Grandeur Peak, West Approach 4.5 miles round trip,( moderate difficulty)

I made this hike on a snowy Saturday. I was very glad I had my trekking poles and chains on my boots.  This is not a difficult hike, but is very steep, and it feels great to power up to the top and exercise your leg muscles!  The trailhead starts and the North end of Wasatch Boulevard which you can access from the top of 3300 South.  Gps coordinates are: N 40* 42.453' W 111* 47.748.'
     The trail begins at the Northeast corner of the parking lot, heads East then South. At about 1/3 mile, you can choose which trail you want to use. The main trail goes steeply uphill just past the gulch.  If you go into the gulch, you can take one of several trails that allow you to hike along the North ridge where you can look down into Parley's Canyon.  This trail will eventually join the main trail to the summit.  (The coordinates to this junction are: N 40*42.460' W111* 46.508')  There was only about 3" of snow for most of the trail, but once I reached the ridge to the summit, the snow was several feet deep, but the view was fantastic and well worth the hike. ( GPS coordinates of the summit are: N40* 42.425' W 111* 45.585') I went up the North ridge and came down the Main trail, which added a little to the distance. I was the only one on the North ridge and it was fun to watch other hikers ascend the main trail to my right.  Several years ago I was making this climb in the spring of a year where there was quite a bit more snow. I had been following some deer tracks, and just past the point where the two trails meet, there was a bunch of deer fur and some blood, then no more deer tracks, but there were some cougar tracks!  I could see in the snow where the cougar had lain on it's haunches waiting for the deer, then springing for it!
     I did not expect to find any geocaches on this trip due to the snow, but there are several, and I was able to find two of them in spite of the snow: One is called, Utah Jean is My Hero 2:    Gps coordinates are: http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1Y72T_utah-jean-is-my-hero-2?guid=33867f6d-1aba-410a-a88d-aac05c4d7612   The other is called EAGLE 11.  The coordinates are:
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3FVG5_eagle-11?guid=20eb42c5-7368-45c2-9fda-658b6ac26ef3

View near the junction of North and Main trails.

View on the way down.

I could actually hear what must have been Skyline High school
Marching Band from way up here!

View of Mount Olympus from the summit.

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.

Lake Solitude (again)

Bull Moose fighting just below Solitude. Photo by Ben Reschke

My son, grandson, and I hiked up to Lake Solitude recently and discovered that All  of the signs had been taken down! Maybe to protect them from winter weather? There were many lost hikers wandering around, so I thought I should give directions that can be followed even without signs.  This is an easy hike 1.5 miles each way.  This hike is almost at the top of  Big Cottonwood Canyon, 9.6 miles from the bottom. Park in the fairly small Silver Lake parking lot, or across the road in the large lot near the small store if that is full.  Go to the boardwalk behind the visitors center, follow it to your right to the other side of Silver Lake.  You will see a wide trail branching off to your right.  Go a short distance up this trail until you see the trail split.  Take the trail that goes uphill to the right. (Left will take you to Twin Lakes). After you hike a fairly long flat section of trail with an aspen grove on your right, you will come to another split in the trail.  There is a tall pine with a number 14 on it (See pic below). Take the trail to your left.  You will see a cut tree section with a red arrow spray painted on it to guide you (See Pic below). After continuing farther, you will come to what looks like the end of the trail, but if you look to your left, you will see 2 large fallen trees across a steep trail to your left.  This is where you need to go. It is steep, but only about 200 feet up.  At the top of this you will see Lake Solitude. There are wonderful rocks to rest on before you head back,  or you can find the geocache that I hid there (http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCQ6DG_rock-solidtude?guid=e40a7151-207c-4038-9949-191b2a35388a), or you can explore the other side of the lake and poke your head in a tunnel.  

New trekking poles now have 9 miles
on them.

