The Corner Canyon Trails have been on my radar for a while now. I didn't really know what to expect, but I heard good things about the trail system. I am one for doing a lot of research before going any place new. For one thing, I don't want to get lost. I study the trails before I go, so even if I somehow get separated from the maps I always print off, I at least have some idea of how to get myself back to the truck. And second, I want to makes sure I ride the best trails in the area. When we went to Moab back in 2012, I felt like we were not prepared and maybe I spent too much time on the mediocre trails instead of finding the gnarly rocky trails I was there to ride.
I made it over to Corner Canyon on a Wednesday, getting there in the middle of the day. It was a toasty day, very warm with only a few puffy clouds floating in the sky. The main trailhead is at the Draper Equestrian Center, also called Andy Ballard Arena. It is a massive horse park that also hosts other outdoor events like softball and soccer games. The Equestrian Center shares property with the new Draper Cycle Park. The Cycle Park is only partially finished. Currently, it features four pump tracks, several skills lines through rocky terrain, three flow trails, three dirt jump lines and a cyclocross course that includes a staircase and a flyover. There are plans to also build a velodrome to host cycling and inline skating events. The park wants to host international events at the velodrome, maybe even a World Cup one day. There are also plans for a 1.5 km paved criterium course to loop through the park that will likely double as a greenway when races are not being held.
I played in the Cycle Park for over an hour before I turned up the canyon for some trail action. I spent most of my time on the dirt jumps. The Advanced line was really fun. I could clear most of the jumps even on my squishy Remedy. The ones I didn't make were built so that you could case it without getting catapulted off your bike. The pump tracks were fun, but the big Remedy soaks up too much to really get up a lot of speed. The flow trails were really eroded. It did not look like there had been much maintenance performed here since the park opened last year. I found a few fun features on the flow trails, but the dirt jumps were the attraction for me today.
After some solo filming in the Cycle Park, I crossed the street and headed up into the canyon. It's a gradual climb from the trailhead through several neighborhoods. You cruise next to creeks and drainage ditches most of the way before you finally get on the backside of Draper to the main part of the canyon. I had heard a lot about the Rush Flow trail, so that was my first target. I found the Canyon Hollow trail, which took me to the top of Rush Flow. I met a guy on the way up and we struck up quite the conversation as we climbed. He was new to the sport, only getting a bike a few weeks ago. He too was searching for Rush Flow. We had a good time riding and chatting. He was the first person I have ever ridden with in what has now been four trips to Utah. He had to take a break before we finished the 5.2-mile climb to Rush Flow, so we did not descend together. Actually, I went farther up the mountain before I tried Rush Flow.
There was an advanced downhill trail called Jacob's Ladder another half-mile ahead. I figured I was already up this far so why not go hit the black-diamond downhill trail now. It was a BRUTAL half-mile of climbing. I was hurting by the time I got to the top. But I was rewarded with nice views of American Fork Canyon, Utah Lake and the Utah Valley, where the cities of Provo and Orem lie.
I felt like I as in the middle of nowhere when I found the entrance to Jacob's Ladder. I was sitting there taking in the view when I heard something behind me. Here comes this lady out of the bushes trail running. I have no idea what trail she had been on, but she turned onto Jacob's Ladder. I guess I wasn't in nowhere after all. I waited a few minutes to let her get down before I took off. The trail was very fast with several rock gardens that were not overly crazy, so you could really hit them hard. I was able to get air going into the rock gardens and clear most of the rocks each time. It gets tighter with trees near the bottom. I looked down once to see a snake pulling out of the trail. I could tell right away from the shape of his head that he was a rattlesnake. He was a little close to my foot, but he was more concerned with not getting run over than he was with biting someone. I looked him up afterwards and he was a small Great Basin Rattlesnake. You can see him in the corner of the still shot from my GoPro video that is posted below.
