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Print Friendly MapThe Jordan River Parkway Trail weaves in and out of urban areas, parks and marshy areas as it follows the Jordan River for nearly 50 miles, traveling from the northwestern corner of Utah Lake north through Salt Lake City. Along the way, the trail offers nearly two dozen trailheads, most of which have restrooms and water fountains and some of which have picnic areas and playgrounds.
The zero mile marker is alongside Saratoga Road in Utah County. The trail goes 9 miles north to the Jordan Narrows Trailhead, just past the county line in Utah County, following the river closely, then has a 10 percent grade up to the Jordan Narrows, where trail-goers will enjoy wide vistas.
From its northern end at Interstate 215, a connection to the 14-mile Legacy Parkway Trail is possible, which heads north to Farmington and connects to the 23-mile Denver and Rio Grande Western Rail Trail, which continues north to Roy. All three trails are part of the Golden Spoke trail network, which connects more than 100 miles of trail between Ogden and Provo.
There are numerous places to park along the trail. At the trail's southern end, parking is available in Inlet Park (6800 N. Saratoga Rd.) in Saratoga Springs.
Mid-trail, the Jordan River Rotary Park (973 West 12300 South) in Draper offers a good rest stop with picnic tables and restrooms in addition to parking.
At the northern end of the trail, Riverside Park (1490 W. 600 N.) in Salt Lake City makes a for a pleasant starting or stopping point for a trail trip as it provides parking, restrooms, covered picnic tables, drinking fountains, and athletic facilities.
Great little walk, a part of the riverton side was flooded but we just walked the other side instead. Very nice.
My wife and I made it a trip from South Jordan to Thanksgiving point ate lunch and back. It was wonderful beautiful weather easy ride.
It so fun to walk or bike! We do a few family things including a moon light walk a few days before the the full moon.
Great for walking or bike riding. Every summer I plan a "Moon light walk" with my family a few days before a full moon. Usually on a weekend. It's so much fun!
It’s a great trail, I go on it pretty often
Beautiful walking trail. Completed a 20 mile Scout hike with my son's troop.
This is a paved trail but there are gaps in the pavement about every 30 feet. I tried to ride the trail from end to end and felt beat up after 20 miles. In mid vale the trail just ends at a 4 lane highway and you have to play trigger to cross. Frustrating that such a great trail is so poorly thought out. Great for running and walking. Frustrating for longer distance cyclists.
I love riding this trail from SOJO to Saratoga, but as of April 2021 part of it was closed and had a detour towards a neighborhood path. I got my first flat tire in five years on this trail, and there was a recently-chewed off deer leg, on this section of detour.
Definitely get tubeless for this trail because there were goat's heads all over the place. Every one of us had gotten a flat (or multiple flats) on this trail. Other than that, great easy trail isolated from cars and traffic.
See lots oh deers riding between 10400 south down into 14600 south. Nice valley viewing. The river stinks but it's still pretty.
My daughter and I recently set out to walk the entire JRT. We had walked only a short part of it in Murray up to this point. We were so impressed by the entire trail system! The whole route is well marked and easy to follow. There are sections that are quiet and secluded while others are closer to town and roads. There are wonderful bridges all along the trail as well. I'm proud to say we made it! I recommend this trail to everyone and am so glad to see tax dollars being put towards a wonderful outdoor experience!
Did this trail on a road bike for the first time today and it is not what I was expecting. Gorgeous nature and love the feeling, it’s crazy ups and downs the whole time between Lehi and Riverton. Love it for the beauty and the challenge. Definitely will do again.
Scenic, well-maintained trail. A little difficult to follow in some intersections. Much more rolling hills than most RTT.
I road part of the trail from the Redwood Trailhead Park to the River Oaks Golf Course and back again. There is a severe lack of signage to show you the main trail and you end up taking lots of wrong turns or continually stop to check if you need to take a turn or not. This gets a bit frustrating as you don't get a nice flowing ride, but rather a stop start ride all the way. I think I took about six or seven wrong turns and had to back track. Other than that, the trail could do with some maintenance. There are lots of cracks due to roots under the tarmac and some of the bridges could do with resurfacing, but it didn't worry me too much. Forgetting about the negatives, it is a really nice ride along the river and you don't have to deal with traffic which is great. The view of the mountains is awesome especially as you get further south. If I'm in Salt Lake City again, I'll definitely ride this track again, but I'll bring my GPS next time as it will save a lot of headaches. I would recommend this track, but bring your GPS and keep an eye out for the strong southerly wind. Makes for a strong head wind on the way south, but great for coming back.
Worth inline skating on this trail - you can get some good speed and mileage outside of the busier areas & seedier areas of the trail.
Other posters are correct, the signage is limited but it's not a big deal.
I started at James Madison Park and went south about 15 miles.
The best part about this trail is that everyone is really friendly and will wave hello.
