My favorite movie growing up was The Endless Summer, which was directed, produced, narrated, and filmed by Bruce Brown in 1966. The film follows two California-based surfers, Robert August and Mike Hynson, on a 4-month journey around the world in their pursuit of “the perfect wave.”  After traveling to Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, and other world-class surfing destinations, they found it where they least expected—in the small South African town of Cape St. Francis, approximately 400 miles east of Cape Town.

“What every surfer dreams of finding is a small wave with perfect shape. What we call a perfect wave,” Brown exclaimed. “The odds against finding one are 10 million to one . . . The waves look like they had been made by some kind of machine. The rides were so long I couldn’t get most of them on one piece of film. On some of the rides, I timed them in the curl for 45 seconds!”

Finding the Perfect Ride

Since falling in love with cycling in 2005, I have been in pursuit of the perfect ride ever since. What are the characteristics of perfection? For me, the perfect ride is not too long but not too short, features both road and gravel sections on quiet country roads, offers some climbing but isn’t overly grueling, provides epic vistas, and has multiple opportunities to restock on fuel and hydration. Well, I am happy to report that I found perfect ride, and it’s right here in Summit County. I headed out on a classic fall Friday morning at the end of September, and it turned out being one of my favorite rides of the year.

My perfect ride!

After pumping up my gravel tires, stuffing my pockets with snacks, and putting on a light jacket, I began pedaling from the Jeremy Ranch Park & Ride towards Jeremy Ranch Road, a 6-mile long gravel road that heads north toward East Canyon State Park. I sure was glad I grabbed my jacket as temperatures plummeted nearly 16 degrees along my descent of Jeremy Ranch Road into East Canyon. The canyon can be quite shady in the morning and evening hours when the sun hides behind those high mountain peaks, but I knew warmer temperatures were in the forecast. My short-term solution for staying warm included some higher-intensity efforts, but quickly learned that may not have been my best choice — for a couple of reasons.

On the Road

While traveling at speeds of nearly 25 miles per hour, I rounded a blind corner and was greeted by a pack of locals enjoying their morning breakfast. Fortunately, they were more interested in tall grasses than they were of my salted caramel latte-flavored energy gels, so I was able to keep moving without disrupting the herd of cattle too much. The sudden encounter was a solid wake-up call and reminder of standard multiple-use trail and road etiquette. As you may already know: Wheels yield to heels!

"Locals" keeping me company!

 The gravel surface on Jeremy Ranch Road can vary from season to season based on weather, erosion, and maintenance schedules, but I always consider it to be one of the best options for gravel conditions in the area. My bottle cages would argue otherwise. Shortly after saying farewell to Bessie the cow, I once again found myself moving at high speeds along a short descent. All it took was one small divot for my water bottle to eject from its cage and scurry across the road before landing in a ditch. I was due for a small break anyway, so I used the opportunity to gather my bottle, take in the views of Porcupine Creek, and snap some pictures of the fall foliage. (Before moving on, if there are any bicycle-component manufacturers reading this and are interested in sponsoring a mid-pack amateur cyclist, please reach out as I’m thinking some new cages may have prevented this blunder.)

Summer and fall blending together!

Halfway Point

About halfway through the Jeremy Ranch Road gravel segment, you will leave Summit County and cross into Morgan County. At the end of Jeremy Ranch Road, I merged onto SR-65 and enjoyed some smooth tarmac while looking out over East Canyon Reservoir, which offers year-round recreation, camping, a boat launch, pavilions, restrooms, and other amenities. I took advantage of the flat road miles and enjoyed my first on-the-bike snack, as I knew the hardest climb of the day was right around the corner and I’d need every bit of energy to get through it.

East Canyon Reservoir looking fine!

