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2.5 miles
Distance
12 ft
Climb
-1,232 ft
Descent
00:15:17
Avg time
-1,219 ft
Altitude change
8,280 ft
Altitude min
9,499 ft
Altitude max
9,499 ft
Altitude start
8,281 ft
Altitude end
-9.4%
Grade
-57.9%
Grade max
4.9%
Grade min
722 ft
Distance climb
2 miles
Distance down
318 ft
Distance flat
00:15:17
Avg time
Desolation Details
-
Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
-
Riding AreaBig Cottonwood Canyon
Brighton, Utah -
Ref Number#019
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Difficulty Rating
-
Voted DifficultyBlue (6 votes)
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Local Popularity85 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 95 in Trail Running
- 50 in Hiking
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Global Ranking
-
Hiking SAC ScaleT2 Mountain Hiking
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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DirectionDownhill Primary[+]Popular Direction Shown
- Downhill Primary for Trail Running
- Downhill Primary for Hiking
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Physical RatingHard
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Land Owneruinta-wasatch-cache national forest
Primarily downhill trail used to drop off The Crest, but I do see people trying to ride up it almost every time I ride it. There are many water bars made from small logs, which makes climbing very hard, but descending a blast.
There is a rooty tech section right after you pass the lake. Most of this trail flows really well, and is very fast. One thing that makes this trail so great is the technical variety, and that the technical sections are spaced perfectly. This gives the rider time to recover and enjoy the flow between rocky and rooty sections.
Trail Supporters
USFSLand Manager
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 10 rides
- 17 miles average
6 Months
- 107 rides
- 17 miles avg distance
All
- 566 rides
- Last: Sep 26, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Desolation Trail Reports
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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
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The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
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Trail Last Used
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- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
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- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
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- Uphill Only
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Trail Popularity ?
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Directions to desolation-11882 trailhead
(40.662160, -111.600040)
Photos
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Videos
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Routes with this trail
★ 5.0 • 10 miles • 706 ft • 6 •
1.5 to 2 hour lap. This route is based on the ability to shuttle.
★ 3.2 • 10 miles • 662 ft • 5 • Shuttled •
This shortened version of the classic Wasatch Crest ride is great for odd-numbered days when bikes are...
★ 4.0 • 11 miles • 1,159 ft • 5 •
14 Reviews & Comments
Raggmunk
The upper tech section by the lake has been killed. Trail work was done to create a reroute around the fun tech descent coming down from Desolation Lake, and felled trees have been used to completely block access to the former trail. Not sure why this was done and who it is going to benefit, seeing as the rock garden was entirely navigable by anyone going up or down. This is a huge and unfortunate hit to the character of this section of trail
mtnbikertoo
I've ridden up it many times. There's only one 100 ft section near Desolation Lake that most people walk.
It's fun to ride downhill too and it's maybe an advanced blue. Definitely not black up or down. I rode it uphill several times Summer 2022 on weekdays. Never saw many hikers or bikers. Make a great loop starting somewhere in Millcreek Canyon. I like starting at Elbow Fork then you and past Desolation Lake hit the North Crest for a great descent on the Crest and then down Millcreek.
It's fun to ride downhill too and it's maybe an advanced blue. Definitely not black up or down. I rode it uphill several times Summer 2022 on weekdays. Never saw many hikers or bikers. Make a great loop starting somewhere in Millcreek Canyon. I like starting at Elbow Fork then you and past Desolation Lake hit the North Crest for a great descent on the Crest and then down Millcreek.
jzmit5
Rode this from dog lake to desolation lake as a noob, and loved it! Walked perhaps 1/6 of it. Gorgeous aspen meadows.
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Nearby Trails
- Wasatch Crest (north) 0 ft
- Waste Of Limited Resources 1,778 ft
- Red Pine Rim 1,975 ft
- Bear Trap Fork 2,054 ft
- Mill Creek Meadows 2,352 ft
Big Cottonwood Canyon
- By todd
Trailforks & contributors - #11882 - 7,716 views
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