Inspired Rides - Salt Lake City
The Ride: Big Mountain-Park City Extended Loop
The Location: Salt Lake City / Park City, Utah
Total Distance: 115 miles
Total Elevation Gain: ~9,200 feet
The Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50733236
Park City, Utah, might be better known as a ski town thanks to an abundance of resorts, slopes, and the Olympic Training Center. Or for its legendary mountain bike trails, with well over a hundred miles of world-class singletrack.
But there’s another gem here found by linking and looping curvy mountain roads, paved and unpaved, and the best place to start is Contender Bicycles in Salt Lake City.
Tucked into SLC locals’ favorite neighborhood of 9th & 9th, you’ll find them just east of downtown in a much cozier area surrounded by plenty of good spots to eat and browse, but let’s talk riding first…
Starting to the east of town, this mixed surface, epic ride has it all - long distance, big climbs through (and over!) the Wasatch Mountains, epic views, and plenty of tasty eats (and drinks) along the way.
The first climb
Heading east from the shop, this route darts past the University of Utah and Hogle Zoo before heading up Emigration Canyon, which boasts a 7.5 mile climb notching ~1,300 feet of elevation gain.
It caps out at the Little Mountain Summit, followed by a little breather on the descent to Little Dell Reservoir. You should be starting to understand why this section is often considered Utah's single most popular road bike route.
The bigger, second climb
The route climbs to Big Mountain Pass - a segment known for its steep switchbacks, and compelling scenery - verdant greens in the spring, and warm, autumn hues in the fall.
The Descent
From there, the route rapidly descends to East Canyon Reservoir, followed by a rolling, rambling jaunt through the rural country east of the Wasatch Mountains, connecting the dots from Henefer to Echo and Rockport Reservoirs, and then Oakley to Park City via Brown's Canyon.
A dip off the pavement
After passing through Park City and its myriad refueling options, the route heads back to Big Mountain Pass via Jeremy Ranch Road, a 7-mile unpaved stretch beloved by local gravel riders. Don’t worry, a good road bike with wide tires, like the Parlee Ouray, will handle this dirt road just fine.
The final climb
The dirt ends at the base of Big Mountain, where the final climb begins to bring you back over the Wasatches and back to the shop.
The reward is a sweet, ripping ~18 mile descent back to Little Dell Reservoir, Emigration Canyon, and back to Contender. Sure, there’s that little “bump” back up Little Mountain Summit on the way down, but local eats from pizza to burritos to fried chicken make it all worth it back at the shop.
Eats & Treats
Pre-Ride:
- Coffee Garden (coffee & pastries)
- Publik (coffee, breakfast)
- Tulie Bakery (coffee, breakfast)
- Banbury Cross Donuts (donuts, obvi)
Mid Ride:
- Oakley Diner (burgers and sandwiches, old timey spot built out of a retrofitted train car)
- 5 Seeds (coffee, breakfast / brunch)
- Harvest (coffee, breakfast / brunch)
- Silver King (coffee)
- Alberto's or Tarahumara (if craving a hefty burrito)
Post Ride:
- No No's Pizza (a great slice)
- East Liberty Tap House (burgers)
- Pretty Bird (Nashville hot chicken sammie)
- Red Iguana (boasts Utah's best Mexican food)
- White Horse (excellent gastropub menu)
- TF Brewing and Fisher Brewing (both downtown, with food trucks)
- Emigration Brewing (back up Emigration Canyon)
Need to know:
Terrain is mixed, including long, sustained climbs - some gradual (3%), some steep (6%) - rolling country roads, and a brief gravel/dirt portion (~7 miles).
The best time of day for this ride is mid morning in the spring, early morning in the summer, and midday to afternoons in the fall. To beat traffic, earlier is always better. In particular, getting out early is better to avoid the pickup trucks with ski boats on trailers going over Big Mountain Pass to East Canyon Reservoir.
Faster riders might complete this route in 5-7 hours, while others might take 7-9 hours.
The shop:
Constructed in 2013, Contender Bicycles’ main shop is a sprawling, purpose built facility, boasting hundreds of bikes in inventory, a robust service team, and some of the fastest turnaround times in the entire Salt Lake Valley.
With a significant "pro build" business, Contender is also known for its custom offering, helping cyclists of every type and discipline to build their dream bike. Located on the east bench of Salt Lake City, not far from the University of Utah, Contender's proximity to excellent road riding is second to none, including classic routes such as City Creek, Emigration Canyon, Millcreek Canyon, Big Cottonwood Canyon and Guardsman Pass, and Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Fun fact: as the route heads north through Park City, along Highway 224, cyclists will pass by Contender's second location--the big red barn. If we're open, please stop in and say hello!
