The Heber Valley is finally getting the gnarly black diamond descent locals have been begging for

Gnarly, steep, and chunky downhill trails are generally reserved for bike parks in the Park City, Utah, area. And when it comes to the Heber Valley, the trails have historically been even easier. While trails that cater to all skill levels are great and often make sense in a tourist town, they can leave locals wanting more.

And “more” is precisely what locals will soon be getting. Think black/double black, incredibly technical terrain, “more.”

The Wasatch Trails Foundation is hard at work building singletrack in Wasatch County

A web of trails extends outside the city limits of Park City, coming close to the boundary of Summit and Wasatch Counties. Near this boundary, Wasatch County dips into the Heber Valley, home to towns like Heber City, Charleston, and Midway.

As more people began to move to the smaller communities in the Heber Valley, residents wanted to ride their own trails rather than driving to ride in Park City. Around 2010-2011, Heber Valley locals formed the Wasatch Trails Foundation (WTF) and began building singletrack for multiple user groups. 

Just a few years later, WTF took on a massive project, building the “WOW” (Wasatch Over Wasatch) trail. WOW is over 10 miles long, climbing over 2,000 feet before towering over the surrounding valleys at 8,300 feet of elevation. It remains a must-ride for many folks visiting the Park City area.

Unfortunately, a few years later, steady interest in trails and WTF began to slow. But some locals, including professional rider Eric Porter, wouldn’t let the organization die. “So, it was Porter who kind of picked up the baton and was like, ‘Hey, this is something that we should actually do and focus on,’” Mia Yue, Executive Director of WTF, told us. 

Fortunately, others shared Porter’s vision and also got involved. The organization now oversees approximately 175 to 200 miles of trails in Wasatch County, with most of them located in the Heber Valley.

Now, a dozen years after they built the WOW trail, WTF is nearly done with a new hand-built trail teetering on the edge of black and double black. This new trail branches off the WOW trail, setting the stage for an even more intense descent.

Why now?

“Springer Hollow was originally conceptualized when they built the WOW trail,” Yue told us. “So it’s been in the back of people’s minds for a really long time.”

One of the reasons the time was now right to add a DH option for riders in the area was the growing popularity of the WOW trail. WOW stretches from north to south, and can be ridden in both directions; however, shuttling the southern portion has become increasingly popular. The south side of the trail overlooks a campground, where visitors and locals alike park one car and shuttle to the nearby Maple Grove trail for a more gradual climb. 

The new Springer Hollow DH, which will branch off of this southern portion of WOW and end near the same campground, adds another ride option entirely. Mountain bikers looking to bomb down WOW will have the option to take Springer Hollow, and they won’t have to worry about riders pedaling up.

Yue also mentioned the social trails that have historically been present in the Park City area and continue to appear. This is, in part, due to the abundance of beginner and intermediate trails catering to riders of all ability levels. More experienced mountain bikers, especially locals, often feel like advanced options are few and far between, and sometimes they take matters into their own hands.

While WTF wants to continue building accessible trails that cater to all skill levels, they clearly see the need to provide more advanced options. “That was another reason we wanted to build this section,” Yue said, “because it is a pretty gnarly downhill trail.”

Chips Down is one example of a social trail that leans toward the advanced end of the spectrum. The trail was built during the pandemic and had become a popular descent, dropping over 400 feet in less than a mile. WTF adopted it into its trail system last year.

While Chips Down isn’t as gnarly as the planned Springer Hollow DH, with rock features and some sizable gaps, WTF rates it as a black diamond. As they began posting riding clips from Chips Down on social media, they found that people interacted and engaged with that type of content the most.

Seeing the locals’ response to Chips Down and its growing popularity helped solidify the need for more advanced, directional DH trails in the area.

Building a gnarly downhill trail

Again and again, we speak with various trail organizations and trail builders who are accelerating the trail-building process by utilizing machines. When we do, the comments inevitably flood in from riders who want to return to rugged, hand-built, proper singletrack. 

That’s exactly the vision for the Springer Hollow DH trail. While the steep and rugged terrain makes it nearly impossible to bring in machines, WTF also saw an opportunity to deliver an authentic backcountry trail experience. “The beginning of this trail is so gnarly,” Yue said. “This trail is no joke. It’s very advanced.”

Yue said the top of Springer Hollow DH is chunky and steep, as riders follow a rocky ridge that they eventually ride down. Riding down the ridge provides some respite from the rocky terrain above as riders enter a steep, forested gully.

Here, in the gully, crews are building massive optional doubles, some spanning 30 to 40 feet. Then, the trail will funnel into more rock tech, some rock slabs, and even more gaps. The trail concludes with a roughly 20-foot canyon gap before re-entering another gully, which is relatively smooth and flowy, leading to the end of Springer Hollow.

Overall, rocks, roots, and off-camber singletrack mixed with off-camber corners can be expected over Spring Hollow DH’s two-mile, 1,100-foot descent. 

While there will be walk/go-arounds for some of the most challenging features, Yue emphasized that the difficulty will border on black/double black. Even B-lines and walking options are still down steep and rugged terrain.

WTF started digging on Springer Hollow DH last fall. “This is our first year funding our own trail crew,” Yue said. “We have a four-person trail crew.”

While a few tires have been on the new trail during construction, WTF is asking mountain bikers to stay off until Springer Hollow is finished. 

“We were hoping to have it completed by mid-July, but I think it’ll probably be the end of July/August,” Yue shared. “I mean, it’s getting really close.”