Good places to run in SLC

[Dallen]

I just moved back to Utah (Cottonwood Heights). I'm looking for suggestions on nice places to do long runs. Specifically, somewhere with a nice long sustained climb. Trail, road, path, whatever, as long as it is runable.

[Cheryl Keith]

Millcreek Canyon has some great trails.  The pipeline trail just above the Log Haven Restaurant has some great uphill stretches.

City Creek Canyon has a long sustained uphill, not sure of the mileage, but think you can get at least four miles all uphill.

The Bonneville Shoreline trail has some great hilly runs.

If you want to run on streets, the Avenues are great for hill running.

[Maurine Lee]

If you are looking at road runs - up MillCreek Canyon, Little Cottonwood Canyon or Big Cottonwood Canyon have lots of long uphills.

Also - the Little Cottonwood trail has about 3 miles of uphills.

[Sasha Pachev]

Dallen:

Welcome back. If I lived where you do the first thing I would try would be move to Provo, but if that was not an option I would run up the Emmigration Canyon and back. Sing the last verse of Come, Come Ye Saints as you climb up the Little Mountain.

[Dallen]

Thanks for the suggestions. There is no chance of moving to Provo. I'm at the U for a year.

[Dallen]

Does anyone actually run up (or down) the cottonwood canyon roads? There's not much space for anything but cars.

[Steve P]

I also go to the U. As someone mentioned already, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail is great. You can get on part of it at the U and run for as long as you want. I get on it near the Huntsman Cancer Hospital (very northeast part of campus). It's beautiful. I've never tried running up Big or Little Cottonwood canyons, but there have to be some dirt trails up there. For some of my hill running, I run through the streets on the east side where there are plenty of ups and downs...a good place for this is Wasatch Blvd if you don't mind cars and bicycles driving at high speeds next to you for parts of it.

P.S. It would be fun to run together sometime. I'll try my hardest to keep up.

[Maurine Lee]

Does anyone actually run up (or down) the cottonwood canyon roads? There's not much space for anything but cars.

I have run down the last several miles of Little Cottonwood Canyon with no problem.  I had to get off the Little Cottonwood Trail because I was the only runner on it one day last fall and it was creeping me out.

[Dave Holt]

A couple months ago I went up and back to Alta and all the cars were very respectful - I think they are used to that kind of traffic (at least bikes, I did get a few looks up near the top of the canyon).  I also used to live right at the base of Big Cottonwood and it was okay for running, but a little more traffic, so I tried to stay away from it.  But in that area, Creek Road is pretty, hilly and a lot of fun, so is Wasatch Blvd and out into Draper.  Another good place is the Dimple Dell park trails, designed for horses mostly but fun trails and a lot of good rolling climbers.

[Paul (RivertonPaul)]

Emigration canyon is good, just keep an eye out for the cyclists.

[Maurine Lee]

Also the Porter Rockwell Trail and Draper Canal Trails in Draper have some gentle but long uphills - and good equestrian trails off to the side that you can run on.

[Jon Allen]

Sasha, I have to laugh that you told Dallen the best place to run in SLC is to move to Provo.  True Happy Valley mentality.  If Provo is so nice, I would think you would want to discourage people from coming cause it would become overcrowded... which is exactly why I tell people that Logan stinks, the trails are terrible, the people are mean, and no one should ever move here.  Oh, and the winters are really cold. 

[Sasha Pachev]

Jon:

With as big as the Utah Valley is, and as many people as come out to races like Provo River Half , you would think we would see a lot of people training. But, alas, Provo River Trail has plenty of capacity. I hardly see anybody, runners, walkers, bikers, hardly a soul between 6 AM and 8 AM. 10 people during a run on average. I know almost every face. If somebody, especially a new face, is going faster than 9:00 in our direction, Jeff and I chase him down and invite him to join us.  Such opportunity does not present itself very often, maybe once a month. And this is not some obscure mountain trail, mind you. It is not like a whole lot of people run in the evening either, although definitely more than in the morning. Where are they? Gym? Home treadmill? Or maybe just racing untrained.

[Jon Allen]

My sister used to live one mile south of BYU campus.  From the looks of things by her house, I would say all the runners are BYU students plodding through a few miles on the sidewalks over there.  Lots of people running all the time. 

Paul, Cody, and I know almost all the sub-8 runners in Logan, too.  There are very few of them that aren't USU/HS cross country members or FRB members.  I know I sure do a double take anytime I see someone going particularly fast on a Logan trail, but am happy to see some any and all runners on the trail, whatever the speed.  Heck, Paul and I even saw Carol Cabanillas running in Logan the day of Ogden marathon (we figure she was there for WAC track meet).

But again, Logan stinks, the mountain trails are terrible, the people are mean, and no one should ever move here.  And whatever you do, don't come run the Logan Peak Trail run this weekend. 

[Maurine Lee]

My sister used to live one mile south of BYU campus.  From the looks of things by her house, I would say all the runners are BYU students plodding through
But again, Logan stinks, the mountain trails are terrible, the people are mean, and no one should ever move here.  And whatever you do, don't come run the Logan Peak Trail run this weekend. 

Too late.  I already signed up.  And I am scared to death of the run.