jordanelle state park

We finally reconnected with our friend Ted for a MTB ride, after having had to cancel on him for sprinkler issues.  The last time H had seen him was skiing at Deer Valley this February; the last time I had seen him was MTBing last fall.  He asked us if we'd ever ridden at Jordanelle State Park, which he lives near.  We hadn't and were eager to try something new, so we loaded up the MTBs and drove to, and just past, Park City, picking Ted up at his place and then driving to the Ross Creek trailhead.

The park's Hailstone Recreation Area is where all the action is: boat ramp, wet slips, dry storage, picnic cabanas, pro shop, marina store, campground, restrooms and showers, pavilions ... it's a zoo.  Rock Cliff has boardwalks, interpretive trails, a boat ramp, walk-in campsites and a nature center.  Ross Creek, where we were on the northwest shore, has pit toilets, a big parking lot and non-motorized day-use access and is the least-frequented area of the park.  It also has access to the Perimeter Trail - for hikers, runners, dog-walkers, MTBers and equestrian use only - which follows the shoreline around the north end of the reservoir to the eastern side.

Ted took us out along the Perimeter Trail and we did around thirteen miles round trip (out and back because it doesn't appear to go all the way around, at least not without some road riding).  This is a very friendly trail: mostly double-track, some short single-track sections, dirt and gravel with undulating ups and downs and just a couple very steep hills.  For being a state park, we were surprised that there were so few people out on the trail.  We saw four other MTBers and two runners, which was a nice change from the hordes at Round Valley just up the road (that said, RV has much more fun terrain for MTBing) - obviously people come to Jordanelle State Park for the water sports, not the trails.  The water is awfully, terribly low right now, though.

After our ride, we took Ted home, pausing for a beer and to catch up.  It's nice to have a friend over there on the Park City side, doing the leg work to find new trails for us.