The first mile of the hike is on dirt roads (this is a heavily used recreational area). The next mile is up into the canyon to a nice overlook of the valley. Overall a 3/5 star trail.
Distance (RT): 4.0
Time: 2 hours
Start: East end of 5200 W St. Santaquin
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation Gain: 1408 ft
Fee: Free
Park in the dirt area just at the end of the paved road (5200 W. St. Santaquin). There are four roads that all originate here – the most direct route is the second from the left. Had there actually been a direct hiking path to the canyon, this hike would have been much better in my mind. The numerous roads (muddy at this time of year) detracted from the experience. It’s about 1 mile to the mountain.
Start the ascent by passing through an open gate. Be careful with all the lose rocks (seemed like there was a narrow walking path without as many rocks).
The snow was only on the trail in some places where there wasn’t a lot of sun exposure. You could partially avoid it by just walking on the edge of the path. Since I had my new Unigear Leg Gaiters I purchased on Amazon, I wanted to give them a try in the snow.
Just before the sharp turn before the overlook, the snow was the deepest (about 6-8 inches). The gators worked pretty well (especially from the front and sides), but I noticed I had to keep pulling the back down over the top of the back of my boot because it would pop off and snow would get down my boot. I may just need to adjust them.
View back up the canyon from the lookout.
Panoramic view from the lookout point.
The trail continues beyond this point, but I was tired and only gave myself enough time for the 4 mile RT trail. Maybe some other time and when there isn’t snow, I’ll see how far it actually goes.
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