Mid Mountain Loop can be summed up in one word, "extraordinary"!! Mid Mountain is an epic ride that begins in Park City and climbs the Spiro Trail, touches very briefly on the Powerline Trail, then makes it's way all the way down to the Canyons Resort! It finishes off on a nice paved bike path, the Farm Trail and the Olympic Trail, back to the trailhead. Mid Mountain is a definitive cross country ride, 24.01 mile loop, with an elevation gain of 3,701'. As I was making the grind up Spiro trail a quote from Garrison Keillor came to me, "Stones and trees speak very slowly. Sometimes it takes a full week before they say one sentence. Few people have the patience to wait for an answer from an oak." I felt I was making this climb so slow that I would have been able to carry on a conversation with an oak!! But as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, " The years teach what the days never know." And then, heaven, singletrack heaven!! Mid Mountain climbs and drops more then a barn swallow hunting on a late summer afternoon. This is not a ride to be taken lightly, come prepared with extra water and a power bar or two!
Vertical Gain: 3,472'
20.64 mile point to point
The Mid Mountain Trail sidles around the mountainside above the greater Park City area. It is a two-way, shared trail that traverses forests, meadows and numerous ski slopes between Deer Valley Resort and Canyons Village, a distance of 22 miles, with many nice views over the valley of Park City below. It undulates between 7900 feet and 8500 feet so there are no sustained climbs or descents once you're on the trail. There are not many steep pinches - just a few at the Canyons Village end.
It's a schizophrenic trail - the Deer Valley end is a leisurely mellow ride. It is more rocky and uneven at the Canyons Village end and short sections need advanced riding skills. It's also very popular with both walkers and bikers, so is best saved for a weekday. It is not a wilderness ride - you're very close to condos and houses at either end but there is a back-country feel mid section around Iron Mountain....
There are several trails that descend from the trail to civilization at the Deer Valley end of the trail but there are no legal descents for a 12 mile stretch at the Canyons end. A good way down about mid-way is the Spiro Trail....
I rode the Mid Mountain Trail as a shuttle starting from Silver Lake Village in the Deer Valley Resort area and finished at Canyons Village. The shuttle logistics are easy - park at the big car park near the Canyons bus stop and catch one of the free, frequent, bike-carrying buses from Canyons Village to the bus station in downtown Park City. Change to the Silver Lake bus (first run at 10am) - also free, frequent and bike-carrying! The bus will drop you at Silver Lake which is 8100 feet high and you're on your way having climbed 1200 feet without turning a pedal!!! (The buses get busy at weekends and they carry only 3 or 6 bikes.)
| ThankSuper fun trail that can get you to almost every other trail around the resorts and it is a treat to ride itself.
| ThankI read the reviews and found this trail very disappointing. I ride my bike to be at one with beautiful mountain wilderness. You can forget that on this trail as it is in the middle of a whole bunch of ugly condos and ski slopes the whole time. It was pretty gruesome viewing. Luckily, I drove over guardsman pass in my rental car to get back to salt lake city and it was stunningly beautiful. Next time, I'm riding on the other side of the ridge away from the ski resort.
| ThankAn outstanding intermediate trail. A good amount of climbing, descending and mileage, but nothing too technical. You'll need fitness, but not a lot of technical prowess to enjoy this trail. This trail can be done on a XC rig.
| ThankGreat trail with mixed trees and exposure. Good amount of climbing and downhill, but truly an intermediate trail in that there's nothing so steep as to inhibit sustained climbing or descending even if you're on a XC rig.
| ThankGreat trail with mixed trees and exposure. Good amount of climbing and downhill, but truly an intermediate trail in that there's nothing so steep as to inhibit sustained climbing or descending even if you're on a XC rig.
| ThankGreat trail, for weekdays. We rode up Jenni's, then south on MM. Talked to a local mtn biker near the Montage, and he suggested going back north on Little Chief/John's 99. Great decision, older narrower hand-built trail, quite flat, no people. Then we continued north on MM,came down Spiro. Great loop, about 2500 feet of climbing and about 18 miles.
| ThankMM is very smooth, a few more rocks as you go north.
As folks have said, DO NOT ride this on a weekend, but do ride it if you can other times. We rode during the week in early June, and only saw a few riders.
A Classic PC ride that, as its name suggests, takes you to the middle of the wasatch back range where you simply traverse 20 or so miles finishing up in the Canyons resort. Certainly can be ridden in either direction, but I get the sense most ride northward. You run across a couple large ravines so there are climbs and fast downhill sections along the way. Pack a camera and lunch and just enjoy the scenes.
| ThankThe trail itself is nice. But there are far too many people for this to be enjoyable. Go during the week if you can.
| ThankGreat trail! I did only ride Mid Mountain from Park City into Deer Valley, but the climbs were great and the occasional downhills were very rewarding!
| ThankOne of my favorite trails in Utah. Has great views of Park City and some very nice switchbacks towards the end going down the side of the mountain. You can ride a shuttle back to where you parked.
| ThankGreat way to see the Park City offer. Can ride from Deer Valley to the Canyons or visa versa. Many options for ascent/decent.
| ThankI can't add much to the content of other reviews. This is a must-ride in Park City that has a little bit of everything. Its solid Intermediate but the sheer length of it will be enough to give you a workout. It also enables access to many other trails to constantly change up the approach and descent. Local bike shops always push their renters there, so the trail can get pretty crowded on those beautiful Park City summer days.
| ThankThis is an absolutely fantastic trail! The Mid Mountain trail itself isn't one long climb or descent, but don't let that fool you: there are plenty of rolling climbs and descents along the length of this trail as it roughly circles the town of Park City at about the same elevation--you'll get a workout either way!
This trail is very mixed bag of terrain, ranging from loamy to rocky to root, and from flowy to twisty, and back again.
Most of the trails in Park City link into the Mid Mountain trail in some way, so chances are you'll get to ride at least part of it without even trying!
| ThankThere are several ways to access Mid Mountain, but once you are on it, you can't help but have fun. You can grunt up Spiro or Armstrong or take a lift up. Nothing too challenging and traffic goes both ways. The scenery is spectacular!!! Compares well with Trail 401 and Monarch Crest.
| ThankGreat trail, well-maintained and a ton of fun. Nothing too technical, just super trails and gorgeous scenery.
| ThankEpic long ride through a variety of terrain... pines, aspens, meadows, rocky, etc. Bring water! Not too difficult, but its length requires stamina. Going from PCMR to The Canyons is the easier route.
| ThankAwesome trail...I rode it with a Hard-tail Trek that I rented at one of the local bike shops, It was a mildly challenging trail, some steep climbs, and amazingly fun downs...very rewarding when one finishes. I recommend for anyone who really wants a great ride with some technicality.
| ThankBadass--with a full suspension. I lost aabout three fillings rocking my hardtail through.
Also, be advised that this trail is sneaky-taxing. It seems like more than the 1800' elevation gain and 3700' of gain would indicate.* Review edited 7/17/2008
| ThankGreat epic long scenic ride. Lots of fun, could have been better if more rollercoaster turny sections were designed into the trail. Exept for the switchbacks, mostly strait through the woods. I'll still give it a high rating for length and scenery.
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