I attempted the same ride my Mom biked earlier this year. Simple, you go up Hobble Creek Canyon, come down Diamond Fork Canyon where you’ll end up on highway 6, and then continue home. Simple, until you make a wrong turn. Instead of finishing my descent down the paved road of Spanish Fork Canyon, I followed the sign that pointed me towards Highway 6 and ended traveling an additional 1000 feet and 10+ extra miles.
I was completely destroyed. I ran out of water and food, and had no energy to keep going. I started walking up the hills I encountered. Fortunately, I was stopped by Jason and Michelle who so nicely helped me out. They gave me a protein shake, sprouted pumpkin seeds, and a gallon of water. Just what I needed to keep going. I was able to bike the rest of the way home after that. I am so grateful they stopped and helped me out.
Play by Play
Let me help you from making a wrong turn, and tell you what to expect. As you go up Hobble Creek Canyon you can either travel up the road, or there is a nice paved trail nearby. Once you get past most of the campgrounds, the trail merges with the road. After a while of climbing the road does turns to gravel. This would be a nice spot to turn around if you’re just looking for some quick uphill biking. Continuing on, the road gets steeper. As you begin your descent down the other side of the mountain, you’ll encounter motor bikes, ATVs, and Rhinos, zipping along the road. The road will become paved again, as you leave Diamond Fork Canyon, and continue descending down Spanish Fork Canyon. Make sure you leave the gravel road (which will start climbing uphill again), and go down the paved road of Spanish Fork Canyon. You’ll come out onto Highway 6, and not too long after that you’ll be back in Springville.
Pros
- Not too crowded
- Easy biking, until you hit the dirt road
- Plenty of side trails to go mountain biking on
Cons
- There were all sorts of motorized vehicles on the gravel road as well.
- You may run into cows on the road. This only happened to me once, and the cows ran off before I got to them, but others have run into problems with cows on the road.
Further Reading
Alpine Loop vs Hobble Creek/Diamond Fork
Alpine Loop | Hobble Creek | |
---|---|---|
Steepness | steeper | not as steep, until you hit the gravel road |
Scenery | beautiful and green | not quite as pretty |
The Road | Double track at first, then single track. | Double track at first, then single track, then gravel. |
Elevation Gain | 3113 feet | 2325 feet |
Distance through the canyon | ~30 miles | ~30 miles |