Review Date
May 12, 2009

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: XLE_biker ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Since it has been a while since it has been reviewed, thought it might be worth revisiting. Open over the last 3 years from mid-May through November/ December, all dependent on the snow year. A cooler morning ride than afternoon ride. The sun hits the dry west facing slope in the afternoon and can get pretty hot!

Fall of 2008 the trails crew were making improvements to the route. This has helped improve the lower field portion of the trail. Much of loose rock has been removed, but gets stirred up throughout the season. (Please kick the loose rocks out of the trail if you can, it helps).

The overall condition of the trail is VERY good. Over the first two miles the field trail that approaches the switchbacks, the path is rocky, and much of it created from erosion. This makes the lower section technical, but a lot of fun coming down! The upper section of switchbacks were developed by the Army core of engineers many years ago, and still have held up extremely well. The pitch, grade and many changes in direction are well designed, and keep your heart rate up at a terrific pace that is consistent.

The mid elevation aspen groves have been hit with disease, so you'll need to watch out for dead fall trees.

At the top of the trail there is a loop around the summit, "Shady route" left, and "Sunny route" right. Either direction is a great ride. Again, keep a sharp eye out for dead fall trees as the single-track is windy on the shady side and trees in the trail can really surprise you, and send you off the cliff edge.

A huge plus on this trail is the simple fact that it is hikers, bikers, and horses only, no motorized.

Now if we could keep the horses off the surface during the muddy part of the year, this trail would stay smooth and fast.

This entire area has rocky surface trails as the norm, but overall Jardine Juniper is still one of the finest trails in the area.

I ride it twice a week in the summer, and is a terrific after work ride!

Review Date
May 3, 2007

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: basharteg ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
My brother lives in Logan, and this time when I visited him I took my bike to ride the Jardine Juniper trail I had heard and read so much about. I'd read how the trail was a cardiovascular challenge ad nauseum. It is a steady climb, no doubt, but not a killer if you're in biking shape. The area is beautiful, the tree is really old, but from what I read of this trail on this site, things have changed. Many of the reviews here are 7 years old. During that time, the trail has really deteriorated. First three miles are nothing but cantelope-sized rocks covering the trail. The dirt has washed out; I even saw evidence of four-wheeler and motorcycle tracks which have hurt the trail. Some people may appreciate the rocks as part of the challenge. I'm a mountain biker who doesn't mind rough terrain, but riding over large loose rocks for 3 miles quits being a challenge and just get annoying.
Someone on this site suggested riding the trail once a year. Good idea. One things, after the descent your bike will have settled. If it's not loose after the drop, it never will be.
Yes ride the trail, but be prepared to bounce over rocks and scramble the whole way up.

Review Date
December 11, 2003

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Review Date
June 6, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Review Date
February 18, 2003

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months