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A view of Morgan Valley from Mahogany Ridge on the Hardscrabble ride.

Courtesy Lynn R. Blamires

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Part of the line of 46 machines arriving at the viewpoint on Mahogany Ridge on the Hardscrabble ride.

Courtesy Lynn R. Blamires

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Back in the day, before I learned that everything I loved about hunting had nothing to do with hunting, I would talk to people about where they liked to hunt. My neighbor, Jim Morgan, who ironically is not from Morgan, spoke about hunting on Hardscrabble. I didn’t know what that was or where it was located, so I would nod my head and act as though I knew, wishing I knew.

Fast forward 50 years. I got a call from my friend Terry Maxfield, who lives in Morgan. He had an invitation to ride the Hardscrabble trail on the east side of the mountains separating Layton from Morgan Valley. The ride was sponsored by Young Powersports in Morgan, and he asked if I would like to go. Here was a chance to finally learn about Hardscrabble.

I called Eddie, who manages the Young Powersports dealership, to ask if the ride was open. He offered me a personal invitation and suggested that I invite some friends. They were serving lunch at the dealership on November 8th, with the lineup and ride leaving from the parking lot.

They served a delicious stew with rolls. Afterward, we lined up and paraded 46 machines through Morgan and onto the trails west of town. Now, 46 machines make for a big ride, and everything works on a well-planned ride. I have led rides with fewer riders, and making a wrong turn down a dead-end trail really messes things up. This was a well-planned ride on a beautiful fall day.

We turned south on Highway 66, the road to East Canyon Reservoir, and then jogged over to Morgan Valley Road on Richville Lane, heading south again. We then turned right onto Hardscrabble Road. This was it – I was finally riding Hardscrabble. We passed through a gate onto private property. We had special permission to make this ride on this property, which I learned was previously owned by my neighbor, Jim Morgan.

I have wanted to see the mountain on the other side of Francis Peak, and the views were beautiful. The trail followed the foothills west of Morgan, dropping south down through a valley to Pole Hollow, where we turned west following Hardscrabble Creek.

This canyon was remarkable. The walls on the other side of the creek were jagged with sharp outcroppings. We continued past Cottonwood Canyon to a point where Arthers Fork joins Hardscrabble Creek. Near this place, we found a large enough area to turn 46 machines around.

We backtracked to the first canyon past Arthers Fork, and turned up that canyon to Mahogany Ridge, where we stopped to take in the view. At this point, Farmington was on the other side of the mountain from us. We could look to the northwest and see the radar towers, and to the southeast was Morgan Valley.

It was a chance to see the difference between the Morgan side of the mountain and the Bountiful side. The Morgan side has more rolling hills. On the Bountiful side, the mountain rises sharply. Bountiful has an elevation of 4,771 feet, and Morgan sits at 5,069 feet. Bountiful was one of the first settlements established when pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. Morgan was settled in 1860.

In 1868-69, when the transcontinental railroad was being constructed, it was a definite advantage for Morgan’s residents to be located along the main route. At that time, Morgan City was credited as the only incorporated city along the railroad line between Omaha and Ogden. The railroad not only provided jobs for area residents but also changed the region’s economic history. Residents were able to obtain more of the necessities and comforts of life, while the railroad also opened markets for locally produced goods. I like knowing something about the history of the area I am riding. I think it gives more meaning to the ride.

We didn’t need to turn around on this point – we continued down a canyon below Mahogany Ridge, and enjoyed negotiating more of the rolling hills of Morgan. We made our way back to Morgan Valley, passing Morgan Valley Drive and turning onto Highway 66, heading back to the Young Powersports dealership.

We had an enjoyable 30-mile ride. We express our gratitude to Eddie Patino and the Young Powersports team for sponsoring this ride. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down, and Eddie has assured me that his team will be organizing more trips in the future.

Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com.