Ride the Brim Trail at Powder Mountain for panoramic views

(Justin McFarland)


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POWDER MOUNTAIN RESORT — Powder Mountain Resort has several summer trails for hiking and biking that offer views from Pineview Reservoir to the Great Salt Lake.

The Brim Trail is a mild to moderate 6-mile loop that can be traveled either clockwise or counterclockwise. Even though the Brim Trail at Powder Mountain is relatively new, mountain bikers are quickly filling the singletrack trail with tire tracks. As mountain biking continues to increase in popularity in Northern Utah, easy access to trails usually comes with crowds including hikers, runners and youth activity groups.

The Brim Trail has the downside (or the advantage, if you see it that way) of taking a little longer to drive to. As a result, that thins out the casual evening hiking and biking crowds, although you can expect to still see bikers on the trail any night of the summer week.

To reach the trailhead, drive up to the Powder Mountain Resort, pass the Sundown Lift, and turn right on the newly paved Powder Ridge Road just before the main lodge. Pass the Powder Ridge condos, and continue on the paved road under the overpass just past the Sky Lodge above Hidden Lake.

As this area is being developed for the Powder Mountain Village, parking at the trailhead may be limited due to heavy machinery. The trailhead is roughly 2 miles past the fork that leads to the Sky Lodge parking.

These directions are for clockwise travel around the Brim Trail loop, but riding the loop counterclockwise is just as popular. Ride southeast along the double-track dirt road for .4 miles and take the single-track fork on the left.

A series of turns with built-up berms make it easy to corner as the trail continues a slight downhill direction. Most of these turns are in the trees, and you will come into view of a very large meadow. If it is late spring, this meadow is completely filled with the yellow mule ear flowers. The trail will basically travel the perimeterof this meadow, going in and out of the bordering forest.

The trail crosses over the double-track dirt trail at roughly 2 miles into the ride, but you should continue straight on the single track. You can choose at this time to take the Brim Cut shortcut which will be the single-track fork that goes slightly to the right. This will cut out roughly 1 mile, but if time is not a restraint, it is highly recommended to keep on the main single track as it will travel into the thick forest.

Once in the forest, the trail forks right again, offering another shortcut which also serves as a detour if the furthest tip of the trail is unrideable due to mud. Stay straight or on the left path to ride the full trail or turn right to cut roughly .25 miles from the ride. The southernmost tip marks as a general halfway point on the trail.

As you come back out of the forest and into the large mule ear meadow, the trail beings to gently climb for most of the trip back to the trailhead.

Expect to see Pineview Reservoir to the southeast when climbing through the meadow, as well as views out to the Great Salt Lake, occasionally looking through the North Ogden Divide.

With 1 mile left on the ascent to the trailhead, another double-track trail will cross the single track. You can choose to take this uphill for a slightly shorter ride if you are running out of time, or continue on the single track which will take you through the forest for almost the entire remainder of the ride.

Expect about one hour or less for total riding time, making this a great trail to ride during the week after work.


Justin McFarland is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys mountain biking, wake surfing and aerial photography. Find him on Facebook or on Twitter at @justinmcfarland.

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