After Jacob's Ladder, I had to climb another mile back to Rush Flow. There are two options to this trail. You can take the main Rush Flow trail, or add in a less flowy loop called The Trees to make for a longer descent. I took the long way down to see as much of the canyon as I possibly could. Rush Flow is awesome! It is a long descent with more jumps and berms than you can count. It's definitely worth the climb up. The dirt here is different from what I normally ride in my Utah adventures. It was very dry and very hard. It packed great for the jumps and berms. Some of them felt like riding concrete. None of the jumps were super big, but they were the safe kind where you can roll them or launch them without fear of coming up short or landing on some giant rock or in a hole.
I had a big smile on my face at the bottom. I had only planned to ride up the mountain once, but I had to go back up and do that trail again! I explored all the other trails in the canyon on my way back up. It was late in the afternoon now and there were a lot of riders on the trail. I ran into at least four high school mountain bike teams. Each had 8-12 riders in a group. It was great to see so many young riders out on the trail. I wish it was that popular in Tennessee. I rode a portion of the popular BST (Bonneville Shoreline Trail). Then I got on the more technical Rattler and Ghost Falls trails. Rattler just seemed appropriate with the rattlesnake sighting earlier. Ghost Falls sounds like some creepy place, but when you get there you understand where the name came from. There's hardly any water flowing down the rocks and they are plunged deep into the bushes. It's about as hard to see a a ghost. And it's about as disappointing as Hidden Falls at Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming. They are hidden alright. It made me laugh to see several signs warning people about poison ivy. They talked about like it was the plague. In Tennessee, most of our undergrowth along trails is made up of poison ivy and oak. We couldn't make enough signs to point out all of our poison plants.
I finally made it back to the top and hit Rush Flow one more time in the late afternoon sun. It was even more fun the second time as I now knew where I could really let it hang out. It's a downhill-only trail so no worries about getting hit head-on here. I was feeling a bit too confident and continued bombing unfamiliar trails as I headed back to the Cycle Park. I found a little slalom trail near the bottom and got myself in a mess. I had hit a few big jumps, but then tried a drop that looked four feet tall, but when I went over the edge, it was about an eight-foot down to a pile of roots. Luckily, I had speed, so instead of grabbing the brakes, I let it rip and stretched the bike out to make it over the roots. Somehow, I rode out of it. It was an awesome feeling to pull it off, but a chance I don't want to take again. I ended my day with over four hours of riding and 3,700 ft. of climbing.
I made it over to Corner Canyon on a Wednesday, getting there in the middle of the day. It was a toasty day, very warm with only a few puffy clouds floating in the sky. The main trailhead is at the Draper Equestrian Center, also called Andy Ballard Arena. It is a massive horse park that also hosts other outdoor events like softball and soccer games. The Equestrian Center shares property with the new Draper Cycle Park. The Cycle Park is only partially finished. Currently, it features four pump tracks, several skills lines through rocky terrain, three flow trails, three dirt jump lines and a cyclocross course that includes a staircase and a flyover. There are plans to also build a velodrome to host cycling and inline skating events. The park wants to host international events at the velodrome, maybe even a World Cup one day. There are also plans for a 1.5 km paved criterium course to loop through the park that will likely double as a greenway when races are not being held.
One of four pump tracks in the Draper Cycle Park
The dirt jumps
A set of berms leading into the dirt jumps with the Draper Temple in the background
I played in the Cycle Park for over an hour before I turned up the canyon for some trail action. I spent most of my time on the dirt jumps. The Advanced line was really fun. I could clear most of the jumps even on my squishy Remedy. The ones I didn't make were built so that you could case it without getting catapulted off your bike. The pump tracks were fun, but the big Remedy soaks up too much to really get up a lot of speed. The flow trails were really eroded. It did not look like there had been much maintenance performed here since the park opened last year. I found a few fun features on the flow trails, but the dirt jumps were the attraction for me today.
Dropping in on the Advanced line
After some solo filming in the Cycle Park, I crossed the street and headed up into the canyon. It's a gradual climb from the trailhead through several neighborhoods. You cruise next to creeks and drainage ditches most of the way before you finally get on the backside of Draper to the main part of the canyon. I had heard a lot about the Rush Flow trail, so that was my first target. I found the Canyon Hollow trail, which took me to the top of Rush Flow. I met a guy on the way up and we struck up quite the conversation as we climbed. He was new to the sport, only getting a bike a few weeks ago. He too was searching for Rush Flow. We had a good time riding and chatting. He was the first person I have ever ridden with in what has now been four trips to Utah. He had to take a break before we finished the 5.2-mile climb to Rush Flow, so we did not descend together. Actually, I went farther up the mountain before I tried Rush Flow.