Rode south from Rose Park. There are quite a few road crossings, but the trail is well-maintained and pleasant to ride. There are several parks along the route that have restroom facilities. As others have said, the signage is bad, but just keep the river in sight.
visiting from WA State, found this route on TrailLink. A short 10 minute ride from the Air BNB I was staying at. beautiful ride. Rode south from South Jordan about 16 miles and back into town. Well kept trail, clear of goatheads!!, Great facilities/water every couple of miles. One of the nicest trails I've been on recently. Wish I had more time to do more of it.
Overall, it was a slightly frustrating experience, mostly due to the lack of signs. St. George, for example, provides excellent signage with distances, times to points of interest for both walkers and cyclists, and importantly arrows pointing the way. On the Jordan River Trail I made several false turns, that were quickly rectified by frequent reference to my GPS. If you are new to this trail, I would highly recommend bringing a GPS. Eagle Scout candidates: take note that adding signs would make an excellent project.
There were many sharp turns that forced a severe reduction in speed. There were some boardwalks and bridges with wood planks across the many river crossings. Many places had tree roots causing damage to the surface of the trail, and some places were only pedestrian sidewalks which were bumpy. Most of the trail had deep cracks every hundred feet or so. Lack of signage, sharp turns, bridges and general bumpiness caused maintaining speed to be very difficult, especially at the north end of the trail. Generally, the trail conditions improved toward the south but certainly were not ideal throughout the length of the trail. The Murdock Canal Trail in Utah County sets a very high standard.
The trail is mostly level, except near the south at the Point of the Mountain. At each point where I thought I might build and maintain speed, I was disappointed with a sharp turn accompanied and/or motorized vehicle barriers which forced speed reductions.
There are several very nice views along the way. It is an excellent alternative to riding in traffic. Mostly the trail kept me off the surface streets and importantly avoided busy road crossings with underpasses. There were occasional places with restrooms/water fountains, mostly toward the north.
Other reviewers mentioned safety concerns toward the north of the trail, to which I would agree there were a few sketchy people in sleeping bags at some of the parks adjacent to the trail. The rest of the trail I was generally greeted by the typically friendly gestures of other cyclists nodding/waving to each other.
Generally I would assess the Jordan River Trail as a pedestrian and non-serious cyclist trail. The trail is usable, but I would prefer something like the ride up to Snowbird, the Alpine Loop, Murdock Canal Trail, ...
I have ridden this trail many times (12-15). I start by taking the red line trax from ballpark(13th South) to gardner village. It is about 15 miles back to ballpark. I usually exit the trail at the international peace gardens, about 1000 south and ride east on 900 south and then south to the starting point. The trail condition varies as does the congestion. There are several parks with water and restrooms.
Have not ridden this trail in years due to the goat head thorns. With newer sections and connections added I thought I'd give it another shot. Many sections were really fun, some a little bumpy due to roots under the asphalt. I rode from 45th south, north to about 200 southish in salt lake where it looked like the trail ended. I turned around and rode south to "point of the mountain" area. After 5 or 6 wrong turns that took me off the designated route due to NO markings, and the goat head thorns I found in my tires when I got home, I.will not be going back soon.
The trail is a nice ride not technical. It is difficult to follow and needs to better marked. I want to ride more of the trail, but it appears some sections are closed. Restrooms are good in some areas and very poor in others, The ones by Gardner Village are horrible and whoever is responsible for this section should be ashamed!
This trail was nice to ride on, but it is HORRIBLY marked. My mom and I were planning on doing an 80 mile bike ride so we wanted to bike the entire trail. We were so confused the whole time. There were so many different turn offs that weren't marked. It was so confusing! I think it would have been a great trail to ride on it just needs to be marked way better.
In riding this trail north from Utah Lake on June 19, discovered that the trail is closed just north of the Thanksgiving Point golf course/garden and in the Jordan Narrows and Camp Williams area (mile 9.5 from south end). It is over 2 miles north of the nearest legal access point and almost 3 miles north of Utah Highway 85 underpass. There were NO warnings signs of this closure at any nearby trailheads. It is a contruction project and I'm not sure how long the trail will be closed. Unless, you are willing to bike on busy 4 lane highways (bike lanes available), there is no detour. There were no announcements that I could find on any of the trail's website. Keep this in mind if you plan to use the trail in this area.
I have been riding the parkway for several years now and I love it. I ride from south bound Rose Park to work on 47th South. Nice ride, very pretty and not technical or hilly. Watch out for goat heads though. :( I also take it on weekends north bound as it now fully joins to the Legacy. I remember having to muck it through some of those back areas to get to the Legacy, now there is paved and has a beautiful bridge across that area. YEA! You can go 37 miles one way if you went from Farmington to 106th south...
I know a lot of people are nervous about certain areas of this trail, but I am a female lone rider and have always felt safe. I think certain parts of the trail are MUCH prettier than other parts... But overall I just like the lack of having to deal with cars on my commute to and from work.
