Trail Review: Green Canyon Single Track

Distance:  9.0 miles
Vertical climb/descent:  1135'
Difficulty:  Easy

A typical section of single track.

This trail is another favorite of mine.  Green Canyon lives up to its name in the summertime, and is equally beautiful in the fall when the colors come on.  The trailhead is within easy running distance if you live in Logan, either by roads or the Bonneville Shoreline Trail from First Dam.  Or you can simply drive to the parking lot and start from there.  The trailhead is located at the mouth of Green Canyon at King Park.  To get here, you simply follow 18th North (which turns into 19th North) until you pass the North Logan power substation.  King Park is about 100 m further on your left, complete with bathrooms, drinking fountains, etc.  You can also proceed farther up the road to the second parking lot, but this cuts out a section of about 3/4 mile.  The Green Canyon trail is broken up into 6 sections by road crossings, and follows the Green Canyon Road fairly closely. The trail starts just to the right of the bathrooms at King Park, and the way I usually go I just always bear to the right through this section, staying on the trail.  You will come to the second parking lot after about 3/4 mile, and here you cross the road, head for the bathroom, and just to your left before you get to the bathroom you will see the second section of singletrack.  At the end of this section, you will cross the road again, and here you can either continue on the road for a bit, or take a the short section of singletrack you will see about 50 m away on your front left as you turn onto the road.  Either way will make a short climb and then end up back on the road for a little bit of flat.  You will then go up a fairly steep, rocky hill, and immediately on your left the third section of singletrack begins.  After this, the road crossings are fairly simple, and you will continue through the remaining sections with ease.  The trail is well traveled by runners, mountain bikers, horses, and hikers, so be aware of the traffic, especially on weekends.  Once you get to the end of the sixth section of singletrack, you will be at a turnaround point in the road.  In the wintertime, Utah State University maintains a yurt here which is available for rental, so I refer to this terminus as "the yurt" even in the summertime.  One of the nice things about this trail is that in the winter, the dirt road (which is under 3-4 feet of snow) is groomed for skiers and snowshoers, so it makes a great escape from the monotony of the roads at a time when most other trails are not in a runnable condition.  For those who can or wish to run further than the yurt, the trail restarts on the other side of the turnaround and heads up into the Mount Naomi Wilderness.  From the Green Canyon trail you can access the Wind Caves, Beirdneu Peak, Mount Elmer, Tony Grove, and other locations.  These are long, steep, and difficult runs, but for those who can handle these trails, the views and backcountry running experience are well worth it.

This photo of the road section was taken in early spring before the leaves were out.  Very shady in the summer, and brilliantly colorful in the fall.

Accessibility:  a few minutes by passenger car or a short run, depending on where in Logan you live.  5 Stars.

Runability:  Very smooth trail.  Used by mountain bikers a lot, so the trail is smooth with very few rocks.  The road is actually more technical than the trail.  Road is runnable in the winter.  The only downside is the traffic, especially mountain bikers.  Most are courteous, though.  4 Stars.

Scenic Value:  This is a beautiful run.  It perhaps doesn't have the striking vistas of some of the other trails, but you do get a few good glimpses of Cache Valley coming back, and the greenery in the summer and colors in the fall are amazing.  4 Stars.

Overall Rating:  Close, runnable, shady, perfect for a good trail run before or after work/school, and with access to near unlimited backcountry trail running.  4.3 out of 5 Stars.