corner canyon

We reversed our priorities for Sunday: play first, then chores.  The sky was clear and blue, the sun warm, the breeze just starting to pick up (it would be really, really windy by mid-afternoon) and we threw the MTBs in the truck and headed just south to Corner Canyon in Draper. 

Corner Canyon had been recommended to us by the guys at Fishers Cyclery as a good, not too technical place to ride.  Indeed, it's an awesome park, 1,021 acres bought by the city in 2005, and crisscrossed with miles of well-marked, cared-for trails.  When we got to the equestrian center parking lot (hikers, bikers and horses are all allowed to use the trails, and well-behaved dogs are welcome too), we knew we'd found the right place as nearly every vehicle had a bike rack.  We grabbed a trail map from the kiosk at the trail head and hit the dirt.

The trails are mostly single-track with some jeep roads mixed in for fun, winding up the canyon and foothills behind the Draper LDS temple.  We did the Lower Corner Canyon trail to the Canyon Hollow trail, to Brock's Point trail to Clark's trail for the return.  Let me just say that the first three trails I listed were all uphill, at least the way we were going.  Let me also just say that I ended up pushing my bike up a lot of that uphill.  I'm not a very steady cyclist and when I go very slowly (like, up a hill), I tend to wiggle my front wheel around and tip over.  Add the whole singletrack issue into it (i.e., narrow trails with trees and/or drop-offs) and I'm a total menace.  H was very, very patient with me.  I did much better on Clark's trail, which was all downhill, except for being pretty timid and going slowly.  But the trails were mostly hardpack so things weren't too squirrelly.

It was so much fun.  The trails we took were largely shaded and followed a creek bed for much of the way.  Everything is so green right now, it was really pretty.  There were lots of other folks out riding but I never held anyone up and managed to get out of the way.  Everyone was super-friendly, saying hi and making sure I was okay when I was walking (yes, I'm fine, I'm just not very good at this, thanks!) - I think it's difficult to be cranky when you're out enjoying such a nice day.

The only place the trails weren't well-marked was right at the end, and H ended up not exactly where he wanted to be, and got a flat tire from running over a vicious thorn.  I was far enough behind him that I didn't see where he went so I got back to the truck just fine, tires intact.  Flat notwithstanding, it was a great ride - way more fun than little Dimple Dell - and we're psyched to have it so close to the house.  Now if I could just manage to get up the hills!