123 Street Avenue, City Town, 99999
(123) 555-6789
email@address.com
You can set your address, phone number, email and site description in the settings tab.
Link to read me page with more information.
Filtering by Tag: Utah
Ogden
Lewis Peak (run / hike)
Ben Lomond Peak (run / hike)
Mt. Ogden Peak (run / hike)
Waterfall Canyon (run / hike)
Cutler Ridge (ski)
Southern Utah
Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef (hike)
Moab (bike)
Uintas
Amethyst Lake (hike)
Standing 9,716 feet tall, Ben Lomond looks down over Ogden, UT. With all travel coming to a halt this year, it was finally time to summit mighty Ben. As soon as I made it up once, I was addicted. Below are three different routes.
North Ogden Divide - Skyline Trail
Start: North Ogden Divide Trailhead
Duration: ~15.5 miles
Elevation gain: 3500 feet
Difficulty: moderate - difficult, due to duration and steep sections
What to expect? The first 1.5 miles of switchbacks are rocky and moderate/difficult. The trail becomes smooth dirt until reaching the saddle of Ben Lomond. This is the point where the Skyline trail meets up with Cutler Sprint trail and Ben Lomond trail. From here there is a 1.5-mile final push up to the peak, gaining the last 1,000 feet.
GPS *this is my favorite route
North Fork Park
There are two routes from North Fork Park. For extra fun, make a loop out of these two!
Start 1: Loop B - Corals Parking
Duration: ~14.5 miles
Elevation gain: 3900 feet
Difficulty: moderate - difficult, due to duration and steep sections
What to expect? The trail is mainly smooth, with some rockier sections close to the bottom. The trail is very straight forward until you reach the saddle of Ben Lomond. This is the point where Ben Lomond trail meets up with Cutler Spring trail and Skyline trail. From here there is a 1.5-mile final push up to the peak, gaining the last 1,000 feet.
GPS *note this was early season, we did not make it to the tippy top due to snow
Start 2: Mule Shoe Trailhead parking or Cutler Flats Parking
Duration: ~11.6 miles
Elevation gain: 3900 feet
Difficulty: difficult, due to duration and steep sections
What to expect? The trail is the steepest of the options, and the least trafficked. I’d recommend trekking poles. From the parking lot, you can follow the road towards Cutler Flat, or hop on the trails and head to Cutler Springs trail. At 2.9 miles in, you have the option to continue straight on Cutler Spring trail, or you can take a sharp left to connect up to Ben Lomond Trail. Cutler Springs trail is slightly shorter but much steeper. At the saddle, Ben Lomond trail, Cutler Spring trail, and Skyline trail all meet. From here there is a 1.5-mile final push up to the peak, gaining the last 1,000 feet.
GPS *bonus - this is also a great ski touring route in the winter
Ben Lomond + Willard Peak
If you’re feeling up to it, continue another two miles past Ben Lomond to Willard Peak! The trail is flowy and beautiful.
Ben Lomond looking down to Ogden, UT
Ben Lomond to Willard Peak
As most trips do, our trip started at the airport. With my car packed to the brim with camping gear, food, Rinse Kit portable shower, and enough extra layers to make sure no one was cold, I headed to the Salt Lake City airport to pick up my mom and brother for four days of exploring Southern Utah’s National Parks.
From the airport, we began south, stopping at a hotel in Spanish Fork to get a few hours of sleep before continuing on to Arches National Park in the morning.
Despite waking up early to make our way to the Park and to find a camp spot (we assumed we’d end up on BLM land – hence the Rinse Kit), we ended up at Archview RV Park & Campground. This campground felt luxurious. In addition to having Wi-Fi near the main camp store, the newly constructed bathrooms had marble counter tops and a stone-tiled shower floor. Camp heaven.
It was noon by the time we set up camp and were finally on our way into Arches National Park!
Following our mandatory stop at the visitor center to get our National Park Passports stamped, we made our way to the iconic Delicate Arch (the arch found on Utah’s license plate) at the far end of the park. You can expect a beautiful, windy, and likely crowded hike as you follow the 2.5 mile trail out to Delicate Arch. Even with the crowds, you can get an awesome shot under the Arch with a little patience.
Without much daylight left, we made our way back towards to park entrance, stopping at Panorama Point, Balanced Rock, Double Arch, and North and South Windows. With trails under .5 mile each, this was a great way to end the day and make the most of our time in the park.
With a major Mountain Bike race in town, restaurants were crowded, and we ended up at good ol’ McDonalds (while not the best, salad + fries satisfies the plant based diet).
With a quick oatmeal breakfast, we left camp early to beat the crowd into the park and made our way to Devil’s Garden. The full 7.2-mile loop takes you past 7 arches, ending at Dark Angel tower. We opted for a 4-mile loop to Double O arch, stopping at Landscape Arch, Navajo Arch and Partition Arch along the way. From the parking lot, Landscape is the first arch you make it to. From here the trail becomes significantly more difficult, taking you over steep, sloping rocks, close to drop offs. Make sure to wear shoes with good grip, and leave the trekking poles in the car. You will want to have your hands free for this one! Also keep an eye out for cairns (pronounced Karens) along the way marking the trail.
