I start a new job in SLC in Jan 2021 and plan to buy a house fairly quick once we get out there. It is just the wife and I, she works virtually and I will be commuting close to Univ of Utah daily. My goal is a 30 minute maximum commute, and I probably prefer a little larger house than I can afford in the avenues or sugar hill - so plan on the eastern side (up to 30 minutes), so down to Sandy area or so.
I spent some time out there a few years ago in Sandy, so have been looking there and cottonwood heights, and like the eastern access points for riding but have also been looking north in the north salt lake/Bountiful/Centerville area (probably still on the eastern side) - what’s the word up there for running/riding? I’m good on road/trails running and a road oriented rider, but looking to expand more into gravel and maybe mtb. I guess running from my door is the priority since I zwift 80% of the time anyway. It seems getting close to access points like bonneville shoreline trail would solve all my problems if I went north? Any thoughts or suggestions?
I lived in north salt lake/bountiful for a couple of months. The trail running and mountain bike access from that area is excellent. Road running is very hilly up on top of the bluff there. I really liked being up there though because we were above the inversion whenever Salt Lake had particularly bad air quality. They also get quite a bit more snow during the winters up there as well.
There is a ton of road riding available with a lot of wide open roads. Drivers tend to be reasonable, and it’s pretty easy to get out to where there aren’t many cars. I live in layton and ride down that way all the time. Bonneville shoreline trail is a little rough for gravel riding, I’d imagine it’s fine for mountain biking. Tons of good gravel within a relatively short drive, and you’ll have bountiful canyon that you can ride to from your door (dirt climb). Can’t speak much to running though
im visiting next week - any group runs, warm pools i can access? mainly going for skiing (alpine touring and xc). Also if anyone has gear for sale, let me know. I want to change my wife’s skis for touring. i may rent some xc ski’s to try skate style
Antelope island is probably my favorite place to ride my tri bike and Francis Peak is a pretty rad gravel ride (I’ve only ever done it on a FS MTB, but if I had a gravel bike I would not hesitate). The closer east you are in Bountiful, Centerville, etc. the easier it is to access the trails, but they are never very far. Bonneville shoreline is always pretty solid but it varies in each city. Ogden has some of the best sections of it in my opinion, but Layton, Bountiful, Centerville, etc. also have some good sections I think they are just a tad more hilly. Also, there is usually a smaller network of trails around the Bonneville shoreline in each city. ( Ex. Kaysville has the “vita course”).
Also in Bountiful/Woods Cross area is Mueller park and that’s an incredibly popular MTB trail. There’s definitely a lot of gravel in the area but I’m not as knowledgeable. Others would be better suited to opine on that.
But there is a pretty rad paved path (legacy, the parkway, etc. Its called many names) that cuts through Bountiful, Farmington, Kaysville, etc. and that’s usually more on the west side of each city but it varies. This path is ideal for running, but can get buggy certain times of the year and in certain sections. But it’s mostly flat and nicely paved. Its usually plowed in the winter too which is nice.
Really, you can’t go wrong in most parts of Davis county. Also, there’s a super great group of guys who train in Davis county and are active on this forum. They will probably chime in at some point. They have much more experience on gravel bikes.
access to U of U from Sandy will be more than 30 min commute during peak times, Foothill gets backed up badly. Real estate taxes in Davis county are lower than SL.
The lower in the valley the worse the air in inversions but when its really bad its bad in the whole valley. Summertime ozone can be just as bad/worse but is rarely commented on
To the guy that wants to xc ski - track skiing is very limited right now due to lack of snow
I didn’t realize there was a big Utah contingent here on slowtwitch! Is there somewhere I should be looking for meetup information?
I live down in Orem so when the season permits I’m on the Alpine Loop (Sundance ski resort canyon) every Saturday. Suncrest highway too. I haven’t done Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood yet but also supposed to be amazing climbs. I’ll probably have to get into mtb/gravel someday, but I’m already pushing it with the number of bikes I have.
Sandy and Draper are really nice areas with so many houses that would be so comfortable to live in. Bountiful is a wonderful place with a small town USA feel, especially Main Street. My wife’s parents live up there and run a cookie and sandwich shop, so we are up there pretty often. I haven’t had a ton of luck finding good road bike climbs up in that area; normally I come down to City Creek canyon. Emigration canyon is supposed to be one of the classics, but unfortunately it closed before I could get there last season.