Part of the way up the climb out of Corner Canyon. You can see the other side of the Draper Temple here. It's not everyday you get to mountain bike in the shadow of The House of the Lord.
There was an advanced downhill trail called Jacob's Ladder another half-mile ahead. I figured I was already up this far so why not go hit the black-diamond downhill trail now. It was a BRUTAL half-mile of climbing. I was hurting by the time I got to the top. But I was rewarded with nice views of American Fork Canyon, Utah Lake and the Utah Valley, where the cities of Provo and Orem lie.
Looking into the Utah Valley. You can see Utah Lake on the right.
Going up
At the top of the climb, ready for Jacob's Ladder.
I felt like I as in the middle of nowhere when I found the entrance to Jacob's Ladder. I was sitting there taking in the view when I heard something behind me. Here comes this lady out of the bushes trail running. I have no idea what trail she had been on, but she turned onto Jacob's Ladder. I guess I wasn't in nowhere after all. I waited a few minutes to let her get down before I took off. The trail was very fast with several rock gardens that were not overly crazy, so you could really hit them hard. I was able to get air going into the rock gardens and clear most of the rocks each time. It gets tighter with trees near the bottom. I looked down once to see a snake pulling out of the trail. I could tell right away from the shape of his head that he was a rattlesnake. He was a little close to my foot, but he was more concerned with not getting run over than he was with biting someone. I looked him up afterwards and he was a small Great Basin Rattlesnake. You can see him in the corner of the still shot from my GoPro video that is posted below.
Jacob's Ladder trail winding down into the canyon toward Draper
Testing the zoom on my new camera. It works quite well. I'm standing at the same spot as the picture above.
Another view of Utah Lake
The trail runner on her way down Jacob's Ladder
Rattlesnake still shot. Zoom the picture and look just above my left hand. You can see him in the trail.
He pulled back quickly. You can still see him above my left hand.
After Jacob's Ladder, I had to climb another mile back to Rush Flow. There are two options to this trail. You can take the main Rush Flow trail, or add in a less flowy loop called The Trees to make for a longer descent. I took the long way down to see as much of the canyon as I possibly could. Rush Flow is awesome! It is a long descent with more jumps and berms than you can count. It's definitely worth the climb up. The dirt here is different from what I normally ride in my Utah adventures. It was very dry and very hard. It packed great for the jumps and berms. Some of them felt like riding concrete. None of the jumps were super big, but they were the safe kind where you can roll them or launch them without fear of coming up short or landing on some giant rock or in a hole.
I had a big smile on my face at the bottom. I had only planned to ride up the mountain once, but I had to go back up and do that trail again! I explored all the other trails in the canyon on my way back up. It was late in the afternoon now and there were a lot of riders on the trail. I ran into at least four high school mountain bike teams. Each had 8-12 riders in a group. It was great to see so many young riders out on the trail. I wish it was that popular in Tennessee. I rode a portion of the popular BST (Bonneville Shoreline Trail). Then I got on the more technical Rattler and Ghost Falls trails. Rattler just seemed appropriate with the rattlesnake sighting earlier. Ghost Falls sounds like some creepy place, but when you get there you understand where the name came from. There's hardly any water flowing down the rocks and they are plunged deep into the bushes. It's about as hard to see a a ghost. And it's about as disappointing as Hidden Falls at Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming. They are hidden alright. It made me laugh to see several signs warning people about poison ivy. They talked about like it was the plague. In Tennessee, most of our undergrowth along trails is made up of poison ivy and oak. We couldn't make enough signs to point out all of our poison plants.
Looking across the lower portion of the Salt Lake Valley toward the Oquirrh Mountains
Ghost Falls. Yep, not much to it.
The shape of these plants fascinated me. There were some crazy geometric shapes depending on how you looked at it.
