Overview
The Sinks Road Loop is the kind of ride that exists in that productive gray zone between a gravel bike route and something that really wants to be a mountain bike day. At 33 miles with 3,193 feet of climbing and a high point around 8,500 feet, it's substantial. The route leaves Garden City, climbs into Cache National Forest on Sinks Road — Logan's finest dirt-road touring, as earned a description as you'll find for the area — reaches a ridgeline above the Peter Sinks sinkhole, and descends Temple Canyon all the way down to Bear Lake Valley near Meadowville, closing the loop along the valley floor.
The surface mix matters here. Most of the route is rideable on a gravel bike with 40mm tires or wider, but there are sections — particularly in the descent — that prefer 2-inch mountain bike tires. Bikepacking riders have done this on everything from loaded 29ers to lightly equipped gravel setups. The right call depends on your technical comfort: if you're confident on loose descents and don't mind scrubbing speed on rocky sections, a capable gravel rig works fine. If the phrase "steep and chunky" raises your heart rate the wrong way, bring the mountain bike.
Peter Sinks is worth understanding before you ride past it. It's a closed limestone basin — a natural bowl where cold air pools on clear nights, creating one of the most extreme temperature inversions in North America. The record low there is −69°F. In summer, the sinks area is merely beautiful: open, high-desert terrain above 8,000 feet with views in every direction and the kind of silence that reminds you why the Forest Service exists. Reach the high point, sit for five minutes, look around, and then point the wheels toward Temple Canyon.
The Route
Starting from Garden City along Bear Lake Boulevard, the loop heads west and north on Sinks Road before climbing to the high country, crossing above Peter Sinks, and descending Temple Canyon back to the valley.
Miles 0–5: Garden City to Sinks Road Junction The route begins on pavement through Garden City, heading generally north and west from the lake. The road transitions to gravel as Sinks Road begins its climb into Cache National Forest. The early miles are well-maintained dirt — hardpacked surface, gentle gradient, the kind of terrain that makes gravel riding feel like the right choice. Pine and aspen replace the scrub of the valley floor as you gain elevation, and traffic disappears almost immediately. Sinks Road is not a popular through route; on a weekday morning you may not see another vehicle for the first hour.
Miles 5–15: Sinks Road Climb The sustained climbing section. The gradient is relatively gentle by Utah standards — nothing like the brutal pitches of the Wasatch — but it's consistent, and at altitude the math accumulates. The road climbs toward 8,000 feet through terrain that shifts from open ridgeline to dense forest and back as the route follows the topography of the Bear River Range. The surface stays good through this section — this is the "gentle climbing" that sets Sinks Road apart from the more technical alternatives nearby. Carry water; there are no services anywhere on this stretch.
Miles 15–18: The High Point and Peter Sinks The route crests near 8,500 feet in the vicinity of Peter Sinks — the limestone sinkhole basin that holds continental cold-temperature records. The terrain up here is open and windswept, with views east toward Bear Lake's turquoise water visible from the ridge. This is the natural stopping point: eat, drink, take stock of your legs and daylight, and understand that the descent into Temple Canyon is committed — there's no easy shortcut back to the valley from here.
Miles 18–26: Temple Canyon Descent The descent into Temple Canyon is what the route is remembered for. Long, sustained, and satisfying when conditions are dry — the road drops toward Meadowville and the south end of Bear Lake through canyon terrain that feels genuinely remote. The upper section has technical rocky segments that reward momentum and punish hesitation; this is where gravel-bike riders discover whether their tire choice was optimistic. The gradient eases in the lower canyon, the surface smooths, and the descent becomes fast and flowing before depositing you near the valley floor at Meadowville, roughly 2,500 feet below where you left the high point.
Miles 26–33.24: Valley Floor Return to Garden City From Meadowville, the route follows the valley floor north and east back to Garden City along paved or hardpacked road with Bear Lake visible to the east. The terrain is flat, the legs are tired, and the lake's color — that improbable Caribbean blue-green — is the reward for everything that came before. Roll back into Garden City and locate a raspberry shake without delay.
What to Bring
- Gravel bike with 40mm minimum (or MTB) — the Temple Canyon descent has sections that ask for more tire than a standard road bike can offer; 40mm works, 2.1"+ is more comfortable
- 3 water bottles or a hydration pack — the high country section between Sinks Road and Temple Canyon is completely dry, and you're covering a lot of miles at altitude before any resupply
- Navigation device with route downloaded — the Sinks road junction network is not well-signed and the approach to Peter Sinks has forks that aren't obvious
- Wind layer for the high point — 8,500 feet is exposed and the temperature difference from Garden City can be significant, especially in morning or evening
- Mechanical readiness — you're a long way from help in the middle section; carry a multi-tool, two tubes, a pump, and the ability to fix a derailleur hanger
Local Tips
- Best window: June through mid-October; the high point clears snow by mid-June most years, and the descent is best from July through September when conditions have dried out. The road can be soft and rutted in early June — call the Cache National Forest office to check conditions.
- Combine it: The loop connects naturally to the Garden City to Sink Road Climb route for riders who want to know the paved approach to this terrain before committing to the full dirt loop.
- Direction matters: The clockwise direction described here — up Sinks Road, down Temple Canyon — is strongly preferred. Temple Canyon descent is significantly more satisfying than Temple Canyon as a climb, and Sinks Road's gradient is more manageable on the way up than the technical upper sections of Temple Canyon would be.
- Post-ride: Garden City has everything you need within half a mile of wherever you park. LaBeau's Drive Inn on Bear Lake Boulevard, open since 1981, is the default answer to every post-ride question in this valley. The raspberry shake is not a tourist trap — it's legitimately one of the better things you can put in your body after three hours in the hills.