Utah Adventures With A Friend: Part 1

Welcome back to Utah!

Yi is in Utah once again!! This would be the fourth time he visited us from Indiana. It’s always time spent adventuring, laughing, and trying to challenge one another. During this trip, there would be hiking, biking, kayaking, sightseeing and so much more! Yi would be in town for 3 weeks, with a 10-day road trip to southern Utah and the Arizona border in the mix. To say we were going to be busy would be an understatement.

Arrival and a long weekend

Yi made the two-day drive from Indiana, stopping in Colorado along the way. It was Labor Day weekend 2022. He arrived at our house Friday evening and we immediately headed to dinner in Provo to eat and catch up with our friend. To our surprise, there was a Latino-American Festival with music, dancing, entertainment, art, food, etc. It was fun to wander around the event and explore the exhibits.

On Saturday we loaded up the bikes and drove to nearby trails for some “new to Yi” mountain biking. Lambert Park is a dense network of mostly intermediate trails in Alpine, UT. Yi isn’t a fan of the exposure to rock or steep slopes so this would be a great place for some smooth singletrack fun that we all could enjoy.

We made the first lap as a group and then Keith and Yi rode some harder trails while I practiced on the easier ones. This area is tucked behind a beautiful neighborhood and isn't usually too busy. There are some great mountain views and I always enjoy seeing the beautiful homes along the bench of the mountain.

On Sunday, the guys got up bright and early to ride a 50-mile (80.5 kilometer) gravel loop near Strawberry Reservoir. The route started off with a long climb up a recently graded gravel road. The newly laid gravel was a couple of inches deep which made pedaling difficult. One they reached the ridge, the mountain and valley views were totally worth it! Their route was sort of a "lollipop" shape with a long outbound ride and a small loop towards the far end. Overall, the route was spectacular except for Yi's minor crash while descending the gravel road back to our car.

On Monday, Labor Day, we slept in and had breakfast at home. The heat was extremely hot so we decided to take it easy with some shopping. There are many outdoor recreation shops around the area so we hit up a couple of general stores like Sierra and Scheels and then a pretty large bike shop, Hanger 15. We had a great meal at Tin Roof Grill and then stopped by Dirty Dough for some cookies. We wrapped up the long weekend with an evening walk.

Working and playing

Keith works east coast hours so he’s done at 3:00 pm MST, local time. Yi was able to plan to have a lighter schedule while he was in town which allowed him to be done at the same time. I work part-time and have a flexible schedule so we all had the afternoons/evenings open for activities. Yi is an avid runner and road cyclist and is typically very active. Our similar schedules allowed us to make the most of the time after work each day.

After working on Tuesday, we hiked to nearby Stewart Falls. This 3.5-mile (5.6 kilometer) out-and-back trail is always a great time. It's a relatively easy hike and great for chatting along the way while embracing the beauty of the area. The double waterfall at the end is always impressive! Yi took full advantage of the waterfall by running through it, which was smart because it was quite hot.

Hobble Creek Canyon has been a newer location for us in recent years. Known as “Millon Dollar Canyon," it's located at the end of the Wasatch Mountain range. The canyon is lesser known and has some of the largest estates in Utah. It’s gorgeous in the Fall when the leaves change colors and is just as beautiful with a fresh layer of snow. We wanted to share this place with Yi so on Wednesday afternoon, we did a bike ride on the Hobble Creek Paved Trail.

The trail begins in town, passes through a few parks, runs by the Hobble Creek Golf Course, and then extends into the canyon. We rode about 5 miles (8 kilometer) out and then turned back. Our ride was quite warm with the heat wave happening, luckily there is not much elevation gain so that helped. Before we arrived back at the car, the guys decided they wanted to ride a little more. I stopped to enjoy the Wayne Bartholomew Family Park while they explored several more miles. It was a win-win for everyone.

Thursday, Keith and Yi climbed Kyhv Peak Road, formerly named Squaw Peak Road, on their mountain bikes. They took their mountain bikes so that they could descend the beautiful singletrack trail network that runs throughout this area. Yi conquered the nearly 3,000 feet (914 meter) road/gravel climb without issue because he is a BEAST on the bike!

The descent proved to be quite a bit more challenging for Yi. There were several areas that he chose to walk due to the steep, loose nature of the trail. Keith has ridden this route several times before so he was already familiar and comfortable with these technical sections. There is definitely no shame in walking a section that you aren't comfortable with. Overall, Yi did incredibly well throughout the challenging downhill route.

Southern Utah Road Trip

By the time Friday afternoon arrived with our workweeks complete, we all felt accomplished and excited for our upcoming 10-day road trip through Southern Utah. Check back next week as we explore Bryce Canyon National Park, kayak on Lake Powell, and more!  There will also be videos in the next 3 posts.

If you were to visit us in Utah, would you rather hike or bike with us? What are the reasons for your choice? Let us know in the comments section below.👇 💬