Landscape Arch
On the way to Double O Arch
P.C. B. Fleming
From Devil’s Garden, we made our way back to the Visitor’s Center for a picnic lunch before starting the 1.5 hour drive to Needles Overlook. This may have been the best decision of the trip. We knew we wouldn’t be able to make it to both the Northern and Southern areas of Canyonlands National Park the next day, but still wanted to experience the Needles… and were blown away with what we found at this overlook. Due to its isolated location halfway between Moab and the Southern entrance of Canyonlands, you’ll have the overlook to yourself. We spent over an hour following the trail around the rim of the canyon, wondering why more people weren’t here!
Day 2 came to a close at El Charro Loco in Moab, because no camp trip is complete without Mexican.
P.C. B Fleming
Leaving our campsite behind, we headed out for our last full day of the trip at Canyonlands National Park.
First stop, Grand View Overlook. The overlook is the southernmost part of the Island in the Sky, sitting at 6080 feet. A quick 2-mile round trip hike, this you’ll be rewarded with views the Colorado river carving it’s way through what appears to be bottomless canyons.
Providing a lending hand. (P.C. B. Fleming)
Next stop, Mesa Arch. As one of the most popular destinations in the park, anticipate a busy trail. Once you arrive at the arch, there is a smaller trail to the right that will lead you to an open area where you can sit and enjoy the views.
Green River Overlook was our final stop before heading out of the park and heading to Capitol Reef National Park!
Our goal was to make it to Capitol Reef for an epic sunset at Goosenecks Overlook. After checking in at the Visitor’s Center, we had time for the 2-round trip hike to Hickman Bridge. Hickman Bridge is a 133-foot natural bridge tucked away in the canyon. Ending the hike during golden hour along the Fremont River, the fall foliage was glowing. We snapped lots of photos, had a quick snack, and set off for our last stop of the day – Goosenecks Overlook.
We quickly grabbed our cameras and headed up the trail…a little too quickly. 50 feet up the trail we realized the car keys were perfectly safe on the driver seat, locked in the car. With some help from some new friends, we managed to use the antenna to unlock the car by sliding it between the door and frame of the car. LESSON LEARNED: BRING MULTIPLE CAR KEYS.
When it was all said and done, we missed the sunset, and made our way to our hotel, Capitol Reef Inn & Café for a great meal after a long day.
P.C. B. Fleming
After the previous night’s missed sunset, we set the alarm early, and made it to the same trailhead for sunrise. It turns out Sunset trail is also a beautiful trail for sunrise. We watched as the sun rose above the mountains, and filled the canyon with light before heading to the Gifford Homestead for a cinnamon roll and arguably the best apple butter I’ve ever had.
Following Gifford Homestead we stopped at the Petroglyph panel before leaving.
· Daypack with hydration bladder – hydration is KEY
· Mid-rise boots for sandy/dusty trails
· Sunglasses and hat
· Allergy medicine – I find my allergies are always worse in the desert
· Headlamp
Looking down at Pineview Reservoir
If Snowbasin is your local ski resort, or you’re an Ogden resident, chances are you can point out Mt. Ogden by the tall satellite towers atop the 9,572 ft. peak. As one of the tallest peaks in the Northern Wasatch, Mt. Ogden is a great day hike, providing beautiful views (when you’re not socked in with clouds), and a good amount of elevation gain!
**I hiked this in September after our first snowfall of the year. Typically it is clear and beautiful, and not covered in snow in September!**
Getting There
Mt. Ogden can be reached via trails from Ogden , or via Snowbasin. From Snowbasin you have two options:
The Trail
(Hike up) At the top of Needles Gondola, make a left and start down the road in front of the Needles Lodge. Jump on the first trail you come across on the right. Follow the trail until you reach Needles Circque Trail to the Ridge. The trail quickly steepens at this point as you make your way back and forth up a series of switchbacks. You’ll drop down on the backside of the mountain, giving you views of Ogden and the Great Salt Lake. At this point you’ll also start to see trails coming up from Beus, Taylor, and Waterfall Canyons.
Halfway up the steep service road, make a right onto the trail
Follow the trail for another ¾ mile until you reach the steep service road. Head up the service road until you reach a small trail sign. Make a right, and hike the final portion of the trail to the helicopter landing pad at the top of Mt. Ogden!
(Hike Down) Instead of following the same trail down, we made a left onto the well defined service road, and dropped down in front of Becker Lift.This brought us across the front of the mountain, with beautiful views of the valley. After descending 1,000 from the summit of Mt. Ogden, you'll make your way under Needles Lodge, and head back up the mountain, ending the hike with a 500 ft climb back up to the lodge. Make sure to reward yourself with some hot tea and french fries inside the lodge before taking the Gondola (or hiking) back down!
Total Distance: 4 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,275 Ft.
Hike Time: 1:40 minutes
Takeaways
Hiking in early spring, the trails are muddy from snow melt. Snow covered half the trail, forcing us to turn around 3 miles in.
Ostler Lake
Amethyst Lake
Ice cold summit 'croix.
Buffs = mosquito protection
