Dawn Patrol Mountain Biking in American Fork Canyon

I’ve ridden in American Fork Canyon through October, but that’s pretty rare since the snow comes early and overnight temperatures stay cold. Yesterday, we hit the trails early (6:15 am) and the temperatures were hovering in the mid-30’s.  Not only was it chilly, but it was still dark too. By 6:30, things were light enough to venture out.

There are few locations with the quality of singletrack found throughout American Fork Canyon and now is a great time to ride while the conditions are soft and tacky. As opposed to mid-summer’s silty, dusty conditions, at this time of year, the trails are much softer and dust trails are no longer a concern.

We chose to ride from the Timpooneke trailhead parking lot (which fills up by 6:00am on Saturday’s) on Trail 150 all the way to the Ridge Trail 157, continue northward to the 4-way and down Trail 252, which would ultimately take us back to the summit where we took 159 back down to 150 and the Timpooneke parking lot.

Here’s a few shots from the day:

Jason Mitchell Riding on Trail 252 near Cascade Springs Road

Ben Brutsch Riding on Trail 150 Near Timpooneke Trailhead

Early-morning View of Mt. Timpanogos from Just South of Mud Springs

The morning light is so beautiful… you’ve got to get out there! But, be aware that the parking lot still fills early on Saturday due to the climbing traffic.  I double-parked and was close to getting a $125 ticket, had I not arrived back at my car by 8:30 am.