Lift Access Trails and Mountain Biking in Park City

"Dropping!" The first thing you yell to your friends when you point your wheel down a trail. Maybe someone is down below ready to catch your ride on film. But more likely you're just stoked to ride a new or familiar bit of singletrack. Everyone who has ridden a bike knows that feeling of descent, the whoosh as you pick up speed. To "drop" in Park City can be done in a few ways. Our trail network has lots of descending-specific options: blue flow, double black tech, jumps, etc. Most, if not all, can be pedaled up to. The miles and miles of velvety smooth singletrack is internationally renown at this point. But many of them, even the ones not in a formal bike park, are accessible via chair lift. 

By taking a lift, you can skip half the climb (yes, that's true) and access hundreds of miles of trail that sprawls across Park City and connects to neighboring communities. A lot of trails head right back down the hill. Others keep going across and up, letting you access high alpine singletrack without wasting your legs. Here is a roundup of all the lift access opportunities in Park City. Use the Trailforks app and the Park City summer trail map online for detailed maps and conditions or stop by a local bike shop to put together the perfect ride!

Deer Valley Bike Park

Deer Valley offers mountain biking from not one, not two, but three chair lifts—Silver Lake Express, Sterling, and Homestake Express! This bike park is the oldest in Park City and has evolved to appeal to a broad range of rider style and abilities. Trails like Holy Roller are wide and smooth and feature an approachable grade for beginners while Tsunami is home to huge table top jumps and massive berms. Some of the original hits are still there. Fire Swamp and Thieves Forest are two technical downhill trails that have seen updates to improve flow and safety. On the front side is the venerable NCS downhill race track that hosted the NORBA series races and international athletes! 

In addition to their bike park, Deer Valley manages 60 miles of trails across six different peaks. Their lift access allows easier access to this riding and cuts out a lot of the climb. There truly is something for everyone at the Deer Valley bike park.

Woodward Park City

Woodward has the newest lift access bike park in Park City. On the same hill they operate their winter terrain parks is an incredible diverse set of trails. Multiple sets of dirt jumps and a massive paved pump track are perfect for BMX riders and dirt jumpers. And even the kiddos have their own set of low key riding areas to get comfortable on the bike. Off the Hot Laps lift are more flow and technical downhill trails for beginner advanced riders. 

Separate progression zones allow riders to refine their form and test limits before moving to more advanced trails and features. Woodward operates summer camps and offers lessons for riders of all abilities. Their instructors will work with you step-by-step to break down a trail and safest (and most fun) way to ride it! 

Park City Mountain

Park City Mountain has a robust summer operation, providing lift rides for mountain bikers from both of their resort villages. While there is no formal bike park, there are DH-specific trails off both the Crescent chairlift and Red Pine Gondola. But the real treat is the access both of these lifts give you, the rider. Both lifts take you above the Mid Mountain trail, or the 8000 foot level, providing instant access to the high alpine trails that you would normally have to climb to for about an hour. Newer flow trails like Change Reaction start at nearly 9,000 feet! And even higher is the sought after Wasatch Crest trail, traversing the ridge separating Park City and Big Cottonwood Canyon. Access like this is rare and we're incredibly lucky to have these opportunities for riding! 

Crescent Express Chairlift - Mountain Village

The Crescent chairlift whisks you up about 1700 feet in just a few minutes. As you go up, you'll glide over the popular Jenni's hike and bike trail and even get up above the Mid Mountain trail. At the top, aside from the outstanding views of the Uinta mountains to the east, you have access to a ton of singletrack. You can keep riding up on Three Candles to Keystone and on to the Wasatch Crest trail or head immediately down on Silver Queen or Mojave. Both trails are descending only and end on Mid Mountain, letting you connect to even more trails!

Red Pine Gondola - Canyons Village

The Red Pine gondola provides easy access to Mid Mountain, where you can pedal north toward trails in the Kimball Junction area. A favorite of ours is to connect Mid Mountain to Ambush and the Olympic trail. This connects into Moose Puddle which descends down the front side the Utah Olympic Park and then hooks up to Legacy Loop and Iron Bill. This ride rips all the way down to Kimball Junction where you can hop the bus back to your car or pedal over to Red Rock Brewery or Maxwells for a little après.

Transit to Trails

Every rider loves a good shuttle. But think if you didn't have to go back up for your vehicle at the end of your ride? The Transit to Trails program accomplishes just that by providing free shuttle rides to the Bonanza Flat recreation area. Simply book a ride and you'll be riding classic trails like Corvair, Charlie's 9k, Flagstaff Loop, and so much more. Trust us when we say it's better to leave your car in town and take the free shuttle. You'll save a ton of gas (Marsac is a steep road!) but you'll help us out by reducing traffic on our mountain passes. 

More Adventures in Park City

Where to Grab Bites and Beers After Your Ride

Why You Should Never Ride a Muddy Trail

Check Out Mountain Bike Lessons at Woodward Park City