Photo supplied, Lynn Blamires

Tie Fork is a rest area in Spanish Fork Canyon. It replaced the old Tucker rest stop a few miles up the canyon which is now the trailhead for North Skyline Drive. On a ride from Tie Fork last year, I realized that this rest area is positioned to be a key access point to thousands of miles of ATV trails in Utah. I wrote an article on this subject last August (See Standard-Examiner August 17, 2023).

I caught a UDOT employee cleaning the main building at the rest area. When I asked about parking our rigs there overnight, he said it wouldn’t be a problem. There are 14 spaces long enough to handle a semitruck and trailer, so I thought that if we parked our rigs nose-to-nose, we could minimize our impact on the parking lot. There was plenty of room.

Being street-legal was a requirement for this ride because we had to ride a section of highway to reach the staging area at the North Skyline Trailhead. We had another stretch of asphalt to connect the North and South Skyline Drives.

Sixteen machines lined up at Tie Fork to begin the two-day ride. The weather was perfect – a little cool in the morning with shirtsleeve weather by 10. We turned south on Skyline Drive and began our climb to the top of the world. Not only did we have perfect weather, but the fall colors were in full splendor.

I was leading the ride, but my “ride leader” flag must not have been obvious enough. I pulled over to remove my jacket while a half-a-dozen riders passed me. We met up again at the parking lot where North Skyline Drive ends. They wondered what had happened to me and I resolved to be a more obvious leader. We took advantage of the break to reorganize.

Photo supplied, Lynn Blamires

There is nothing technical about riding the Skyline Drives, so we were making good time in our travel. That is why I tapped this ride as the cannonball run.

There is a lot of logging on the mountain, so we made room for big trucks hauling logs on the road. I don’t know why I get excited about seeing a logging truck. Maybe it is the size of the logs they are carrying.

We turned east and rode down the Clay Bench where we picked up Littles Creek as we passed Blue on our way to Grassy Lake. There was a restroom there and we took time for a break. The water was calm at the lake except for the occasional fish jumping.

Continuing our ride south to Orangeville Road, we turned west and rode up to Skyline Drive. Going over the top, we dropped down into Ephraim to the Willow Creek Inn, finishing a ride of about 92 miles.

We were up early and ready to go. After a hot breakfast, included with our stay, we lined up for our ride back to Spanish Fork Canyon. Here is where things got a little crazy. I had ridden this trail earlier this year and I had a GPS track that would have made this ride easy. Did I have it with me? No. I figured that I could remember the trail easily enough – big mistake.

Photo supplied, Lynn Blamires

We lined up 15 machines, having lost one who could only ride for one day. These were narrow trails and taking a wrong turn presented the challenge of turning around where there was no place to turn around. It was like backing up a centipede.

It was bad enough taking the wrong turn once; I did it twice – actually, three times, but I covered the third by claiming it was to let them get a look at the lake. I keep getting lost and people keep following me. Note to self – bring the track next time.

On the upside, this trail took us through beautiful woods and aspen groves. We rode to the top where we joined the Skyline Drive picking up our pace for the cannonball part.

Our trip back was rewarded with bright fall colors made brighter by sunlight flashing through the quaking leaves of the aspen trees. The peak season for leaf peeping is hard to predict, but I think we hit it just right.

We came down North Skyline Drive back to the rest area, finishing a ride of about 86 miles. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and put this ride on your bucket list.

Contact Lynn R. Blamires at quadmanone@gmail.com.