Lake Solitude (again) (3.5 miles round trip, easy)

Description:
      I have blogged on this hike before.  This is one of my favorite hikes, especially when hiking with my sweet wife. It is scenic, lots of shade, good chance to see moose, especially at dawn and dusk. It is  fairly flat, with an elevation gain of only 320 feet. There used to be a steep climb to the lake, but a couple of years ago, the trail was rerouted to make it much easier.This is the hike that inspired me to start a hiking blog!

Directions to trailhead:
     From the bottom of Big Cottonwood Canyon,  (The 7-11 Store) drive almost to the top of the canyon, 14.5 miles.  Turn  right into the parking lot across from the little store (or park in the store lot if that lot is full). This is the Silver lake lot, and Visitors Center. There are restrooms there if needed (Outhouse-type outside, and nice ones in the Visitors Center if it is open).
The hike:
     Go to the right of the Visitors Center and go around the boardwalk. If you go to the right, it is a little shorter, maybe 1/3 mile to the trail to the lakes.  On the far side, you will see a large trail sign  in a wide opening in the trees (unless it has been removed for the season.) Turn right at the sign, follow the trail a short distance to a fork in the trail, and signs pointing to Lake Solitude to the right, and Twin Lakes to the left. (Unless the signs have been removed for winter).  The trail is fairly easy to follow, and there are signs to get you to the lake where there are options.  On the way back I like to continue the rest of the way around Silver Lake. This will make the hike just over 3 miles round trip.
     There is a geocache there that I hid about 10 years ago. It is called Rock Solitude.
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCQ6DG_rock-solidtude?guid=e40a7151-207c-4038-9949-191b2a35388a

The geocache container.

The underside of geocache container.

A little touch of Fall at Lake Solitude.

A squirrel kind enough to pose for me!

A fairly good shelter near Lake Solitude, to the left of the trail.

Silver Lake on the way back to the trailhead.

An interesting plaque near the parking lot.

Alta Ski Resort to Cecret Lake ( Easy, 5 Miles Round-Trip)

Description:
     This is an easy, scenic hike, especially during wild flower season.  It is good for any age. I even saw small children that did not look old enough to be walking, but they were hiking this trail!  The first part of the hike has several signs along the way with  pictures of  various forms of wildlife and a question about them, then an answer and interesting facts about that animal when you flip the picture over.  If you do not want to go all the way to Cecret Lake, the trail to the Albion Basin Campground would make an easier but pleasant hike, complete with benches made out of old ski lift chairs.  This hike was inspired by the Salt Lake Tribune Hike of the Week of July 2, 2015, but when I went to do it, the Parking Lot for Goldminer's  Daughter Lodge
was closed for repairs, so I made up my own Hike of the Week! This is a watershed area, so no dogs allowed.  There are plenty of geocaches in the area, but I did not look for them on this hike.

Directions to Trailhead:
     Drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon to the Albion Day Lodge  (gps coordinates N 40* 35.465' W 111* 37.718')  I believe it was 9.9 miles from the 7-11 Store  at the bottom of the Canyon. Park anywhere in this parking lot.

The Hike:
     The trail starts between the Albion Day Lodge and the Alta Ticket Office.  The trail goes downhill from the Parking Lot, then heads to the left (East)  At .25 miles, stay on the wider of two trails at a sign with an arrow that says Albion Meadows. When you get to Alf's Restaurant, go to the left. At 1 mile, you will come to a sign that says: Germania Pass 2.5 Miles, Cecret Lake 1.5 miles, Albion Basin Campground 1.5 miles.  Follow the path toward Cecret Lake and the campground.   At mile 1.6 the trail splits, but there is no sign. The trail to the campground goes to the Left, and has a bridge. I went to the Right, which goes to  Cecret Lake.  At mile 1.88, the trail joins the wide Cecret Lake trail.  Go to the right to get to the Lake.   If you plan to return the same way you came, look around carefully for landmarks so you can find this trail again, as there are no signs.  (I went down to the campground from Cecret Lake and went back a different way).  You will reach the Lake at mile 2.44.
     You can go back the way you came, but I went down the the Albion Basin Campground, walked around the campground loop to scout it out for a future camping trip.  Near the parking lot outside the campground, are some restrooms.  Just West of the restrooms is the trail to take you back to your vehicle.  This trail is at waypoints N 40* 34.660' W 111* 36.883.'   Keep you eyes open and you are likely to see deer and Moose in this area.
   

