Mountain Bike Catherine's Pass

This ride isn't for the faint of heart. It's seriously tough. It's one of the most scenic and rewarding rides you'll ever do, though. The climbing is steep and the descents are rocky.

Try to ride it early in the morning. Hikers frequent these trails. An early morning rip is the best way to keep from having to constantly pull over and let uphill traffic go by. Don't forget the right of way on multi-use trails. Bikers yield to everyone. Don't be the guy that pisses off enough hikers and gets the trail shut down to bikes. 

Starting out at the Alta Summer Road, warm up on the dirt road up to the midway parking lot. That's where the Catherine's Pass tail starts on your left (There's a sign. You can't miss it.). Here is where it gets steep and rocky. Challenge your friends to clean the technical uphill sections. The trail wanders up to the east. The views are amazing. Devil's Castle to the south, Overlooks Albion Basin. Time it right and the landscape will be dotted with one of the best wildflower displays on the state.  

You can take a few different options once you reach Catherine's Pass. The easiest is to turn around ride what you just came up. You can continue the ride up to Sunset Peak (on of the few bikeable peaks in the Wasatch) or American Fork Canyon. My favorite option is to drop down the trail to the east towards the Brighton Lakes. From there you can find a few options to link back up to Alta Ski Area. My personal favorite is over Twin Lakes Pass and down Grizzly Gulch. 

Download Trailforks or carry a map. There are a lot of trails in the area.