Northern Utah Routes #1: The Bear River Mountains Loop

There are a lot of ways to string together a route through the Bear Rivers. Trails split off, connect back, and split off again — you could ride this range a dozen times and never take the exact same line twice. This is the version we rode: 360 miles, three days, north out of Cache Valley and back again, through some of the best riding Northern Utah and Southern Idaho have to offer.

It's also the first post in a new series we're calling Northern Utah Routes, where we'll be breaking down the rides that make this corner of the world worth exploring on two wheels. Starting with the Bear Rivers only made sense — it's the range that ties most of our other favorite riding together, and it's the one we keep coming back to.

The Route Overview

• Start/End: Hyrum, UT

• Distance: ~360 miles

• Duration: 3 days / 2 nights

• Type: Point-to-point loop (south to north, then back south on a different line)

• Bike ridden: CFMoto Ibex 450

The short version: we headed south from Hyrum to Eden, cut over toward the Monte Cristos on Highway 39, then turned north and spent the next two and a half days working our way up through the range into Idaho before dropping back down through Franklin Basin and Blacksmith Fork to close the loop.

If you're newer to the area, don't take this as the way to ride the Bear Rivers — it's a way. There's a lot of terrain up there, and plenty of it would be just as fun on a dirt bike, mountain bike, or ebike as it is on an ADV rig.

Day One: Hyrum to Egan Basin

We left Hyrum and headed south to Eden, then picked up Highway 39 toward the Monte Cristos. From there we turned onto Curtis Ridge Road and followed it north until we hit Summit Road in Logan Canyon, then connected over to Beaver Creek Road. We camped that night in Egan Basin.

This first day is a good on-ramp for the trip — mostly graded roads with a few rougher stretches, nothing that should scare off a competent beginner. It's also a solid preview of what's ahead: big views, quick elevation changes, and a taste of how remote this range gets once you're a few miles off the highway.

Day Two: Egan Basin to Will's Canyon

Day two is where the route earns its adventure-riding name.

We continued out of Egan Basin through Danish Pass and Hillyard Canyon, passed Willow Flat Campground, and picked up Birch Creek Road. From Birch Creek we turned onto German Dougway Road — hands down one of the best stretches of the entire trip. Flowing, technical enough to keep you honest, and it dumps you out at Telegraph Lookout, which is worth the stop on its own.

Worth mentioning: we'd originally tried to get up Telegraph Road on this same trip and turned around. It was more than we or the Ibex 450 were prepared to handle that day. No shame in it — that trail's there for riders with more skill or a lighter bike, and German Dougway gave us just as much fun without the same risk.

From the top of German Dougway we kept following the road to the Paris Ice Cave — a small cave that holds ice year-round, and a genuinely cool stop if you've never seen it. From there we dropped into Paris, Idaho for fuel and water before heading back up Paris Canyon and turning off onto Mahogany Basin Road.

Mahogany Basin led us into Will's Canyon, which is singletrack but not overly technical — just a genuinely fun stretch of trail. We camped just outside the canyon for night two.

Difficulty note: this is the day with the intermediate-to-advanced sections. German Dougway and Will's Canyon are both manageable for a solid beginner riding within their limits, but Telegraph Road is a step up — know your skill level and your bike before you commit to it.

Day Three: Will's Canyon to Hyrum

The final day is the long one, and it's where the route starts working its way back south.

We rode through Emigration Canyon, Morgan Canyon, and North Canyon Road, followed that to Eight Mile Creek Road, and took it to its end before rolling into Soda Springs for a fuel top-off. From there it was pavement — Highway 34 down to Preston, then up to Cub River — before getting back onto dirt at Hillyard Canyon.

From there we rode through Franklin Basin, up Temple Fork through Long Hollow, turned off onto Herd Hollow Road, and picked up Left Hand Fork in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. That connected us to the highway in Blacksmith Fork, which took us the rest of the way back to Hyrum.

Fuel, Water, and Logistics

We filled up in Paris, Idaho on day two and topped off again in Soda Springs on day three. We probably could've skipped the Paris stop and still made it to Soda Springs — most ADV bikes have the range for it — but there's no downside to topping off when the option's right there. Better to fill up and not need it than the other way around.

Water and cell coverage are what you'd expect for this kind of remote riding: spotty to nonexistent for long stretches. Plan accordingly and let someone know your route before you head out.

Best Time to Ride It

Mid-to-late June through October is the window. If we had to pick a peak, it's mid-to-late September, when the leaves are turning and the range is at its best. Just know that late August through October also brings a decent chance of rain, so pack for it and check conditions before you commit to three days out there.

The Honest Take

This route is a big commitment — three days, 360 miles, and a good chunk of that in genuinely remote terrain. If you're short on time or riding solo without backup, this isn't the trip to figure that out on. And while most of it is beginner-friendly, the handful of intermediate-to-advanced sections (Telegraph Road especially) can turn a great trip into a bad day fast if you're in over your head.

That said — this is one of our favorite routes in the region, full stop. It's fun, it's beautiful, and it's challenging in the right ways. We'll be riding it again.

What's Next in Northern Utah Routes

This is just one line through the Bear Rivers, and it's a big one. Up next in the series, we'll be breaking this range down into smaller, more approachable pieces — starting with the Cache Valley Mirror Lake Loop Loop on its own. If a full three-day trip through the Bear Rivers isn't in the cards right now, that's a great place to start.