Mostly yellow and white flowers at lower elevations of the hike.

Higher Elevations brought more reds, blues, and pink  flowers.

The sign at mile 1, just past Alf's Restaurant.

Seems to be peak wildflower time at this elevation. (About 9000 feet)

Cecret Lake. Not quite peak wildflower season here. I actually saw
the Ranger posting this sign about 10 years ago.

Colombines

A deer checking me out from a distance.

A moose bedded down for the day west of the Campground.

Red White and Blue appropriate for July!

   

Lisa Falls (Easy, .26 mile round-trip!)

Description:  I drove past this Little Cottonwood Canyon trail for many years before a friend told me about it. It is a very short, very easy, shady hike to a refreshing waterfall, and a great way to cool off on a hot day. Even small children will love the short hike. No dogs, though, and No trailhead restrooms.    There is one geocache along the way.

Directions to Trailhead: From the intersection  of Wasatch Boulevard and Big Cottonwood Canyon road, (The 7-11 Store) head South up Little Cottonwood Canyon 6.7 miles to the small turn-off on your left. (There is also a turn-off on the right, if the other one is full, but you will have to cross the road on a curve, which is nice to avoid if possible.)   The turn-off is between mile markers 6 and 7, just around the bend from a large brown pole with a traffic camera mounted on it.  The gps coordinates of the trailhead parking are: N 40* 34.364' W 111* 43.596'.  There is not a trailhead sign, but there is only one trail, and it is to the right of a dry stream bed. (Don't worry, there will be water at the Falls!)  Just hike up the short trail, enjoy the cool spray of the water mist, or go ahead and dunk your head in the stream!  I had the place to myself at 7 A.M. but I'll bet it gets rather crowded on a hot summer day. There is plenty of space and there are plenty of rocks to have a nice picnic meal.  If you are a geocacher, be sure to find the Lisa Falls Micro Cache: http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1CRNC_lisa-falls?guid=3af3e3ba-07f4-4745-921a-616942410f7a.  I also found a unique cache down the road a bit called Shaker-slc Cache: 
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCZ684_shaker-slc?guid=6c0012a9-7d4a-414e-aa34-9109cf772cc2.  A good way to get to this cache without a lot of bushwhacking is to first go to a fairly large hut made out of sticks at coordinates: N 40* 34.350' W111* 43.765'.

The shady trail.

Almost there.

Lisa Falls

Flowers below the Falls.

                        

Donut Falls Snowshoe update (3.6 miles easy)

I have done other posts on this hike, but this one gives some details to help you get to Donut Falls without following the wrong trail in the snow.  After driving 8.8 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon, you park in the parking area on the right (South) side of the road, go around the locked gate and head up the road.  At 1/2 mile, stay on Cardiff Fork Road continuing straight on the unplowed snow rather than going to the right.  At .82 miles you will arrive at the usual summer trailhead where you will see an outhouse. (It is locked, in case you are wondering! The one where you parked is open.)  At one mile you will see a wooden sign with orange spray paint  that says "trail" with an arrow pointing to the right.  Take this well-defined trail in front of the sign.  If you do not turn right, but go straight at this point, that will work, but is not as fun and scenic, although it is slightly shorter.  At mile 1.3 you will cross a small bridge, and a few hundred feet past the bridge you will turn left at a T with another wooden sign pointing to the left. (On your way back to your vehicle, if you miss the turnoff to the wooden bridge, you will be ok, but again, the trail over the bridge is more fun and scenic.)   At  mile 1.6 you will come to a drop off that can be quite difficult to get down safely in snowshoes. There is no need go down this way.  Instead, backtrack 50 feet or so, and you will see a much easier trail through the willows and can cross the stream easily on snowshoes.  At the Falls, you will see a danger sign. In years of lots of snow, it is easy to get up to and enter the cave on snowshoes.  If you want to enter the cave, an ice axe will be very useful.   When you get back to your vehicle, you will have hiked about 3.6 miles.   On this trip, I saw no wildlife, but I did see some fairly fresh moose tracks!

