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Cottonwood Heights Journal

Golden Spoke ride celebrates completion of continuous trail from Provo to Ogden

May 24, 2018 12:06PM ● By Jana Klopsch

(Courtesy of Scott Festin)

By Justin Adams | [email protected]

On June 2, the Wasatch Front Regional Council will be hosting a “Golden Spoke” bike ride event to celebrate the completion of a 100+ mile long trail network spanning the Wasatch front from Provo to Ogden.

The trail network is made up of several individual trails such as the Jordan River Trail, Murdock Canal Trail, the Legacy Trail and others. With recent connections made between the trails, it is now possible to travel from Provo to Ogden by bike (or even by foot if you’re really brave).

“It’s the second-longest connected paved trail in the United States,” said Scott Hess, the director of community and economic development for the Wasatch Front Regional Council.

The Golden Spoke ride event will have two separate groups of bikers collectively ride the length of the trail network. One group will start from Bridal Veil Falls in the south and the other from Ogden Canyon’s Rainbow Gardens in the north. The groups will meet in the middle at Fisher Mansion in Salt Lake City (1206 West 200 South) for a celebration.

Those who aren’t able to bike the long distance from either starting point are also welcome to join in the ride at any location along its route. The Wasatch Front Regional Council website has estimated times of arrival for various locations.

The bikers who go the length of either route may notice some differences between the trails, improvements which Hess said local leaders implemented in later trails based on the feedback for older trails.

“They didn’t conceive of the possibility of the trail reaching capacity,” said Hess referring to parts of the Provo River Trail and Ogden River Trail that are only eight feet wide and often result in overcrowding.

Newer trail sections, like the Murdock canal trail, are as wide as 14 feet and have lines marking separate zones for bikers and pedestrians.

The celebration at Fisher Mansion will include local food vendors, a “bike rodeo” for kids, and short public comments by various officials who had a hand in completing the trail including Utah Governor Gary Herbert, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell and Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini.

The celebration portion of the event is scheduled between 12:30 and 3 p.m. with the speakers expected between 2 and 2:30.

Following the festivities at Fisher Mansion, there will be some shuttle services to help riders return to where their ride started. UTA will also be at the event providing a limited number of complimentary transit passes which riders can use to take the Frontrunner train from the Salt Lake Central station located just a few blocks away. Visit the WFRC website for more information on transportation.