Riding Through a Bit of History

The Hogsback Summit awaits atop a 2.3-mile road climb which rises 516 feet, has an average grade of 3.6 percent, but features maximum gradients in the double digits. The summit is a historical site where the Mormon Pioneer, California, and Pony Express trails cross on another and was first traveled by the Donner Party in 1846. I didn’t have the luxury of time to stop and read more about the site history, so I rolled over the top and back into Summit County and raced towards Henefer. The 5.5-mile descent drops nearly 900 vertical feet, where top Utah cyclists have averaged over 40 miles an hour on the segment. I was content to average a measly 24 miles an hour and enjoy some of the best views of the day.

After passing through Henefer, I jumped on S Echo Frontage Road, a 5-mile gravel road that runs parallel to the Weber River on the west and the Union Pacific Rail Line to the east. This is certainly a section of the ride where you will want to have GPS or a cue sheet on your top tube as it requires a railroad crossing and a few critical turns to keep you from merging onto Interstate 80 or Interstate 84. If you’ve done it right, you’ll be on Echo Dam Rd, pass under the Historical Union Pacific Rail Trail bridge crossing, and begin to enjoy views of Echo Reservoir. Although this marks the beginning of the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail, there were trail maintenance and closure notices, so I stayed on the road a few extra miles and was lucky enough to see an angler land a largemouth bass. I hollered “fish on” as I pedaled by.

Headed back home!

Linking Routes

I was able to sync up with the Rail Trail in Echo State Park, and as much as I wanted to walk down to the beach to put my feet in the water, I was getting increasingly anxious about being away from my beloved spreadsheets, and knew I still had some work to do before getting back to the office. 

With that in mind, I quickly ran into Bell’s Grocery & Gas in Coalville and grabbed a corndog, which in my opinion is the premier fuel source for big rides.

The next 20 miles along the Rail Trail featured many of the elements for the perfect ride. There were incredible views of Deer Valley in the distance, no cars to stress about, temperatures ranging from 68 to 78 degrees, bridge crossings, and plenty of friendly hellos from other trail users. This section passes through Summit County gems Hoytsville and Wanship, and averages just 1.1 percent as it works back towards East Basin. Though the gradient is fair through this segment, I wouldn’t call it an easy effort. 

The Rail Trail is one of the best spots to find gravel in Park City!
A proper treat after a long ride!

Remember, you are on gravel, so it takes a bit more effort to turn the pedals, and even a 1-percent gradient has a compounding effect as the miles tick by and the temperatures rise. With temps eclipsing 80 degrees for the first time of the day and fatigue beginning to creep in, I was certainly happy to find the tarmac again in Atkinson and enjoy a gentle 5-mile descent back to the car.

Last Push

I used the final 5 miles to reflect on my perfect ride. I looked out over the Synderville Basis with views of the Wasatch Crest in the distance and I thought about how lucky I am. The weather was perfect, the leaves were changing, and it wouldn’t be long before snow would start falling and I’d be mapping out my “perfect ski day.”

The Perfect Ride by the Numbers

Distance:  54.97 mi

Elevation Gain:  2,501 feet

Community Completion Time:  Most people take between 3h 17m and 4h 23m to complete this route

And a Few Alternatives

Does this ride sound a little “too” perfect? That’s okay! There are numerous ways to shorten this ride up by starting or ending at one of the many parks along the way. Here are some places you can park to enjoy sections of the ride, and still have the same memorable experience:

Mormon Flat on Jeremy Ranch Road

East Canyon State Park

John’s Park in Henefer

Echo State Park

Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail – Coalville Trailhead

Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail – Wanship Trailhead

Or, perhaps this ride isn’t perfect enough! Rather than heading back towards Jeremy Ranch when you arrive to Silver Creek Junction, stay on the Rail Trail and take it another 7 miles towards Main Street Park City. The Rail Trail will end when it hits Bonanza Dr., but you can connect to Poison Creek Trail which will take you to the bottom of Main St.

 

More Adventures in Park City

The 'Spirit of Gravel' is Alive in Summit County

Biking in Park City

White Water Rafting with All Seasons Adventures