Little Superior Wasatch Mountains August 9, 2012

                                   Looking toward Mount Superior

I am sorry for the lack of updates on this blog. My wife and I are very busy with work and preparing for the arrival of our first child in October.

Location: The location of today's hike is the town of Alta, Utah, approximately 8.5 miles up Little Cottonwood Canyon. Today's hike will take me up to Cardiff Pass and then hopefully Mount Superior. It is advisable to park in front of the Alta church. (No signs tell visitors not to park in the area). There are numerous other hikes to enjoy in the area including at the Alta Ski Resort and trails to Big Cottonwood Canyon.

The hike: I am hiking up Cardiff pass and then following the ridge line to the top of Mount Superior. It is approximately two miles to the top of Cardiff Pass with an elevation gain of 1,360 feet. From Cardiff Pass it is another 3-4 miles (distances not exact) and 2,000 feet of vertical climbing. From the church take a paved road that bends to the right. Follow it. The first 3/4 mile is on private property so be respectful.  After 3/4 of a mile you will come to a junction. Follow the trail in front of you up to the pass. If you get turned around the pass is a notch in the ridge with a power line going through it. From Cardiff Pass a trail branches off to the left following the ridge line. This trail is not on any map but plenty of people do take it. This trail will take you over Little Superior onto Superior itself. From here the trail peters out and it is Class two or three scrambling to the top. I did some of the scrambling but chose to turn around because I was by myself. If you hike off trail it is easy to get stuck in a precarious position requiring rescue. Remember in the Wasatch YOU pay for your own rescue. I certainly advise going with another hiker.

                                                           Paintbrush

                     Purple flower

                                      Along the route to Mount Superior

                                      Looking back toward the town of Alta

                                Looking down toward Snowbird; thousands of feet up

                              Cool shot of tree with sky and rocks

                                    The trail up passed Little Superior

                                  Fireweed

Whitepine Lake Wasatch Mountains August 10, 2012

                 Looking toward White pine lake and the north side of Little Cottonwood Canyon

Location: The hike up to White pine lake is located 5.5 miles up Little Cottonwood Canyon at the Red pine Trailhead. This is a very popular trailhead so it is not advisable to hike this route on the weekend. Other possible hikes from this trailhead include Red pine lake and Maybird lake.

 The hike: This hike is 4.5 miles one-way nine miles round trip. It has an elevation gain of approximately 2,500 ft. The hike is on an easy to follow two-track so it requires no route finding skills. However, it is advisable not to try this hike if you are out of shape or not used to the elevation.  The first mile of the hike follows the Red pine lake trail before it cuts off to the left. The trail passes through high elevation conifer and pine forests on its way to the lake. I advise hiking this trail in late July because of the abundance of  wildflowers in the area. Snow conditions may exist well into late July. Please inquire if you are hiking this area in May or June.

                                         White pine lake: showing how dry it has been this summer

                              Fireweed

                                               Fireweed

                                       Little Cottonwood Canyon; Utah