Another consideration, it seems like it snows a lot more up in Bountiful area than further south. Something about the lake effect maybe? Purely anecdotal; I’m not a meteorologist.
At any rate, I’m excited for you to come to Utah. I was born and raised in California, came here for college and absolutely fell in love. Please PM me if you need any help moving or anything else when you get here. At the very least let’s go for some rides in the spring!
Welcome! SLC is an outdoor adventurer paradise. All things biking, hiking , skiing and much more. Huge Tri Community in Utah. Imho almost rivals Boulder as a Tri Mecca. All Pools/gyms are open in Utah.
Lots of local races and 2 huge tri clubs in Valley. Both exceptional but I will prop up Salt Lake Tri Club as the best!
I start a new job in SLC in Jan 2021 and plan to buy a house fairly quick once we get out there. It is just the wife and I, she works virtually and I will be commuting close to Univ of Utah daily. My goal is a 30 minute maximum commute, and I probably prefer a little larger house than I can afford in the avenues or sugar hill - so plan on the eastern side (up to 30 minutes), so down to Sandy area or so.
I spent some time out there a few years ago in Sandy, so have been looking there and cottonwood heights, and like the eastern access points for riding but have also been looking north in the north salt lake/Bountiful/Centerville area (probably still on the eastern side) - what’s the word up there for running/riding? I’m good on road/trails running and a road oriented rider, but looking to expand more into gravel and maybe mtb. I guess running from my door is the priority since I zwift 80% of the time anyway. It seems getting close to access points like bonneville shoreline trail would solve all my problems if I went north? Any thoughts or suggestions?
Have you considered the Mill Creek area? That’s where I’m currently looking to buy, near Tanner Park.
Easy and quick access right from your door to the Mill Creek Canyon, the Cottonwoods, and Emigration. Easy access for trail running in Mill Creek Canyon, which is my personal favorite especially in the winter. Also quick and easy access up to PC for those really, really hot summer days in the valley when the 7-10 degree drop in temperature is needed.
I found myself riding a lot less in the valley this year, especially BCC which use to be my favorite ride due to the increase in car traffic. It was a shit show this year due to the pandemic and all.
Hey, thanks for the reply everyone. I am basically considering anything east of highway 15, from the Centerville to Sandy area. The Mill Creek area does look good too. I guess I really didn’t understand/appreciate the elevation difference from valley to the surrounding areas.
Above I’ve heard the commute from south to the U can be difficult - I am guessing the same coming in from the north on highway 15? I have generally been looking at commute times on zwillow (which does give both peak and normal commute times) but realize those may be inaccurate. I will check out the commutes of potentials locations before buying. In most locations i have lived, if I drive in at 7:00AM or so I miss peak times. In the past I stayed in Sandy right near Dimple Dell, would that be a tough commute to the U fairly early, longer than 30 minutes?
I do look forward to joining some running and biking groups out there. I am coming from 20 year of new england/sw virginia, so I am really looking forward to living out west.
I lived in Millcreek (33rd south and 17th east) and commuted to the U for 7 years. The thing about getting up to the U and surrounding areas (hospitals etc) is there is not a fast/convenient way to do it. It would take at least 20 minutes depending on time of day to get to campus and another 10 to park. It was faster for me commute on my bike for sure.
The riding is great, mostly ran close to home (ran more laps around sugarhouse park than I care to admit) but there are many options.
Just saying it takes longer to get up to that area than you think. Especially during morning and evening traffic times. As an earlier post mentioned foothill is a nightmare as well as 4th south.
I lived in Millcreek (33rd south and 17th east) and commuted to the U for 7 years. The thing about getting up to the U and surrounding areas (hospitals etc) is there is not a fast/convenient way to do it. It would take at least 20 minutes depending on time of day to get to campus and another 10 to park. It was faster for me commute on my bike for sure.
The riding is great, mostly ran close to home (ran more laps around sugarhouse park than I care to admit) but there are many options.
Just saying it takes longer to get up to that area than you think. Especially during morning and evening traffic times. As an earlier post mentioned foothill is a nightmare as well as 4th south.
