Lisa Falls - Kid Friendly Hiking Trail
Little Cottonwood Canyon is home to many hiking opportunities for all ages, and abilities. But one trail stands out from all the rest. The Lisa Falls trail is a short kid friendly hike, which can be enjoyed by all ages. The trail begins on the north side of the Little Cottonwood Canyon road between mile markers 6 and 7. The trail ascends up the north side of the canyon and follows a rocky stream bed. On our visit this stream was bone dry, but we weren't worried because in the distance you could clearly hear the faint sound of water cascading over the rocks.
Lower Bells Canyon Waterfall
This is a hike that I have always wanted to do; but for some reason I always found myself getting distracted by the beauty of the Lower Bells Reservoir that I never bothered hiking farther up the canyon. What was I thinking? On this trip I was determined to not let the beauty of the Lower Bells Reservoir distract me from visiting the Lower Bells Canyon Waterfall.
Bells Canyon Trail
I have always wanted to know what was up Bells Canyon. From my Grandmothers Porch you can see all the way to the top. It is one gigantic granite circular, and I always heard about this upper reservoir. I waited a long time for a cloudy day that was cool because it is a long hike, with a lot of altitude gained in a short amount of distance.
Day Hike to Lower Bells Reservoir
The Bells Canyon trail head is located at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon approx ¼ mile from Wasatch Blvd. and the 9800 South intersection. The trail head allows parking for several vehicles and even has restrooms. This 20 minute hike offers fantastic views of the valley below, large granite boulders and of course the beautiful Lower Bells Reservoir. From the parking lot, the trail climbs immediately with several switch backs to the first ridge.
Cardiff Pass Trail
This hike is the end of the Cardiff Fork trail. It's on the Alta side, and is much shorter, only 1 mile to the pass from the trailhead. It starts behind the old Forest Service garage, and winds its way up a small road that turns unpaved. After a curve to the right in the road, there is a fork to the left. This takes you around above some cabins and starts up the hill to the foot trail. This is a jeep track that eventually turns to a foot path that continues up the side of the hill.
Catherine Pass to Sunset Peak
Catherine Pass was a place I had already been to, but climbing Sunset Peak was something I had not done. This peak is clearly visible from Catherine Pass. I started at the Catherine Pass trail head and went to the Pass. Once on the Pass, we headed up the sandy incline to Sunset Pass. From here there is a minor saddle with a well traveled foot path to the summit. This trail to the summit is steep, but short and does not take very long. Up a couple of switchbacks and you are at the top. It has the best view of the Brighton Lakes area.
Catherine Pass - Little Cottonwood Canyon
This was my first hike out with my friend who had been bugging me to go. The trail started at the Sunnyside lot on the Albion Basin Road. Soon after hitting the trail it started to climb, up the side of the basin, then down a little bit then back up another steep hill where it levels off to a nice view of the basin, Devils Castle, The Sugarloaf, and Mt Baldy. After taking in the view, it's up another steep incline, to a mountain meadow with a beautiful view of wild flowers, and the back side of Mt. Wolverine.
Cecret Lake Trail to the Sugarloaf
When coming up to the Albion Basin, I had heard about a lake close to Devils Castle and the Sugarloaf called Cecret Lake, yes spelled with a C. I heard it was a short but nice hike, and since it was Utah Pioneer Day, I thought it would be a great way to spend the holiday, by going hiking. I started my day by finding out how many people actually chose to spend their 24th up the Albion Basin also.I had to park at the Sunnyside lot because the Cecret Lake lot was full. So I had a good ½ mile warm up on the legs to get the blood flowing.
Grizzly Gulch Trail
This hike was another Sunday expedition into unknown territory. Being that is was now September, so weather wise, I did not know what to expect. This hike begins at the old Forest Service Garage 8.3 miles up Little Cottonwood Canyon. The road to the trail begins at the Alta City building right behind the garage. Travel the road for a bit, and it turns into an old jeep track that makes its way into the gulch.This track winds its way into the gulch until you reach a large tailings pile cut in half for the trail to go through.
Hidden Peak To Mt Baldy Via The Snowbird Tram
I received a free tram pass up @ Snowbird ski resort, so not to let it go to waste, and it being a late Sunday, I wanted to summit Mount Baldy via the ridge traverse from Hidden Peak. Hidden Peak To Mt Baldy Via The Snowbird Tram - Little Cottonwood Canyon With little time to climb the gulch to get to the peak, I used my tram pass and rode the tram to the Hidden Peak summit. It is a great ride with central views of the Peruvian Gulch which I hiked earlier this season.
Hidden Peak To White Pine Canyon Pass
This hike was originally for American Fork Twins, but the clouds started to thicken as we headed for Hidden Peak, so we decided to get some sun down pictures from the White Pine Pass. We began on the back side of Hidden Peak, followed the service road in the circ below the Twins, and headed into a really wooded area called Gad Valley. This is one of Snowbirds very popular ski runs during the season. We passed the ski house in the basin of this gulch, and began to climb to the upper gad lift. When we got to the lift we could see a boulder field down the service road.
Red Pine Lake Hiking Trail
The trail to Red Pine Lake starts through a thick aspen forest with large spruces all around you. It climbs west then corners the ridge to the south were it starts to climb up into a gulch. There are some really rough spots, but nothing out of the ordinary. As usual the view across the canyon was great, red and granite rocks spire all the way to the summits. As I climbed toward the lake the trail was surrounded by trees, as it climbs up a path with staircase like rocks, and the usual trail scrawl everywhere.
The Peruvian Gulch Trail
The Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort is a world class resort for skiing and snowboarding. But it is not known for having summer activities. It has some of the best hiking and mountain biking trails in the Wasatch range. A great perk is that after a long hike you can sit on the patio and grab a bite. Oktoberfest in the fall offers families the opportunity to enjoy the German celebrations, as well as the new alpine slide next to the Tram loading station. As well as being able to hike and bike while you are up there, the Tram is ran year round and allows you access to the ridge top where you can climb the American Fork Twins, and ridge traverse to Mt. Baldy.