Tales From My Trekking Poles: Big Mountain Pass to Affleck Park

This is a fun hike along a historic section of the Great Western Trail. It was originally blazed in 1846 by the ill-fated Donner Party, then used by the Mormon Pioneers a year later. Until 1861 when Parleys Canyon was opened, it was the trail for the California gold seekers, overland stage, Pony Express, and the original telegraph line!
This was the Hike of the Week in the Sept. 25 2014 Salt Lake Tribune. It is called Historic Pioneer Trail. There are some errors in the article though: It says Round Trip Miles are 2.5, but that is ONE WAY! Also, it says hiking time is 3 hours, but I went REALLY slow, taking pictures and looking for geocaches, and it still took me only 2 1/2 hours.
To get to the trailhead, drive East on I 80 out of Salt Lake. Four minutes up Parleys Canyon, take the exit to East Canyon, turn left off of the freeway, and drive a little over 8 miles up Highway 65 toward East Canyon Reservoir. Along the way, you will see Little Dell Reservoir on the right, Affleck Park on the left; then the road will climb steeply until it levels out at the summit. This is the large Big Mountain Pass Parking Lot. (gps coordinates N 40* 49.668' W 111* 39.244') There are actually 4 trails that leave from this lot, but you will be taking the trail that is on your right (South side) as you pull in. It goes downhill immediately. This is a nice trail, part of the Great Western Trail, and once you are on it, you won't get lost. You have great views as you hike down some switchbacks. It levels off after about 1 mile, and you will cross two bridges in quick succession. At mile 1.53 you will cross the highway (gps coordinates N 40* 49.202' W 111* 39.997) When crossing, listen for any traffic, then cross quickly as a vehicle coming around the curve would have a hard time stopping! If you are into geocaching, before you cross the road, find the geocache called Original Mormon Trail. Even if you are not a geocacher, if you click on this link, the description is very interesting to read: http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC339XP_original-mormon-trail . There is also another nice cache near here that I was the first to find: http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC56WEP_spoiled-felines-rejoice-2.
After you cross the road, continue on the trail. You will pass through an area that has been recently decimated by beavers! It made me think that the beavers had a futile neighborhood work project designed to stop those pesky mountain bikes from driving by their neighborhood! About 1/2 mile after you cross the road, you will come to a fork in the trail. Take the left branch that goes downhill to a bridge. Another 1/2 mile will bring you to your destination, Affleck Park. Have a little rest on a picnic bench and head back up the way you came.
Some alternatives to this hike would be to park at Affleck Park and hike uphill to the Big Mountain Pass, (When I was there, the park was already closed for the season, so you would have to park on the road) You would pick up the trail right by campsite #44. You could also park on the road where the trail crosses the road (gps coordinates: N 40* 49.202 W 111* 39.997) and hike up or down the trail from there. As I began this hike, I thought, "Gosh, I will have to hike back UP this trail," but I actually found it very easy to hike back up, and didn't even get my heart rate up.

Here is a tally of some things I saw:
Deer: 3
Piles of deer guts right by the trail (presumably from a Black Powder Hunter): 1
Hikers also doing the Hike of the week: 2
Mountainbikers: 5
Dead Porcupines: 1
Many moose tracks, cool birds, and flowers.