Road Biking near the Great Salt Lake
06.18.08 by Kendall CardSome people may say that road biking in Salt Lake City can be hectic and mediocre at best. I’d tend to disagree. From the Cottonwood Canyons to locations like Suncrest, Wasatch Blvd and the Jordan River Parkway, to the west end of the valley there are plenty of road biking gems to be found.
A friend of mine was out biking yesterday evening to the west of Salt Lake near Saltair and captured some images that say more about how beautiful the cycling can be in Salt Lake than I could surmise in an entire blog post.
You can pick up this trail (seen below) on the east side of the Salt Lake Airport which then runs through the golf course and west into the business complex. From there you can follow the frontage road that leads out to Saltair and then return back for a good out and back.
Sometimes people have complained of the smell of brine shrimp near the lake but I believe it’s typically that way in autumn when the water is receeding.
Road biking is just one of the many activities you can do while in Salt Lake. Bike rentals are just $35 a day at one of Canyon Sports’ four Salt Lake locations.
– Photos by Marit of the Grrrlie Chronicles
I have also heard friends complain about Salt Lake traffic that interferes with road biking. However, after becoming acquainted with the bike routes I would like to defend Salt Lake’s road reputation. One of my favorite ‘biker-friendly’ rides consists of taking the Wasatch and Foothill boulevards along the base of the mountains over to the Hogle Zoo. Those that are overly ambitious can bypass the zoo and head straight up Emigration Canyon for some beautiful scenery! Check out this website for a map of Salt Lake’s bike routes: http://www.slcgov.com/transportation/bicycletraffic/PDF/bikemapfront2002.pdf.
07.08.08 at 4:47 pm