Ridge Above Pipeline Trail (3.66 miles round trip, Moderate Difficulty)

View of Mount Olympus from ridge above Pipeline Trail

This hike is a more challenging variation of the Rattlesnake Gulch to Salt Lake Overlook hike.  There is trail of some sort the entire way, but a section is very steep (although not  quite the desperate, grasping-at-small trees type of steep), with a fantastic view, and a way to avoid the crowds of people on a beautiful weekend.
Trailhead: Drive up Millcreek Canyon. Turn into the large parking spot less than a mile past the toll booth, at a sign that says Rattlesnake Gulch.

The Hike:  The trail starts at the left (West) end of the parking lot.  The first .7 miles is a gradual rise, with some switchbacks starting just past a magnificent large spine of rock. At the top of the switchbacks, you will see a sign pointing to the Grandeur Peak trail if you go right, and Pipeline to the left.  Go left. In a few hundred feet you will see a rusty sturdy sign on your right. I would like to know what this sign originally said. Be sure to hit it with a rock or trekking pole, to hear a great gong sound like a church bell!    Continue a few hundred more feet past the sign, and look for a definite but steep trail branching off to the right. (GPS coordinates: N 40* 41.888' W 111* 46.344'). Go up this steep trail.  After several minutes of steep hiking, you will be rewarded with a gorgeous view at a saddle. (At this point I reached for my GPS and realized I had lost it!  I backtracked and found it on the trail almost at the beginning of the steep part! ) From this point at the saddle, there is a trail to the right that appears to go up to Grandeur Peak, and a trail that goes to the left, and ends up going down the gulch the valley below. But the trail I took was even more to the left of the gulch trail. It is faint at times, but keeps you on top of the ridge to a few easy peaks. There are a couple of geocaches along this ridge,(which I did not find): Troop 249 Cache, and Deep Tracks-Speechless Cache.  After the western-most peak, you will find yourself going down a gentle trail that brings you to the Salt Lake Overlook and a "Y" shaped remnant of the Pipeline Trail. At this point you can take the easy Pipeline trail back to the trailhead.

At the saddle