Friday, June 30th 2023
Salt Lake City Canyon Info For Bikes
There’s a million different tough to navigate websites that have all the days and times for local canyons. This collection is mostly for my benefit, but if it helps others, even better!
Alpine Loop (Highway 92)
The Alpine Loop is open from approximately late May to late October. There’s an additional road that connects to Heber.
Big Mountain Pass (SR 65)
The road over this pass usually closes sometime in November and opens around Mother’s Day. There’s usually a number of weeks where the gate is closed but the road is clear for cycling on the road south of the pass. The north side of the road pass usually takes a few more weeks for snow to melt but can easily be hiked over the few remaining road drifts.
The Mormon Pioneer Trail sections that follow alongside the road usually open in May.
Butterfield Pass
This is a gravel road that connects Salt Lake and Tooele valleys and runs near the open pit mine. The sign states that the road opens on June 1 and closes November 1.
City Creek Canyon
Memorial Day weekend through the end of September: The road is open to bicycles on odd numbered calendar days.
The rest of the year: open to bikes every day.
Guardsman Pass (Highway 190)
This road closes in fall and typically opens in May or June to traffic. There’s often a short spring window where it’s clear enough for biking but still closed for cars. It’s usually not too bad to deal with traffic when it is open to cars, especially on weekdays.
Millcreek Canyon
Even-numbered days: bikes are allowed on Big Water, Little Water, and Great Western trails. Dogs must be on-leash at all times in all areas of the canyon.
Odd-numbered days: bikes are not allowed on the upper Mill Creek Big Water, Little Water and Great Western trails. Dogs are allowed off-leash on trails.
The gate to upper road usually opens on July 1st and closes on November 1st. This is an ideal canyon to bike when the gate is closed to cars.
- Bikes are always allowed on the Pipeline Trail.
- Bikes are never allowed in the Mt. Olympus Wilderness Area.
Mirror Lake Highway / Bald Mountain Pass (Highway 150)
This road is usually open to cars mid-May to mid-fall. I haven’t figured out yet if there’s a window in the spring for bikes to ride while the gate is still closed to cars. If you know, please let me know. Otherwise, the road is pretty narrow. I do see bikes on the road, but the shoulder seems pretty small for cars passing at 50+ mph.