This is a beautiful drive into the heart of the Tintic Mountains. The network of trails in the area can keep you exploring for days but still make for a fun short trip from the Salt Lake or Provo Valley's. The trails near the base of the Tintic Mountains also make for some good snow wheeling due to the easy nature of the trails in the summer and fall months. During the summer, these small canyons can offer some cool away from the heat of the west desert. In the fall, the leaves are on fire and make for some very scenic photos, especially if you get to the higher elevations and look out west over Vernon, north toward 5 Mile Recreation Area, or east toward Utah Lake. Broad Canyon is the entrance from the north side of the mountains that takes you into the center of the range where you can access many other spurs taking you into random canyons, fun little playgrounds, and many mines. You could have a month off of work and not explore all of what the Tintic Mountains have to offer.
Trail Difficulty and Assessment
Recommended Vehicle:
2WD Vehicle with High Clearance
Concerns:
Summary:
The trail is a dirt road the entire way.
Community Consensus
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Mandatory
1 -
EASY
The hardest part of the trail that you
cannot bypass - you have to drive it.
Optional
1 -
EASY
The hardest part of the trail that is
purely optional - you can bypass it.
Dirt and/or rocky road. Potential rocks and/or tree stumps less than 5" tall and/or vertical ledges less than 5" tall and/or near vertical ledges or waterfalls less than 6" inches. Good tire placement likely. Can be steep, but with good traction.Read More about our Rating System
Broad Canyon takes you from the flatlands of the West Desert into the heart of the Tintic Mountains. Although it may just be a simple dirt road, it makes for some fun snow wheeling with no cliffs or hills to slide off of. Once you reach the end there is a playground of old mine tailings creating small but steep hills to mess around in. The pines, juniper, and scrub oak make this area a bit cooler than surrounding areas in the heat of the summer. You can probably expect some traffic due to the ease of the road, however, it is not hard to start climbing and get away from the campers and find a place to string up a hammock in peace.
1. Trailhead (0
mi)
The trailhead begins partway into Twelvemile Pass as a westbound road clearly labeled with a sign on the south side of the fork.
2. Fork - Stay Left (2.1
mi)
The main trail drifts to the left here, even through almost all roads reconnect a little ways further up the canyon. Signs point the way.
3. Rattlesnake Canyon - Veer Right (3.2
mi)
Stay right/west to continue on Broad Canyon - Road #5. This is the trailhead for Rattlesnake Canyon.
4. Playground (4.1
mi)
To the right/west is a little playground with a couple of small but steep hills to climb and mess around on. There aren't too many rock obstacles, but it is a fun little area to play in.
5. Campsite (4.4
mi)
This is one of the prime campsites in the area. There is a man-made fire pit tucked away in the scrub oak trees. During the summer months, this site is a nice cool place to relax. In the fall, the colors are incredibly vibrant.
6. End (4.5
mi)
This marks the end of Broad Canyon Road and the intersection with Black Rock Canyon. From here, you can explore the area or take Black Rock Canyon over to the other side of the Tintic Mountains to explore many miles of trails.
Dispersed
There are many man-made sites along the trail. Be sure to pack it out to keep these trails clean. If all of the sites along this trail are taken, check out Black Rock Canyon or anything along the East Tintic Mountain Exploratory Canyon Route.
All of these sites are dispersed offering no amenities. There are no improved camping options nearby.
Starting Point
Salt Lake City, Utah
Take I15 south to exit 282 in Lehi for 2100 North. Head right/west off of the exit and follow for 2.6 miles until it intersects with UT68. Turn left/south on UT68 and follow 27.5 miles until the trailhead for Chimney Rock Pass on the right/west side of the road.
You must then complete Chimney Rock Pass to get to the trailhead of Allen's Ranch Road.
You must then complete Allen's Ranch Road and the end 2.2 miles of Twelvemile Pass to reach the trailhead for Broad Canyon.
Way too muddy to do right now. I had trouble just getting far enough to find a place to turnaround. Ended up having to back down. Also did twelve mile pass , Allen's ranch road , Elberta slant road, east tin8c exploratory route and a few others in the video.
Great area to come snow wheeling. Headed up after the week of big Thanksgiving storms in Utah. Most of this area was barely covered, however Broad Canyon managed to get about 8 inches so there was enough to make things fun. Other than a few areas and other spur trails, this trail isn't that "dangerous" in regards to sliding off or hitting trees. The trail is shaped nicely for some good snow wheeling!
Managed to wander up a spur trail and make some fresh tracks. The downside was we also managed to get the XJ stuck. Made it to the top of a little climb and slid off to the side. Every time he tried to move back into the rut we dug, he slid further down. I (red TJ) hooked up my winch to a snatchblock and got him pulled back up onto the trail. Gotta love putting your recovery equipment to use! Great day!
Drove it today from 5 mile pass down Railroad Bed Road to the end, left and up through Broad Canyon Road over to Homansville Pass Road through Chiulos Canyon Road, Packard Peak, into Eureka from the south side. Snow, ice, mud, dry road. Temperatures in the mid 30's to mid 40's.
From the Community
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TJ Bosworth
Mapping Crew - Utah
Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, he's only been off-roading since he was 16 but fell in love immediately. He attended college in Denver for Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management and wheeled in Colorado for 4 years, but ended up moving back home to Salt Lake City. He currently works in an off-road shop and spends his free time doing anything he can to stay busy, which is usually working on his jeep or playing music. Outside of off-roading, he is an avid whitewater rafter and outdoor cook. Camping at least every other weekend in any season is a normal year. The further from civilization, the better. Bring on the memories!
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