfect scenic cruise and the W shore feels really out there. The wildlife sighting is cool, we had a close encounter with a few fluffy coyotes and the bisons are obviously the main attraction, but the riding itself is very unremarkable, long flats to brutal dirt road sections with the equivalent of 35 miles of tech packed in the last 1 mile section.