Near the Trailhead

Turn right AFTER this sign!

Stay straight on Cardiff Fork Road.

View on the way up to Donut Falls

View heading back to the trailhead.

This is why I love early morning hikes!

Turn left at this 'T.'

Church Bells in Rattlesnake Gulch?! (Easy 1.5 miles round trip hike)

 Here it is almost Christmas, and there is still not enough snow to snowshoe, but my trekking poles were begging for a hike, and I wanted to try out my new "Icetrekker" boot chains that I picked up on sale at REI for $13.99.  I have done this hike at all times of year, and winter is my favorite. OK, there are not actually  church bells in Rattlesnake Gulch, but there is an old metal sign at about 3/4 mile that sounds exactly like a church bell when you throw a rock at it or hit it with your trekking pole.  It sounds really cool, and reverberates for about 20 seconds.  One advantage of hiking solo, is that I can ring the gong for as long as I want to!  I want very much to know if it can be heard from the trail head!

The "gong" sign

     The trail head is just under one mile from the pay booth in Millcreek Canyon. (If you don't have an annual pass, and you hike early, nobody is in the booth, and you will save the  $2.25 fee on your way out.) The trailhead is on the left side of the road, a very wide area with a sign and room for several cars to park. I was surprised that I was the first car to arrive, but I guess I should not be so surprised, because it was still quite dark!  You almost never need snow shoes on this trail, as it gets packed down quickly, but you should have some kind of  cleats or chains on your boots/shoes.  On my way back down, I saw a mom carrying a baby in a baby back pack, and all she had on her feet were plain old running shoes; kind of scary!
     The trail starts out at a slight incline, then steepens into some long switchbacks. After about 15 minutes you will come to a T in the trail. Go to the left to get to the gong, and the Salt Lake Valley overlook.  A few more switchbacks, and you will be on a level trail the rest of the way. At 3/4 of a mile from the trailhead, you will see the rusty but sturdy sign on your right. Go ahead, hit it a few times; The gong sounds long and clear in the cold, dense mountain air!  I continued on the trail another mile to a great view of the valley, then nabbed a geocache on my way down:
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3C8GF_pipearazzi?guid=2f99b815-6304-4b9b-93e5-cb460d6496e9
     So, this was a successful little winter hike as my trekking poles and I got a good workout, my new boot chains worked well, I found another geocache, and best of all, I got to ring the gong in the cold mountain air!  Is anybody up for a New Year's Eve hike up Rattlesnake Gulch to ring in the new year?

Turn left at this sign

View of Salt Lake Valley

A cool  large rock at base of switchbacks

"Icetrekker" boot chains

Delicate Arch (3 miles round trip, quite easy)

I heard about a Utah Dept. of Wildlife trip in Green River Utah to look for Big Horn Sheep, so I got together with a couple of brothers for a fun day-trip.  We left Salt Lake early to meet in the John Wesley Powell Museum parking lot at 8 A.M.  where we convoyed about 8 miles to a good dirt road called Hastings road that winds for 9 miles along the Green River.  We saw Big Horn sheep high on the cliffs, and one much closer across the Green River.  Even if you do not see Big Horn sheep, this is a cool area to explore and do some geocaching. One geocache will take you to an old cabin: http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2A38M_nefertiti-cache  and another will take you right to some very cool petroglyphs: http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2A38M_nefertiti-cache.

We then went to Ray's Tavern on Main Street for an amazing cheeseburger and fries. (That alone is worth the 3 hour drive!)

We then continued East on I 70 and then south on 191 to Arches National Park, about a 45 minute drive from Green River.  Once you get to the Entrance and pay the fee or show your pass, it is another 45 minute drive to the well-marked trailhead.  This turned out to be a great time of year to hike, with cooler temperatures, and not too many people.  (The trailhead coordinates are N 38* 44'08.7" W 109* 31' 14.3")   At the beginning of the trail you can explore the Wolfe Cabin, and some Ute Indian Petroglyphs.  The trail is easy to follow, with stairs cut into the rock in a few places, but mostly just following cairns (stacked up rocks) across the slick rock.   The entire trail is very scenic, with enough variety that you will be surprised at how quickly you arrive at this magnificent arch! There were people of all ages and degrees of fitness, some carrying infants. Sunset is a very fun time to be there, especially when there is a full moon, but be sure to bring a headlamp or flashlight for the hike back.