I researched the plant when I got home and it turns out it's a spurge, a noxious weed that the valley is trying to eradicate. It was brought in for landscaping purposes (probably because it looks so freaking cool), but now it has taken over in the valley.
Video: Highlights of my day of riding the Draper Cycle Park and Corner Canyon Trails
The following day we had planned to go to Canyons Bike Park in Park City for some freeride action. I had a blast there last year and really stepped up my game with riding tall skinnies, drops and big jumps. Shannon enjoyed it, but not as much as I had hoped. So, after my fun day at Corner Canyon, I thought maybe Rush Flow would be a more suitable trail for her. So, I gave up my day at the bike park for a day in Corner Canyon so Shannon would have more fun. I had it all planned out, finding a way we could drive most of the way up the mountain so she would not be exhausted before getting to Rush Flow. I figured I would let her descend all the way down to the Cycle Park. We could play there a while, then I would climb back up for the truck.
It was a mess of a day. The road up to the parking lot near the top of the mountain was rough. I thought our bike rack would snap off the hitch. We get to the lot to find a big dog lying under one of the vehicles. There was nobody in sight and he looked super hot and thirsty. We found an old Tupperware dish in the ditch. We cleaned it and then poured in some water for him to drink. Dogs are not allowed in some sections of the park because of watershed issues, but I was surprised to see someone had left him out on such a hot day.
His tag said his name was Radley. Well, Radley liked the water. A lot. He liked it so much that he began to like us and wanted to go with us on the trail. We tried to get him to stay at his truck, but he followed us anyway. We even tried to lose him, but Radley was too fast. Finally, I heard someone yelling his name from up on the ridge. I stopped on a dirt road and eventually Radley's owner came in a truck and picked him up. He was a nice dog, but I didn't want him to be my dog.
We made it the rest of the way up to the trail with no animals following us. I was so pumped to hit the trail and for Shannon to ride it, but it was one of those situations where I realized that not many other people like the things I like. Shannon was not at all fond of the berms. She has some kind of berm phobia that I have not been able to break her of yet. It was clear after just a few turns that this was not going to work. We walked back up the hill and took another way down. I was really annoyed because I skipped my big day at the bike park for what turned into a slow crawl down the mountain, but that's the way it goes sometimes. She was not interested in the Cycle Park either, so it became a short day. I was climbing back to the truck before I knew it and then we were back at Gma's. At least an easy day gave my legs some recovery before the Snowbird Hill Climb I was planning to do in two days time. A race report is coming in the next post.
It was a mess of a day. The road up to the parking lot near the top of the mountain was rough. I thought our bike rack would snap off the hitch. We get to the lot to find a big dog lying under one of the vehicles. There was nobody in sight and he looked super hot and thirsty. We found an old Tupperware dish in the ditch. We cleaned it and then poured in some water for him to drink. Dogs are not allowed in some sections of the park because of watershed issues, but I was surprised to see someone had left him out on such a hot day.
His tag said his name was Radley. Well, Radley liked the water. A lot. He liked it so much that he began to like us and wanted to go with us on the trail. We tried to get him to stay at his truck, but he followed us anyway. We even tried to lose him, but Radley was too fast. Finally, I heard someone yelling his name from up on the ridge. I stopped on a dirt road and eventually Radley's owner came in a truck and picked him up. He was a nice dog, but I didn't want him to be my dog.
We made it the rest of the way up to the trail with no animals following us. I was so pumped to hit the trail and for Shannon to ride it, but it was one of those situations where I realized that not many other people like the things I like. Shannon was not at all fond of the berms. She has some kind of berm phobia that I have not been able to break her of yet. It was clear after just a few turns that this was not going to work. We walked back up the hill and took another way down. I was really annoyed because I skipped my big day at the bike park for what turned into a slow crawl down the mountain, but that's the way it goes sometimes. She was not interested in the Cycle Park either, so it became a short day. I was climbing back to the truck before I knew it and then we were back at Gma's. At least an easy day gave my legs some recovery before the Snowbird Hill Climb I was planning to do in two days time. A race report is coming in the next post.
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