Lake Solitude

Geocache log being signed with a tiny pencil

Under side of geocache

Beaver-gnawed tree near geocache

Arrow shows the way

When you see this true, stay left

Silver Lake in late October

Salt Lake Valley Overlook-Desolation Trail

This is a fun little hike that I have been doing for 50 years.  It is easy, and makes a nice trail run. Dogs are allowed, which could be a plus or a minus.  I won some new carbon fiber trekking poles at a drawing at Recreation Outlet last week, so I got to try them out.  I estimate that my old poles have about 3000 miles on them, and I may keep track of the mileage of my new ones!
     To get to the trailhead drive 3.2 miles up Millcreek Canyon from Wasatch Blvd.  Just past Millcreek Inn on the right, you will see South Box Elder Picnic area. This is where you park.
The trail starts to the right of the restrooms. (gps coordinates N 40* 41.848' W111* 44.403') A sign says it is 2 miles to the Salt Lake Overlook, but this is a lie; It is actually 2.4 miles. Maybe they added some switchbacks since the sign was made?  A short distance up the trail, you will see a wooden sign that says Thaynes Canyon straight ahead, and Desolation Trail to the right.  Go to the right, up the switchbacks.  The trail is easy to follow, and has a lot of shade from Pines and Maple trees, and some scrub oak at the lower portions.  At 2.4 miles you will see the lookout.  (gps coordinates N40* 41.345' W111* 44.583') As I approached the lookout, three Elderly ladies asked me where I parked, and when I told them, they said, "Oh Dear, we are going the wrong way, we wanted to go farther up the trail!"  I was a little worried about them, but I didn't see anything on the evening news about missing Elderly hikers, so I guess they made it!
     If you are a geocacher, there is a geocache that you must do; It is called Bill's Arch. Click on this link to see some close-up pictures: http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC12FVB_bills-arch?Submit6=Go . I found this with my son in 2008. It was my 600th geocache find.  I was amazed that I had been hiking past this for so many years and did not know it was there. Even if you are not a geocacher, if you are observant, you can see it.  As you go back down,  in less than one mile, you will come to a gulch. If you look in front of you, you can see the arch in the distance. (See picture below)  There is not an actual trail up to it, but after you cross the gulch, you will come to a spine of rock.  If you are ambitious, you can climb uphill about 100 feet, and get to the arch.  It is not an easy climb, but it is pretty cool.  If you do not want to take the exact same trail back to your vehicle, you can take a slight detour;  at one of the switchbacks you will see a wooden sign pointing to Thayne's Canyon.  You can take that, and have a nice, easy straight hike down the canyon. I think it is actually slightly shorter because you avoid some switchbacks.

Choose the right

Pipeline trail is across the canyon

Bill's arch from a distance

New trekking poles now have 6 miles on them!

   

Bear Trap Fork to Desolation Lake and Return via Mill D North Trail.

This is an incredible hike this time of year.  I started at Bear Trap Fork, 10.5 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon. This is not a marked trailhead, but is one of the most scenic, non-crowded trails I have been on. ( See photo below of the gate you park by).  I had not intended this to be a loop hike,, but I was having too much fun and decided to extend it by returning via Mill D North trail. I then hiked 1.6 miles up the road from Mill D North back to my car.  If you are going to do this with only one vehicle, I would recommend parking at Mill D North trailhead, then hiking up the road at the beginning of your hike instead of at the end!   The trail goes behind the gate as a dirt road.  Very soon you will see a trail that branches off to the left of the road.  Take this trail.  (Right now there is a large fallen tree blocking the road at this point).   From this point, there are no other decisions to be made, just enjoy the varying terrain, starting with some switchbacks, then following  a small stream for quite some distance. I saw many moose tracks, but no moose today. Most of the trail is a gentle climb with intermittent level areas and some beautiful meadows.  The last 1/2 mile is a bit steeper, but never too strenuous.  At about 2 1/2 miles, you will have a fantastic view of Desolation lake down to your left.  Chances are, you will not see any other hikers until you reach the ridge where you may encounter mountain  bikers traversing park to the Great Western Trail, also known as the Wasatch Crest Trail.  Follow this trail to the other side of the lake, where you have a view of Park City on your right, and a view of the Salt Lake Valley and Kennecott Copper Mine on your left.  If you are a geocacher, you can find a nice cache  http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC7EE_memory-exchange-revised?guid=f30d20a5-4ba6-4f97-bc25-3f0681b54d03 on the ridge before making your way down some easy switchbacks to Desolation Lake.  From the lake, you will see the trail sign pointing you toward Dog Lake and the Mill D North trail.  This is a scenic downhill trail taking you to the junction and sign pointing you straight ahead to Dog Lake or Left to the Mill D North Trailhead. ( If you want to make this into a 10 mile hike, go uphill .5 miles to Dog Lake and back.)  From this junction the route is almost all downhill to the Mill D north trailhead.  My gps said 8.98 miles when  I got back to my car, so I just had to wander around a bit to make it an even 9 miles!

Desolation Lake from Great Western Trail

Along Bear Trap Fork

Mill D North Trail

I almost expected to hear angels singing as the sun
 broke from the clouds and hit this triangle of fall leaves!

Toward Mill D North Trailhead

Bear Trap Fork Trailhead