If you’re looking to move beyond the paved trails highlighted in our “casual biking” section and put some serious miles in, this is the place for you! Below are several rides in and around Springville and Mapleton that can be combined or modified however you like.
1. The Right Fork of Hobble Creek Canyon starting at Canyon Road/1700 East. This popular road cycling route begins in Springville and continues for 11.7 miles to the end of the paved section of the right fork of Hobble Creek Canyon (at the Wardsworth Creek trailhead, which is nice for hiking and relatively advanced mountain biking). The road does not have designated bicycle lanes, but traffic is generally light above the golf course and the canyon is cool and peaceful.
2. The Left Fork of Hobble Creek Canyon starting at Canyon Road/1700 East. This is a nice alternative to the right fork, with a wider but somewhat busier road. It is a nice ride at 10.4 miles to the end of the paved road, boasting magnificent views of Provo Peak. The two forks can be combined for some pretty good elevation gain.
3. Mapleton Canyon from the Mapleton Civic Center to the Maple Mountain Trailhead at the top of Whiting Campground. This one is only 3.3 miles each way, but with 800 feet of elevation gain it will get your legs pumping! There are no bike lanes on this route, but the road is generally quiet and the drivers courteous. Best to combine this with Hobble Creek Canyon or plan in some extra mileage on the flats.
4. The streets of Mapleton are generally quiet and pretty smooth and there are lots of different routes to choose from if you don’t care about reaching a particular destination. Here is one route that can be modified lots of different ways. Here is one sample ride that combines mostly quiet streets with the Mapleton Lateral Canal Trail.
5. The new Lakeview Parkview Trail that follows the road connecting East Bay to the Provo Airport and on to Provo Center Street is also a nice place to ride–it can be accessed from Springville via Kuhni Road and 1860 S in Provo. Here is one sample ride out that way.
6. The roads west of I-15 in south Utah County (West Mountain, Benjamin, Lake Shore area) are also generally good for road cyclists. These are typically flat and narrow, but with very little traffic. A nice long ride goes past Lincoln Point, around West Mountain (the actual mountain, not the town), through Genola, then back up through the town of West Mountain.
For more ideas, check out where members of our group are riding using Strava: