The Pineview loop ride: what's path, what's road.

What exists

Start with the county's own words. Weber County's 2017 Pineview Loop Project Report describes a proposed 16-mile continuous loop around Pineview Reservoir. When it was written, a 7.5-mile paved, non-motorized pathway existed on the north and east sides, ending at 7800 East and 100 South in Huntsville, and where there was no path, riders used dirt trails or shared the road with motor vehicles. The report names SR-39 and SR-158 as the roads involved and the North Arm Trailhead in Eden as a start.

Trailforks lists the Pineview Loop Path as a paved path of 5.8 miles with 80 feet of gain, ridden both directions, and rates it fine for gravel bikes and Class 1 e-bikes. The two numbers don't agree and we couldn't reconcile them from the sources. Either way: a few flat, paved miles along the water, and a highway for the rest of the way around.

The road part

The road around the reservoir is SR-39 on the south and east and SR-158 on the north, with local roads through Huntsville and Eden. UDOT's Ogden Valley site says cyclists are allowed on the scenic byway and then says the part everyone asks about plainly: riding through Ogden Canyon is challenging and unsafe, with high speeds, narrow shoulders and blind curves. Its advice for the valley roads is lights and bright clothing. Ride the loop; don't ride the canyon to get to it.

UDOT's winter page lists the Pineview Trailhead at Windsurfer Beach and Port Ramp Marina as completely closed to the public, and the Forest Service's Pineview page has the current closures for the drawdown, so check where the path can be reached before you park.

A plan that works

Park at the North Arm Trailhead in Eden or in Huntsville, ride the paved path as far as it goes, and turn around. That's an easy out-and-back with the reservoir beside you the whole way and no traffic. If you want the full loop, you're a road rider sharing two-lane highways with trucks and boat trailers, and you should treat it that way: bright kit, a rear light in daylight, single file, and early in the day before the beach traffic. The county's report is the plan for a loop that doesn't need any of that; it hasn't been built yet.