Arrived to SLC today. Started my run 6a. En route to sugar house. I got lost, and was too dark when I hit the edge of park. Drivers cut me off couple of times when turning. These streets yet flat, not so safe. Going to try XC skate ski today (solitude), alpine tour the others days (park City , alta). Hoping maybe can fit a pool session. Going to try Steiner center
I have lived all over the valley and currently live in the Sugarhouse Area. Free free to send me a DM if you want to chat over the phone. Happy to help anyway that I can.
Above I’ve heard the commute from south to the U can be difficult - I am guessing the same coming in from the north on highway 15? I have generally been looking at commute times on zwillow (which does give both peak and normal commute times) but realize those may be inaccurate.
Northbound can be slightly easier, it just depends. If you can take I-215 (starts just north of Sandy and runs East for a bit before turning North) you can get off closer to the U than coming Southbound on 15. You might try getting on Google maps and inputting your starting point/destination then selecting a “Depart At” time based on when you’d like to arrive. That will get you a pretty decent ballpark estimate.
HOWEVER, as synthetic’s post pointed out, Utahns can be terrible drivers so your times may vary quite a bit based on incidents or conditions.
synthetic, I learned early on to treat all intersections as full stops unless I could see it was clear of traffic, especially in the early mornings. A lot of people turn when the light turns green, or on red, or whenever, without regard to crosswalk signals. Not all, but I make sure that if I’m crossing I know they see me. Makes tempo running in town a pain in the ass. But in the Sugarhouse area, Parley’s Trail and Sugarhouse Park make for some good paved running with fewer crossings. The S Line trail is decent as well but does cross at street level. If you have transportation, going out to the Jordan River Trail will get you lots of miles on pavement with no cars and nearly zero street crossings.
Yeah, what everyone said. There’s a good group from Utah on the forum, and I would second everyone’s opinions. I’ve never had a very close call with a driver because I always assume they NEVER see me around here.
Welcome to the state, enjoy your stay, and April-October is pretty awesome training weather the whole time, I’d say.
Jordan river. Ike path run was excellent! Didn’t get to XC ski yesterday, some kind of traffic jam leading to solitude nordic, so just parked on side of road and alpine toured solitude mountain.
Anyone know of polar bear plunge events on new years day? Did it in San Diego past 11 years straight, hope to not break my streak and if anything do a “real” one
I start a new job in SLC in Jan 2021 and plan to buy a house fairly quick once we get out there. It is just the wife and I, she works virtually and I will be commuting close to Univ of Utah daily. My goal is a 30 minute maximum commute, and I probably prefer a little larger house than I can afford in the avenues or sugar hill - so plan on the eastern side (up to 30 minutes), so down to Sandy area or so.
I spent some time out there a few years ago in Sandy, so have been looking there and cottonwood heights, and like the eastern access points for riding but have also been looking north in the north salt lake/Bountiful/Centerville area (probably still on the eastern side) - what’s the word up there for running/riding? I’m good on road/trails running and a road oriented rider, but looking to expand more into gravel and maybe mtb. I guess running from my door is the priority since I zwift 80% of the time anyway. It seems getting close to access points like bonneville shoreline trail would solve all my problems if I went north? Any thoughts or suggestions?
Bite the bullet and buy in the Ave’s. You can walk to work. Great outdoor pool nearby as well. City creek canyon is super close for climbs (no cars!). Your house will only appreciate there. My buddy lives in the aves and his small home is worth half a mil, and they’re taking advantaged of low mortgage rates to make a small 2nd floor addition and they think it’ll add 200k or so to the value for when they sell in 10 years for a 2-home retirement. I think it’s the best place in salt lake to live.
well, I am officially here in SLC and will be closing on a house in Sandy in a few weeks. The house is about 1 block north of Dimple Dell so I am excited to be able to do some running there, and have great access to the BST from my work, and pretty good from my house.
I am looking forward to getting out on the bike so if any of you are riding outdoors on the road and want to show me some routes, I am game. I am pretty free on the weekends after the next two weeks so would love to follow some locals around a bit. I’m eyeing some gravel races this year as a focus, COVID permitting, so will be looking forward to checking out those routes as weather permits too.
