What’s in your Bucket?

There are rides everyone has on their bucket list. Some of these might be considered epics. Reno-Flag-Bear-Deadman in Crested Butte comes to mind.

Monarch Crest might not be what I would call an epic, but it is without a doubt a bucket list ride.

What separates a bucket list ride from an epic in my book, is that bucket rides are usually much shorter and really don’t present a major challenge. But they are some of the most scenic and enjoyable rides on the planet. They are also rides that most everyone has heard of and wishes they someday could ride. They're in the bucket!

With this in mind I endeavoured to ride some of my bucket list on the way to the Columbia River Gorge this summer for vacation. Since we would be traveling through areas of the country that I wouldn’t get to under most circumstances, I wanted to take the time to ride some of the trails along the way. It was a great opportunity to empty some of the bucket!

The first trail we pulled out was the Thunder Mt. Trail outside of Bryce Canyon Utah. This trail is considered by many to be one of the most unusually scenic Mt. Bike trails in the country. It truly is the land of the Dream-sicles.

Thunder Mt. or Red Canyon as it is called is part of the Claron formation that make up the Bryce Canyon rim. Wikipedia actually has really good write up on what makes up the geology of the Bryce Canyon area and you can read more about it here.

There are also a couple trails in the area that provide a great multi-ride opportunity. The Cassidy-Losee Loop is part of this. You can find out more about these trails at the great Utah Mountain Biking Website which has Thunder Mt. written up here and the Cassidy Loop described here.

Thunder Mt. did not disappoint, after a quick 7 mile ride up the paved path (in our case a wee bit longer after getting lost) you arrive at the Coyote Hollow Trailhead up on the shoulder of Thunder Mt. The mountain is actually more of a bump that drains off into the Red Canyon area and has created much of the scenery we rode in.

The trail starts off in what I would call a High Desert Pine Forest and descends gradually through multiple drainage arroyos. The builders of the trail did a good job of following the contours and utilizing the drainage's to create drops and climb outs that slowly descend into the sandstone canyon.

The trail conditions were superb. I will admit, however, that the upper sections in the pines do suffer the effects of horse traffic, but I wouldn’t call the trail pummeled. Lower down the trail is solid and smooth as it rolls through the sandstone formations that make up the best of Thunder Mt.

The scenery seems to transform from a rolling trail in the pines to seeing more and more sandstone outcroppings. There comes a point where the trail seems to cross a ridge line and before you stretches the expanse of Red Canyon. Truly spectacular!



As for the quality of this ride as part of the “Bucket List”, I’d rate it a solid “A“. It is incredibly scenic and has a great trail track. The fact that you have to ride a paved trail to create a loop might detract a bit, but you can also consider it a warm up. The fact that you can combine this with the Cassidy Loop means it has an “all day” option to it.

But be forewarned, this area is NOT an area you would want to ride wet. I did the Cassidy in Mid-April of 2007 and it was still thawing out. Not fun!

See more of our photos for this awesome bucket ride here.

The next destination we pulled from the list was the famous Flume Trail above Lake Tahoe. This trail has been written about many times in the magazines and it is considered a must do scenic adventure. I have skied around Lake Tahoe before and know that the Lake can provide a truly scenic backdrop. That’s what I was looking forward to.

We were fortunate to hit the trail on a Friday which was a good thing. The Tahoe Rim Ultra Marathon was scheduled for Saturday and that probably would have been a problem with packs of runners to deal with. I also hear that the crowds on the weekend can degrade the flow of riding the Flume. However, we rode it at a good time and maybe ran into 10 other riders up there.

I have heard various comments about the Flume being a scenic stroll and not much of a challenge to ride. However, I will say that it starts with a nice 7 mile roll up a forest road that might surprise you.

It starts out as a gentle incline that gets steeper and steeper as you go. It turns into quite the workout if you just go for it. I almost cleaned it but had to stop near the top to let the lactic acid flush from my legs. Being use to riding at 8,000' meant we weren't starved for oxygen, but that doesn’t make the climbs around Lake Tahoe any less steep.

Once you make it to Marlette Lake though it’s all easy riding from there. A “Flume” is a wooden structure used to transport water and timber from a mountainous area into a city. To control the descent of the huge logs the Flumes were built on a real gradual pitch. Consequently, most Flume Trails provide a pretty easy descent or climb. The Flume Trail at Lake Tahoe was used to carry water to Virginia and Carson City during the Gold and Silver Rush. So it's got some history to it! You can read more about the origins of The Flume Trail here.

What makes the Flume Trail at Lake Tahoe so spectacular though is the views. You can’t beat riding 1000’ above the Lake and looking out over that expanse of water. The trail itself can be tricky though. It is narrow and the penalty for exiting stage left can be huge. You definitely want to ride the Flume slowly and take in the scenery.

We rode it around until it met the Tahoe Rim Trail which takes you up to the ridge line above Marlette Lake. We thought about making it a loop but decided the views were so spectacular that it warranted doing an out and back. The ride back was actually incredibly enjoyable. We had already taken all the pictures we wanted and knew the trail, so we could just do a slow roll and enjoy the views from on top the bike. Spectacular!

As for Bucket Potential, I would rate The Flume a “B+”. It requires riding a forest road to get to and doesn’t have much in the way of challenge, but it is without a doubt one of the more scenic rides I’ve done. The fact that you can combine it with the Tahoe Rim trail means it has potential for some extended riding. I’ll say we only scratched the surface of the Flume when it comes to making it more epic and I’d consider doing it again if I ever get back to Lake Tahoe.

Here’s some pictures of the most awesome day of riding we could have ever hoped for.

All I can say is that you have to empty the bucket every once in a while. And it makes it that much more special when you have weather like we enjoyed. So, what's in your bucket? Thunder Mt. and The Flume wouldn't be a bad addition to the list!

Enjoy!!!