Big Horn sheep across the Green River

The famous Delicate Arch

Miles on new trekking poles: 18

View on the way down rom the arch

Reflection of setting sun on creek

Wolfe Ranch

Stone cabin along Green River

Petroglyphs at end of Hastings road

View of Green River on way back into town.

Wagner Spring

This is another Hike of the Week from the Salt Lake Tribune, originally published 5/6/2012. It is easy, and would be fun for children.  It is a  little under 3 miles round trip, and took me 1 1/2 hours, but that included finding 4 geocaches.  If you are a Geocacher, be sure to download the geocaches in the area. There are some cool ones. ( You can use GC1KCQ3 as a target geocache  for your Pocket Query  http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1KCQ3_solsbury-hill-wasatch?guid=123daf70-f583-439a-a62b-db9d4e81568a. Click to see some cool pictures of the area. That cache is at the destination, the top of a hill.) The trailhead is right across the street from Hogle Zoo on Sunnyside Avenue. Turn left into the first possible parking lot after you pass Pioneer Trail State Park. The trailhead parking is immediately to your right after you turn in, next to the Zoo North Lot. (GPScoordinates N40 45.054 W 111 48.693) Park your car and walk through the gap in the fence. If you go left, you will be on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, but instead go right, and up the hill. You will come to a trail junction at .23 miles. There is a sign post, but no sign. Go to the right.  Now just follow the trail for a while. If you are a geocacher, be sure to look for the geocache called Big Beacon 2. http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2GD1Q_big-beacon-2?guid=7858280a-dbce-4b75-a1b0-8ac465120771 It has a very cool container. Even if you are not a geocacher, you can look for it; Here's how: Less than 1/2 mile from your vehicle, you will have a great view of what looks to be a dog park down below on your right.  When you are about even from the restrooms at the dog park, you are maybe 100 yards from the cool geocache. After a clear, straight portion of trail, you will come to a Gambel Oak maybe 5 feet tall on your right. Below that Oak is a rock, pictured below. Turn the rock over and you will be surprised. It is one of my favorite geocaching containers!  Be sure to reposition the rock the way you found it!  If you have children along, that would be a fun thing for them to look for. If you find it using my description, please let me know!  About 1/2 mile into the hike, you will see a large concrete tank on your left. This is Wagner Spring.  It has kind of a cool view.  If I were a Freshman at the U, I would set up a candlelight dinner here for a fun date!   There is another pretty good geocache maybe 20 feet North of the tank. http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCWKYN_wagner-springs-tank-cache?guid=851af906-f7f4-4795-b7d1-d7d351f1369e
     Continuing past the tank, in a couple of minutes you will reach another junction. Go to the right up the hill.  At the 1 mile point, you will reach a buried crude oil pipeline, marked by several signs.
Apparently, the owner of a black wide tip permanent marker, who has anger problems and a foul vocabulary, does not like the oil pipeline for some reason.  (He missed a few of the signs farther up the hill though.)  At the pipeline, turn right and head up the hill.  At the top of the hill, you will come to another intersection. Go right, and head toward the higher hill that has a dirt road going straight up it.  It looks like it should be difficult and tiring, but I found it to be quick and easy. There is a bright yellow bike trail marker on top, and another geocache. http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1KCQ3_solsbury-hill-wasatch?guid=123daf70-f583-439a-a62b-db9d4e81568a I enjoyed the view, but did not stay too long, because there was some lightning headed that way, and I did not want me and my aluminum trekking poles to be the highest things around!  I went down the way I came. At the trailhead, I noticed a hand written sign that I had not seen at the beginning. It said, Caution. Mountain Lion was seen on trail on 8/22/14 at 2:15 PM.  One week almost to the minute, from when I hiked this trail!

Trailhead

Wagner Spring Tank

Oil Pipeline

Second to last hill. Watch for cacti on sides of road

Almost there!

Trekking poles enjoying the view.

View from top of  hill.

The cool geocache. Trekking poles give perspective
of size of rock.

The cougar warning that I saw after the hike.