Secret Sauce and Claim Jumper • Southern Utah Trail Running

Trail Description

The Secret Sauce and Claim Jumper Trails are conjoined at the hip, so to speak. They both share some stretches of common routes, but diverge to give you different distances and views. These trails are great for running, biking, and hiking, whatever your favorite activity may be. They are both easily accessible and have a fairly well groomed surface for easy smooth running with primarily hard packed single track trail, but can get a bit dusty during the dry parts of the summer. This is a wonderful trail to run alone, with friends or even with the kids, it is moderate enough for everyone to tackle, while still providing enough variation to keep things interesting. You can run the trails in different order to mix things up and lengthen your workout.

Secret Sauce Trail

This trail is the shorter of the two, clocking in at 2.9 miles, it is not quite a 5k, but has about 335 feet of vertical gain on the course so it keeps things interesting. Starting at the shared trailhead there is a straight north 0.1 mile stretch before the trails diverge from one another. Following the left trail of the fork you will proceed up hill through the brown dirt, slate fragments and sagebrush. You will continue on the trail for about 0.2 miles before you will run into some signs indicating another fork in the trail and requesting that you bear right. From this point the loop will be approximately 2.2 miles to return to the fork. Following the trail right it continues to wind up the ridge following some beautiful stone outcroppings and giving you a spectacular view of the southern valley. About 1.1 miles from the fork you will reach another fork, this is where the Claim Jumper Trail reconnects with Secret Sauce. The directions of the different trails at the fork are well documented, but if you bear left you will stay on the Secret Sauce loop and continue your adventure. At about 1.7 miles in you will reach the highest point of the trail, giving you a great 360 degree view, including a great look at the local Airport. From this point the next 1.2 miles is all downhill and can make for a fun decent. You will pass the initial two forks, but continue to bear to the right and you will end up back at the trailhead, Don’t forget to sprint the last 0.1 miles to the fence.

Claim Jumper Trail

This trail is the longer of the two trails, clocking in at about 4.42 miles, with a moderate 512 feet of vertical. From the common trailhead you will move the short 0.1 mile distance before the first fork, bearing right at the first fork will set you on the Claim Jumper Trail. This trail meanders along the base of the ridge near the wash for the a little over the first mile of the course before starting to gain elevation and weaving up the ridge. This section of trail provides some beautiful curving trails through the sagebrush, and beautifully delicate rock structures. At about 2.7 miles in you will reach the main fork in the trail system where Secret Sauce meets Claim Jumper, there are plenty of signs to keep you on the right trail, but if you bear to the right you will stay going the right direction. At 3.2 miles in you will reach the highest point on the trail giving you a great 360 degree view, including a great look at the local Airport. From this point the next 1.2 miles is all downhill and can make for a fun decent. You will pass the initial two forks, but continue to bear to the right and you will end up back at the trailhead, Don’t forget to sprint the last 0.1 miles to the fence.