This is a beautiful quick hike near the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. It had been several years since I hiked this, but it was the "hike of the week" in the Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/Outdoors/hikes.csp?hike=479 so I went up there again.The link has good directions. The hike took me about 2 1/2 hours, going very slowly. There is an elevation gain of 1,600 feet in about 1 1/2 miles. As I reached the top of the steepest part, I was amazed that I was not breathing hard, and my heart rate was still pretty slow. I decided this was due to starting at a relatively low elevation ( 5,245 feet) , so plenty of oxygen! It is fun to watch people rock climbing as you hike the first part of the trail. Most of the climbers had a dog or two or three, all romping around happily with a stick in their mouths! You will need at least a full liter of water, or a water filter. I had to park in the overflow parking but it only added 5 minutes to the hike. I began the hike at 4 PM. It was nice and cool along the stream, but I much prefer to hike early in the morning when dawn is just breaking!
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| A rock climbing wall |
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| The "portal" mentioned in the Tribune |
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| One of many refreshing water falls |
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| Another portal? Maybe a good place for a geocache! |
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| Nice view of the Salt Lake Valley |
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| My trekking poles enjoying the view |
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| Interesting rock formations near the top |
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| Near beginning of the hike. |
Wow! Your pictures are stunning! Thanks for sharing your experiences with us! We finally climbed Ensign Peak last week. I know its nothing compared to your hike, but we sure had fun! We went at sunset and watched the sun go down. I'm looking forward to more hikes throughout the summer!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely need to do this one! Really great scenery!
ReplyDeleteThat is a neat canyon.
ReplyDeleteWow that looks amazing. I never realized there were so many hikes in the canyon.
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