Outer Loop Details

Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
- Winter Fat Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
- Snowshoe
Riding Area

Ester Dome - Happy Valley Trail
Fairbanks, Alaska
Difficulty Rating

Blue Rate
Local Popularity
100 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 90 in Trail Running
- 5 in Hiking
Global Ranking
#47641 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #63748 in Hiking
Trail Type

Singletrack
Snow Grooming

Groomed Smooth
Bike Type

XC, Fat
Climb Difficulty

Blue
Physical Rating

Moderate
Family Friendly

Yes
Dogs Allowed

Yes
eBike Allowed

Yes up to Class 1
TTFs on Trail

Berm, Drop, Jump, Gap Jump, Log Ride, Other
Year Opened

2011
Land Owner

Alaska Dept of Natural Resources - MLW

A singletrack flow trail that is very swoopy.

Short closure during spring break-up.
Dogs: Leashed
The Outer Loop is the longest trail of the Ester Dome Singletrack Happy Valley Trail System. Snaking its way around a forested loop on a south-facing hillside, this trail strikes a balance between winding forest singletrack and bermed-earth "bike-park" features. Similar in design to the Inner Loop, the trail bed is smooth and everything is do-able for a biker with intermediate skills. The trail runs mostly through open aspen forest with occasional forays into denser stands of mixed spruce and birch. Lots of squirrels and songbirds in the area, but especially keep watch for the occasional moose.

Take care at the intersections, as there are several. Look for the signs and colored reflectors (Inner Loop = Yellow, Outer Loop = Orange, TnT = Green). The Inner Loop and Outer Loop meet three times, the Equinox Marathon Trail crosses over the easternmost end of the Outer Loop, and the Henderson Drop-In meets the trail near its highest and westernmost point.

Access Info

Trailhead & parking, 1.6 mile Ester Dome Road.

Local Trail Association

Fairbanks Cycle Club
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to support
trail development & maintenance.

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week

0 rides

6 Months

0 rides

All

61 rides
Last: Apr 1, 2026

c1	c2	c3	c4
January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

update trails status or condition

Outer Loop Trail Reports

status	date	description
	Mar 29, 2026 @ 11:11am (America/Anchorage) Mar 29, 2026	Excellent shape!
	Nov 28, 2025 @ 10:54am (America/Anchorage) Nov 28, 2025	Groomed and in great shape!
	Oct 6, 2025 @ 6:10pm (America/Anchorage) Oct 6, 2025	Mostly good. Some small wet spots. And some of the newly built features have soft spots. Ride with care. The new features are awesome! And Chris...
	Sep 15, 2025 @ 6:15pm (America/Anchorage) Sep 15, 2025	Mostly great shape, though some spots can be slick from wet and wet leaves. Also be aware a portion of the trail is closed for upgrades. For more...
	Feb 3, 2025 @ 8:39pm Feb 3, 2025	Pretty good overall a few patches of soft mud lots of leaves dirt but overall good can’t wait for the trails to be worked on!