Few cities boast mountains close enough for cyclists to pedal from city streets to single track in an hour. But for many Salt Lake locals, a post-workday ride through the hills is a daily routine. In recent years, the city's close trails have also become a draw for visiting convention delegates and leisure travelers. With hundreds of miles of trails surrounding Salt Lake, ranging from high-elevation, rock-strewn single track to meandering historic pioneer pathways, it's no wonder that the city has started capitalizing on easy access to the great outdoors. Following are locals' recommendations for some of the most popular mountain biking areas and trails.

Lift-assisted mountain biking: Both Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort (801-933-2222, www.snowbird.com) and Solitude Mountain Resort (801-534-1400, www.skisolitude.com) allow riders to forgo pedaling up the mountain before enjoying the descent. Both resorts print trail maps and offer mountain bike rentals by the hour, half day, and full day.

Bonneville Shoreline Trail: This beginner-to-intermediate, single- and double-track trail rambles behind historic Fort Douglas, the University of Utah, and Red Butte Garden along natural terraces left behind by glaciers that carved the Salt Lake valley hundreds of years ago. Begin at the Sunnyside trailhead, located at the mouth of Emigration Canyon at the east entrance of This Is The Place State Park. Follow the trail north to the Popperton Park trailhead and retrace the route back to Sunnyside.

Millcreek Canyon Pipeline: This trail is an intermediate, single-track trail following the contours of Millcreek Canyon's northern slope. Highlights include a panoramic view of the Salt Lake valley, from Point of the Mountain to the Great Salt Lake. To access, travel southbound on Interstate 215 to exit 3 (3900 South) and turn left onto 3900 South. Turn left at Wasatch Boulevard. Turn right (east) on Millcreek Canyon Road (3800 South). Elbow Fork, the beginning of the trail, is five miles up the canyon from the fee station. (Leaving a shuttle vehicle down canyon at the Rattlesnake Gulch trailhead is recommended.)

Wasatch Crest Trail: One of the Wasatch Range's premier advanced-skill-level rides, this trail takes bikers through sun-dappled aspen groves and alpine meadows and past craggy mountain peaks. Tackle this trail with a shuttle from the top of Guardsman Pass (accessed via Big Cottonwood Canyon). Follow the trail from Scott's Pass along the spine of the Wasatch Mountains down through Millcreek Canyon. Ride the pavement to the Olympus Hills Mall, a good place to leave the other shuttle vehicle.

Moab and beyond: Salt Lake is also the closest metropolitan gateway to Moab and the famed mountain biking mecca of Southern Utah's red rock country. During the past few years, mountain bike enthusiasts have started planning an extra day to Experience the RockiesSM in Salt Lake en route to Moab's red rock landscape.

###

Media Contact: Jason Mathis +1 801-534-4913 jason@saltlake.org