The Wasatch Crest Trail is a favorite far and wide. Definitely a local fav, but I’ve met people from all over the country and the world who have come to Utah to ride MTB and the Crest Trail. It’s epic! Such a good ride with gorgeous views from top to bottom and it’s been one of my favorite go-to rides here in Utah, it’s a blast.
How to get there
The Wasatch Crest Trail starts from the top of Guardsman Pass and there are three ways to get up there:
1. Ride your bike! Ride about 17 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon and Guardsman Pass. I’ve never personally done it this way, because WHY? No.
2. Self-shuttle: Have the wife or a bud give you a shuttle ride up to the top.
3. Use Big Rack Shuttle. This is the way to do it and the only way I’ve ridden The Crest.
Maybe someday I’ll ride all the way up and then down, but no plans to anytime soon!
The shuttle leaves from the bottom of Mill Creek Canyon at scheduled times, you can pick your date and time on the Big Rack website starting as early as 5:30 am and it only runs on even days of the month as there’s no bike traffic allows in Mill Creek on odd days. In the summertime if you can get up early and get there, the 5:30 am shuttle is the way to go. Sunrise Crest rides are so nice- you won’t see many other people on the trails and the weather is perfect. Here’s an overview of The Crest Trail from TrailForks:
Wasatch Crest Classic Shuttle Ride on Trailforks.comThe Ride
You can make the Wasatch Crest Trail as chill or challenging as you and your crew want to, but there’s no getting around Puke Hill. It’s a challenge, no matter what! The trail starts chill until about a mile and a half in when you hit Puke Hill. It’s not even that long of a climb, it’s just steep AF. 13%+ for about a half mile. Just power through it, and get it done. Don’t be a weenie and walk it.
How long does it take?
The shuttle ride up to the top of Gaurdsman’s takes 35-ish minutes. The ride down can be as fast or as slow as you want to make it. I personally like to go fast (surprise), and my best time down is about an hour and 15 minutes. If you’re stopping a lot to take photos, riding with a group etc., then it could take you 2+ hours. And that’s ok too, stop and take in the views!
Here are a couple of my rides with alternate route options. The first is going down Desolation Trail right after the Spine vs. continuing on the Wasatch Crest Trail. There are a few variations of each using side routes you can take with different views. Both will take you to the same place in Mill Creek Canyon and both are great riding. It’s fun to mix things up a little when you ride the Crest 10+ times each summer. The third route is a shuttle ride from the PC side and instead of dropping into Canyons/PCMR, rode all the way out to Road to Arcylon. Great ride!
Where else do you get these kind of views?! I mostly created this post to share some of my favorite pics from the Crest Trail and I’ll be updating it as we get some fall riding in.
