Trail Review: Stump Hollow

Distance:  10.0 miles
Vertical climb/descent:  1800'
Difficulty:  Moderate

Stump Hollow is an amazing trail.  I dare say it's probably the most runnable singletrack I've ever experienced, and that's not even the best part.  The trail starts near the turnoff from Highway 89 to Beaver Mountain Ski Resort, about a 45 minute drive (east--towards Bear Lake) from Logan.  There is a little parking lot right at the turnoff, and from there you just run down the left side of the main highway heading west (toward Logan) until you see a singletrack trail.  This is the trail.  Once you get on the trail, be prepared for some of the best mountain trail running and scenery I've seen in Utah.  The trail winds through pine, douglas fir, and aspen forest, climbing steadily and fairly steeply for the first 3 miles or so.  The trail is smooth as a baby's butt for the most part, and you can take your eyes off the ground to admire the forest and scenery.  After navigating some switchbacks, from which you get some spectacular views, you'll level out near the top of a ridge.  The trail continues to roll through thick pines and firs, interspersed with lush meadows of wildflowers, sage, and some other broad leaf shrub whose name I don't know.  You are still climbing in this section, but very gradually.  After about a mile or so of this, you'll top out on a ridge overlooking Peter Sinks.  As you descend, you'll note a strange phenomenon.   Usually, the tree line is at a certain elevation, and there are no trees above it.  This is the opposite.  As you descend into the Sinks, you'll see the trees abruptly disappear, giving way to stark, tundra-like terrain.  This is because Peter Sinks is one of the coldest spots in the lower 48 States on a regular basis.  In the winter, the topography, combined with a blanket of snow, creates a hyperbolic mirror which reflects all the sun's rays outward, no matter which angle they come from, resulting in frigid temperatures which can approach -70 F.  The result is that the only growth is low scrub sage, sparse grass, and wildflowers.  Beautiful in its own right, but not necessarily what you'd expect at 8000 feet.  The trail here is faint, and can be difficult to follow, but it is marked by rock cairns.  I usually stop and turn around at the 5 mile mark somewhere near the middle of the Sinks, but you can continue on and connect to the jeep trails which are visible across the depression.  I have yet to explore that far.  Maybe another day when I have more time.  Heading back you can really turn on the jets without much fear of stumbling in most places.  The trail is soft and smooth, and facing down the hollow you can take in even more of the great views.  Barring other factors such as travel time, this is hands down my favorite trail to run.

My camera phone fails to do this trail any sort of justice, but here are a few pictures for a taste:

One of the "rocky" parts of the trail...

Attempt at a closeup shot of blooming mule ear with some mountain mahogany and a beautiful backdrop

The view dropping into Peter Sinks. 

One of the bigger sinks, and you can see the little weather station just left of center.  70 below is REALLY COLD!

You might not believe me, but there is a herd of about 50 elk just to the left of the little patches of snow below the treeline.  My camera sucks, and I was kicking myself for not bringing my fanny pack and "good" camera, but trust me, they're there.

Yours truly...

Accessibility:  about 45 minutes drive from Logan.  Too bad, but I suppose that's the price you pay for solitude.  1 Star.

Runnability:  Best singletrack I've ever run.  Hands down.  5 stars.

Scenic Value:  Spectacular.  5 stars.

Overall Rating:  3.6 out of 5 Stars.  I would run this trail much more often if it were closer, but I guess that's part of the magic of it.  Too close and it would get old.  A run you must do once in awhile.