Coalville, UT - Union Pacific Trail (9/9 - 9/12/24)

After leaving Craters of the Moon NP, we moved further south into Utah to ride the Union Pacific Trail from Coalville. This is another Hall of Fame Rail Trail on our bucket list. We stayed at Roam Echo Island RV Park that was near Coalville. Since this trail wasn't very long, we were only here a few days.

This trail was 28 miles long and had some history signage that explained it's historic significance. In the 1860s this route was used for silver mining purposes. This is some art hidden from the highway above.

The trail actually starts in Park City, UT and passes north through the towns of Wanship, Silver Creek Canyon, and Coalville, ending at the Echo Reservoir.

Along the ride you see signs of volcanic activity with multiple scenic views while moving through the mountain passages. The ride south is essentially all up-hill (2%) into Park City.

The trail itself wasn't the best. It was not paved and overgrown in several areas. Despite the great views, the trail had areas where goatheads presented a hazard to bikers. We had heard about this before the ride and it was supposed have the worst concentration north of Coalville. We decided to ride south from Coalville to Park City where Kyle and Jobi could give us a ride back to the campground. We rode about 25 of the 28 miles of this trail.

Michelle, with her huge e-bike tires were actually punctured twice, requiring tube replacements. Luckily, the second tube didn't deflate until after the ride. My tires were smaller Gravel Kings and luckily I avoided that fate. This trail wasn't very busy, but we also ran across another person with a flat miles from the next town. She asked if we had a pump to help her out, but we had used our CO2 cartridges on Michelle's tire. I highly recommend you prepare for riding this trail with puncture resistant tires and bring extra tubes and air. We even had to use a gas station air pump in Wanship to help us get to the finish line.

The best part of this stay was being able to see Kyle and Jobi who had just recently moved from Iowa to Salt Lake City to start a new chapter. Since we were able to finish our ride to Park City, we had dinner together at the No Name Saloon. After dinner they gave us a ride back to Coalville.

Another big bonus of this trip was being able to see my old friend from high school Ron Myers and his wife Katy at Ghidotti's restaurant in Park City. Our retirement lifestyle really has advantages to not only see the great places in this country, but to catch up with friends and family much more than when we were working 9-5. Next up is a trip to Moab, UT to visit more National Parks.