Eagle Mountain Bike Park

When we moved west of Utah Lake several years ago, I began to realize how good we had had it. We had lived 10 minutes from the Wasatch, able to quickly zip up to the mountains anytime. Suddenly we were 30-45 minutes from the same trails we had visited, and coordinating hikes took much more effort and planning. We’ve also been fairly limited in where we can hike as much of the land over here is privately owned. Luckily for us, though, the Eagle Mountain Bike Park is BLM land and is open to hikers as well as mountain bikers (and ATVs). We can reach a couple of the trailheads from our home. For this area, there isn’t a specific starting point to begin at. There are a several and they all intermingle.

OVERVIEW
Where: Eagle Mountain Ranches Area
Grown up difficulty: easy besides the initial incline
Five year old difficulty: medium due to the initial incline
Length and elevation: as short or long as you’d like. It’s an out and back
To see: views of Utah Lake, Lake Mountain, as well as the Eagle Mountain/Cedar Valley
Busyness: generally empty, some mountain bikers and ATVers
AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/eagle-mountain-loop

DETAILS
We usually start by one of these: Hidden Hollow Elementary, the trailhead off of Golden Eagle Road, or between homes on North Pointe Lookout Road. Our go to is the one on North Pointe Lookout Road, which takes you under the power lines. This is the steep part. In the summer, keep an eye on the sides of the trail as we’ve seen flowering cactus! Such a treat.

We have also identified flax, desert paintbrush, cliffrose, coral globemallow, and others. I honestly was so surprised by diversity of wildflowers here. Hawks and turkey vultures frequent the airspace here. There are excellent views of both Utah Lake, the southern Wasatch Front, the Oquirrh range, and Utah and Cedar valleys.

There is *no* shade, so make sure you bring plenty of water especially on hot days. It’s a lovely hike on overcast, cooler days, and in the winter. Bring spikes just in case during the winter.

If you take trails over to the southwest of Hidden Hollow, you’ll come across a Tibetan prayer flag setup that is a beautiful little picture in the desert. All parts of these hills are covered with sage and juniper, and in the winter we’ve seen deer and rabbit tracks. Watch out for bikers and ATVers.

REVIEW
I love that this hike is walking distance from my home. I don’t have to drive over to the trailhead if I don’t want to. I’ve hiked as little as a mile and up to 5 miles solo. Sunsets and sunrises are especially beautiful here.
Faves: wildflowers and views
Hardest: the incline
Gear: water water water, spikes in the winter, and during wildflower season we bring our identification booklets .