Dream Packer Trail Adventures: Spring City (White Hill) Wildlife Management (WMA)

(Updated April 13, 2024) When the upper trails are mostly muddy and snowy, this Wildlife Management Area (WMA) near us is a good choice. As of April, 2024, there are some great horse trails here, well marked with signs. It pays to study a map first and get an idea of where to ride. Please stay off the bike/hike only trails. All in all an enjoyable ride. Very dry and no water feature. Would not recommend in the summer heat. Definitely a late fall or spring ride. (as always, click on a photo to open larger images.)

For detailed map of trails refer to https://www.trailforks.com/trails/the-master-loop-mtn-bike-trail/. (some of the map information is not completely correct, but it's a good reference.)

Parking

UPDATE! The parking has been expanded and gated off.(locked access for motorized vehicles Dec. 1-April 15.) Thank you Back Country Horsemen of Central Utah! This shows the new parking area as of April 19, 2023.

View from the parking area on May 4, 2023.

Tracks

Track on April 25, 2024. 3.3 mile, nice short loop for barefoot horses.

Included Bitterbrush and Jack Rabbit trails.

Our track on April 19, 2024--(the red line--we didn't get a GPS track. This is approximate). A really nice 4.2 mile loop. Parts of Badger, Elk Horn, Sego lily, Bitterbrush, Eagle, Jack Rabbit & Pigeon Hollow.

Our track on November, 13, 2023, which included the Eagle Trail shown in Yellow. 2.5 miles total coming back on the Jack Rabbit and Pigeon Hollow.

Our track on April 19, 2023. We stayed on the roads and visited the south quarry--About 3.8 miles.

Track on November 1, 2023

All "Horse Trails" ride on May 4, 2023. Starting out counter-clockwise at the top (coded in MAGENTA sprinkles) is what is now called Elk Horn Trail. It joins what I call the North Quarry Road (coded in SEA FOAM GREEN. ) We rode this road west and curved back east on the South Quarry Road.(coded in TEAL) There was plenty of room to ride in the grass on the side of this road until we intersected the Quarry Hills which is for bikes only. Photos below of what to watch for. We were pointed out the horse trail with the tentative name of Sego Lily. (coded in STRAWBERRY RED). We went UP this kind of steep hill and intersected Keslo Loop Road. (coded in HONEYDEW--LIGHT GREEN). We rode this up a few dozen yards until we spotted some trails leading south. We wound our way through the trees, staying away from the bike trails and eventually found what I call the Pigeon Hollow Ridge Road and Jack Rabbit and Pigeon Hollow trails (available for horses and bikes.). That brought us back to the parking area. 5 mile Loop. Highest point 6,120'. Ascent=1,014'. Trail conditions: 70% dirt, 15% gravelly and 15% rocky. Fine for barefoot horses in good condition.

This is our track on April 20, 2022. Basically, just rode from one road to the other. Photos below of that ride. We call this route "North Quarry". The top part of the "lollipop" is now called the Badger trail.

This shows our track on Oct. 31, 2020. It was about 7.2 miles. We made some incorrect turns and ended up WAY too far west, which required us to do some bushwhacking and zig zagging down a steep hill to get back down to the road. I used my phone to toggle back and forth which showed kind of where we should have gone. Oh, well, it was still a good ride and there is so much left to explore. It kind of reminds me of Antelope Island without the lake. 😊

The part we rode was mostly dirt, some soft and some hard; many rocky areas, but nothing a barefoot horse in good condition cannot handle. Some two tracks and some single tracks and some no tracks. We didn't see anyone else even though it was a Saturday. We saw bike tracks, OHV tracks and horse tracks. (This track did not involve any of the "MASTER LOOP"--Now called "Quarry Hills")

Trails—Jack Rabbit/Eagle

Middle Jack Rabbit, April 25, 2024, heading west

Lower Jack Rabbit, April 25, 2024--where it intersects with the bike trail.

View from South Eagle trail (which has great views of both valleys), April 19, 2024

Lower Jack Rabbit, April 25, 2024

Sign for Jack Rabbit from the ridge going west.

Trails—Sego Lily/Bitterbrush

Bitterbrush trail, April 19, 2024

Here is the beginning of what is tentatively called Sego Lily Trail. It is faint and veers off to the left from the well worn bike trail.

Should be looking like this.

...And this. Trail can also be accessed from the south quarry here.

Sego Lily Trail, May 12, 2023

After riding through the forest for a ways, you'll come across this two track. Turn right up it. Or..better still...go left and find the Bitter Brush intersection.

One option-- riding up that somewhat steep hill.

You'll come upon this amazing vista of the Sanpete valley. At this point you have three options: 1) wind your way south east through the forests. 2) to take the Eagle horse trail east and eventually come upon the ridge or 3) Take the Jack Rabbit which heads west for a while, then winds down into some lovely forest riding. #3 is my choice as of April 25, 2024.

Trails—Pigeon Hollow

May 12, 2021. Lots of sheep in the meadow on the Pigeon Hollow. Can avoid by staying on the upper trails. (As of 2023, I don't believe sheep are allowed there anymore.)

"Fork" where the Pigeon Hollow trail splits up with the horse trail going to the left (South Loop) and the bike trail to the right. Taken November 1, 2023.

Pigeon Hollow--Lower South Loop Trail on November 1, 2023--not much traffic on this one

April 19, 2024, headed back to parking

Trails—Elk Horn/Badger

View from the Elk Horn as it heads down the hill on the west side of the north quarry.

Further down from the Elk Horn as it heads down the hill on the west side of the north quarry.

Where the Elk Horn intersects with the North Quarry Road

. At this point turn right for one option. Turn left for another option and ride up the road for about a half mile. There, a new trail called the Bitter Brush takes off up the hillside. (that ends up being a "short cut".) Yet, still ANOTHER option is to ride across the road for the continuation of the Elk Horn. As of our ride on April 19, 2024, it is marked with yellow/blue ribbons and connects over the hillside to the South Quarry Road.

Badger Trail, April 19, 2024

Roads

Photo above shows the "south quarry", April 19, 2023.

Heading west on the North Quarry Road. There is a corral of sorts. You can ride to the left of it cross country to avoid the road if desired. But, the road is soft dirt...