The Union Pacific Rail Trail covers 28 miles from Echo to Park City. Having not been on the bike for awhile, the 20 miles from Coalville to Park City was out so I wandered through town on to the trail. The trail stared, out as good asphalt then turned to gravel as I road down then towards Echo Resevoir. 

The scenary was nice and there were a lot of campers along the lake. The trail was pretty rugged in places but old coal dust and clinkers kept showing up which makes you think of all the thousands of people who road the old coal burners up this canyon headed for Salt Lake City and beyond. Now it I80 across the way that carries us all on our way.

The Union Pacific engineers built the railroad on a 2% grade from Echo to Park City. It sure was great going down to Echo. The way back was a good lesson in what a 2% continuous uphill grade really is. It didn’t seem to bad at the start, in fact it hardly looks uphill at all! As I pedaled along in an ever lower gear, I noticed the climb up from lake level. Ever so small, yet relentlessly onward at that piddling 2%, no flattening out, no down hill, unforgiving, disregarding human frailties (it was built for steam engines after all), on it goes to Coalville. Tunnel vision was closing in when I spotted the I80 overpass that leads back to Holiday Hills, what a relief that was! It was worth it. I think.

Sjh