The Mount Timpanogos Wilderness Area is just 30 minutes from Salt Lake City, and about 15 minutes from Provo. Even as close as it is to the largest population centers in the state, once you're in the woods on the back side of Timpanogos, you'll feel like you're hundreds of miles away from the nearest soul. For the most part.

My favorite approach to hiking in the area is to take a backpack full of stuff I may need if I get stuck up there (an unlikely, but possible circumstance), including cold weather clothing, plenty of water, and enough high calorie food to keep me going. And my camera, and Rubber Duckie. Those things are really all you need.

I park at Sundance Ski Resort, because it's free and a great jumping-off site for trails on both sides of Provo Canyon. There's an expensive but tasty restaurant there that I've eaten at after a few hikes, when we were quite a bit sweatier, dirtier, and stinkier than the rest of the clientele. They didn't mind. I imagine they get it quite a bit.

My favorite hikes take right off from the parking lot, paralleling the ski lifts for a while before turning off into the forest. Utah has a reputation for being a desert, and it's deserved. That said, this canyon is easily the most verdant, most lush of any area in northern Utah. Not saying much, I know, but it is amazingly beautiful and green. It's also rich with animal life; after you get away from the road, you're likely to see deer, elk, moose, mountain goats, rabbits, beavers, and snakes (unfortunately...). I've seen all of the above while hiking on the back side of Timpanogos, and all but the snakes have been welcome sights. Which doesn't mean I wasn't scared.

My absolute favorite hike, which I've done at least ten times, is the hike to Stewart Falls and beyond. Stewart Falls itself is fairly close to some developed condos that are a part of the Sundance community, but set apart from it. It's about 2 miles from Sundance, and last time I went, you had to get....creative in your approach to Stewart Falls, to avoid uh, barbed wire fences and police officers and stuff. But you CAN get there.

Stewart Falls is maybe a 120-foot series of falls, with wonderful pools halfway up. If you hike up there, be careful, the rocks are VERY slippery. Don't take any children, either. There are trails that parallel the falls and go up through the forest onto a sort of plateau that overlooks Provo Canyon and Sundance. This is where the adventure begins.

As you leave Sundance behind, you're welcomed by meadows of wildflowers that are seemingly always in bloom; even though I've been there as early as April and as late as November, I've NEVER seen another human there. It's a wonderful place to be, like stepping back in time. You'll find complete solitude and complete peace here, and from this point there several trails you can take.

The trails aren't particularly well marked, and you want to make sure you have plenty of daylight if you're planning on going back to the parking lot, because it's easy to get lost. I've gotten lost up there several times; I also get lost in the grocery store, so it's probably not as rugged and frightening as I make it sound.

There are also other ways to explore this area; the Alpine Loop is a favorite Drive for Northern Utah residents, and goes up past Cascade Springs and can go down into the Park City area. You can also pay a minimal fee and have you and your mountain bike carried by ski life up to the top of the Sundance Ski runs and then ride down. With my lack of coordination and athletic ability, I'm sticking to hiking.

The awesome majesty of Mount Timpanogos is the backdrop for miles of forest and alpine meadow, and there are snowfields that are intact year-round. I recommend this hike for people who don't have much time to devote to travelling to say, the Wind River Range of Wyoming or the Uintas of Utah. Take a day trip, and do some exploring to see what you want to come back and spend more time on. If you go beyond Sundance at all, you'll step into an environment as stunning and invigorating as any the West has to offer.



Recommended: Yes

Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Couples
Review Topic: Hiking & Trails