The JRP was my go to trail this fall in the Salt Lake Valley. I usually join it at 1700 S and go as far south as I have time for. The furthest south I've gone is to Midvale somewhere past 8000 S. My favorite portion is between 3300 S and Winchester. Murray does an excellent job maintaining the trail, and there's this beautiful stand of trees just north of 3900 S you've got to see. West Jordan's portion is pretty desolate, some of Taylorsville's part is ill-maintained with tough curves, and West Valley City's portion goes through a marsh so it smells pretty bad. I do wish intersections were labelled everywhere (they are in Murray). Salt Lake City's portion can be pretty hairy going through Glendale. Too many unfriendly looking people with guns and knives out for my taste. Rose Park is nice though. The detour around the power plant isn't that bad. Watch out for puncturevine along the whole thing--especially where it's been recently flooded.
The construction at 12400 South is now complete and ready for riding. I am looking forward to the day that all segments of the trail are finished. Love the bird life on this trail.
We did this ride yesterday. We rode the train down to American Fork from Salt Lake City, then rode over to the Jordan River.
I would say the trail is an OK ride, but certainly not one of the best. We started at Saratoga Springs and rode up through Salt Lake City. The trail is made up of a lot of different segments, some good, some not so good. In Utah county, the trail is very nice and well maintained.
As you get into SLC, the south part of the trail, up through Sandy is fine. As you get into Midvale and Murray, the trail is not very good, rough and not very well maintained.
Once you cross into Salt Lake City (21st south) the trail improves, and is good up through Salt Lake.
My biggest complaint with the trail is lack of signage. For the most part, there are no direction signs, and as I recall, none of the underpasses/overpasses are marked. I was raised in SLC and I still had to refer to my GPS to determine where we were.
Overall, the ride was fun, and made for a nice morning.
For casual cyclists who want to listen to podcasts or music, this is a great trail to avoid traffic noise.
I've ridden from Rose Park golf course all the way to Vivian Park up Provo Canyon (via Murdock Trail) -- but not all at once!
The tunnel under 90th is complete and hopefully soon they'll connect Spring View Farms to Thanksgiving Point through the narrows.
There are several road crossings from 17th south through Rose Park but southbound there is only one crossing at 59th south. The trail usually goes under the road except at 39th south where you bridge over it.
Spring View Farms to Rose Park Golf Course round trip is 60 miles with plenty of trailheads to refill water.
My recommendation is to wear glasses and something to block your mouth because you will swallow insects -- and my mouth guard has blocked some pretty big flies! Also, I recommend a long sleeve shirt. Last year I got stung by hornet on my exposed arm.
I ride the portion from Bluffton to the Royal Oaks Golf Course regularly and it is a fabulous ride. There is a break near Riverton (12600 South) where the city has been repairing the underpass for about 4 months. When it is finished, you could bike this section without going near an automobile for well over 10 miles (one way). Jordan Narrows to Utah Lake is also a fabulous trail with undulating terrain and a spactacular view of Utah Lake at the end. There is also a Remote Control Model Airplane park near the end, although I have never seen anyone use it. The northern sections of this trail are a little tricker, with some blind curves, and tight switchbacks. Riding this trail is a nice way to start or end the day.
I am a new biker, age 65 and had knee replacement surgery 7 months ago... This section of trail has very little incline and is perfect for beginners..Beautiful scenery past two golf courses...water..geese...ducks..Not much shade on the new section from 90th south but am very happy the tunnel under 90th is open since May 2014. Parking available by the River Oaks Golf Course...at 9400 So.
Rode from 6north to Farmington station using Jordan parkway then connects to legacy north to Farmington station on Saturday May 14,2014. Great ride, smooth, less travel in afternoon. Makes for a 34 mile ride round trip. At Farmington station there is a Harmon's with a great salad bar lunch.
The Jordan is one of the few Rivers flowing North in the USA.
Trail closed at 6.1 miles north of Zero sign post, until late 2011.due to to Road Construction. There are 6 gaps in the trail. The zero mile marker is at N403534 W111.90315 alongside Saratoga Dr. North out of Willow Park is a “Jordan River Parkway” sign. Trail surface has some 2-3 inch wide expansion cracks, otherwise in good condition. Great views. Entered the Trail again at N40.42170 W111.89358, parked on Street, took road that led to 7 mile marker. From 7 miles, north to the Jordon Narrows Trail Head at N40.44525 W111.92701, the trail ends with a 0.2 mile 10% grade to the highest point at 4,651 feet. This section of trail has GREAT SCENERY
Picked trail up again at Spring View Farms TH N40.48666 W111.92710 and found it closed in 2.8 miles at N40.51782 W111.91422 due to sewer construction, should open Spring 2011. . From 7800S, Trail is open North to I-80 underpass, about 15 miles and South 1.2 miles. The Trail North of the short gap at I-80 has more shade, but also more root heaves. Asphalt surface complete to N Redwood Road at N40.80785 W111.93915. Trail has many, no signed, laterals to the communities along the trail. Makes it an adventure to discover the ends.
When this Trail is complete and maintained, I would rate it 5 stars.
Noel Keller 25 Sep to 1 Oct 2010
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