The Park City IMBA Epic ride is a challenging loop that takes you high into the mountains above Park City, traverses along the tops then descends down to Canyons Village.
Here is a blow by blow description of the ride...
Leave the car park on the Silver Spur Trail. In less than a mile you'll come to a trail connecting to the Armstrong Trail - the signage is good. Armstrong is a one-way climbing trail for bikes (for others it's two way). It climbs steadily for 4 miles and takes you to Pinecone which climbs 4 miles to the crest of the range. You have gained nearly 3000 feet!!! Follow the Wasatch Crest trail for 12 miles. It undulates along the crest of the range and leads you to the Ridge Connector and a huge descent on Ambush then Holly's Trail. That leaves you at Canyons Village. From there, follow the road back to the start to complete the 26 mile epic ride.
Along the way you'll enjoy awesome views, sample a few of the hundreds of trails on these mountains, and test your stamina.
First time riding in Park City, so I bit off a big challenge. Ride is probably the best I've ever done considering the reward of the views from the crest. The ride up is challenging, but not too tough. There are sporadic rock gardens along the crest, but nothing too technical. Bring plenty of snacks and water, and of course your camera. If I lived in this area, I'd definitely do this ride again and again. Just need some rest days between.
| ThankThis is a ride that you do for the challenge rather than the fun. The climb up to the tops is relentless but ride-able all the way. The trails are generally smooth and not excessively steep. The ride along the crest is quite tiring because it is high and it keeps undulating. There is a difficult rocky section about 30 yards long called the spine that many people walk. Otherwise the crest trail is fine and the views are awesome. The ride down off the tops is disappointing - bumpy and chattery - there is not a lot of fun in the descent.
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