Mount Nebo

Mount Nebo, located in Utah, is named after the biblical Mount Nebo, where Moses died. Mount Nebo is the highest mountain in the Wasatch Range of Utah and the 5th highest in Utah. The highest point reaches an elevation of 11,929 feet.

I backpacked here last summer with my dad. The hike is 9 miles round trip. You may think only 9 miles isn't too bad; however, you climb 3,800 feet in elevation. This hike is very strenuous and difficult. Right off the bat you are hiking uphill. The trail can be sandy and rocky with boulders in some areas while in other parts of the trail it can be loose dirt and tricky to navigate. Juniper trees, spruce-fir trees, and many various wildflowers are along the trail. I hiked this in July when all the delicate flowers were in bloom.

This hike can be either a backpack trip or an out and back. It is more of a challenge to backpack because you are carrying 35-45 pounds of tent, food, and water for 2 days. The trip will be faster if the only thing being hauled up the mountain is water, lunch, and a jacket; making it a day hike. Either way you want to travel is fine and will still allow you to see all the views.

When traveling on this trail make sure you pack your patience because this is a hard hike! Though, once you make it to the top of the mountain, you will feel extremely rewarded and accomplished (not to mention exhausted)! On the way down you would think it would get easy because it is downhill, but not on this hike. It is just as hard, maybe even harder, than going uphill. Going downhill requires different muscles used in the legs.

Mount Nebo is an amazing hike with an even better view at the top. It tests both your physical and mental strength. http://www.wasatchhiker.com/home/wasatch-trails/mount-nebo/  

    

Bucket List Hikes

These are a few hikes that I hope to complete in the next couple of years.

1. Kings Peak is the highest peak in Utah and the 19th highest in the contiguous 48 states. There are multiple ways of going up the peak. The easiest way up is at least 32 miles. This makes the hike a backpacking trip. Kings Peak has an elevation of 13,528 feet located in the Uinta Mountains.

2. The Narrows are located in Zion National Park. The majority of the hike you is in the waters of the Virgin River. Sometimes the water can even get to be chest high. The hike from Chamberlain's Ranch requires a permit. It is a 16 mile hike over 2 days.

3. The Subway, also in Zion National Park, is a difficult hike. The hike is in shallow waters. It is a day hike that has a lot of maneuvering. There are many rappels, down-climbing, and swimming. The length of the hike is 7.5 miles.

4. Queen's Garden Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park is a moderately difficult hike. It is 6.5 miles. Hiking here allows you to see the best hoodoos in Bryce Canyon.

5. Mount Timpanogos is a strenuous hike of 15 miles round trip. It is seen as one of Utah's most recognizable mountains and is very popular. There are spectacular wildflowers that line the trail. At the summit you can see in every direction. The top is marked with an old shack.

Calf Creek Falls

In the heat of Southern Utah there is a beautiful oasis located on Navajo sandstone. Calf Creek Falls is a 5.5 mile long hike well worth the trip. While hiking in sand and rocks there are many cacti in full bloom in the summer months, and juniper and pinyon trees that eyes can be rested upon while walking. The trail its self has little elevation change making it a moderately easy hike even though it is in sand.

The former inhabitants of this land, over 800 years ago, were the Anasazi and Fremont peoples. As part of their system to keeping food and other storage safe, the people built granaries. These granaries protected the produce the ancient people farmed from the canyons in a safe place free of moisture and rodents. The remains are a great insight to the culture and life of the Native Americans in this area. They are located high on the canyon walls keeping them well preserved today for all hikers to observe. 

The origins of the name Calf Creek Falls comes from settlers taking weaned calves to use the natural pasture in the canyon to graze. The only reminder of this past is a fence remaining that used to keep the calves inside the boundaries of the creek. 

The best part of this hike is the end. While being able to hear the water from the fall crashing from the halfway point of the hike, you finally spot the water when rounding a corner. When you reach the magnificent water fall you are allowed to swim in the freezing cold waters. It is the greatest ice bath ever! The refreshing, chilly waters give a great wake up to help you on your way back down with a built in swamp cooler. I would recommend this hike to even the most amateur of hikers who want to see amazing views of Native Americans, plants, and a great swim.  

If you would like more details about this hike visit this site Calf Ceek Falls, lower-trail

  

Cottonwood Canyon

The Red Cliffs wilderness area is a beautiful area to be and explore. My family and I took a backpacking trip recently over spring break to this area for 2 days. This is a BLM land, and at one point in the hike, the trail passes through the edge of Zion National Park. The trail that we took was Cottonwood Canyon. It is a very rough expanse of land with mostly boulder hopping and sand for the entirety of the hike. It is in a washed up river bed that has many twists and turns. The canyon is shaped by the river encompassing you with beautiful cliff walls, full of the orange and red color scheme, reaching very high up to the sky.

This trail is not for beginners and is difficult. At the beginning of the hike it starts out on a well defined trail that comes before the river bed. This part is moderately easy to navigate; however, the trail soon splits into two trail heads: Quail Creek and Prospector Trail. At this point we accidentally took Quail Creek instead of the right way: Prospector. This led to some cross country traveling cutting back to the right trail after realizing that we had made the mistake. Once you are in the river bed it is easy to navigate without many other options other than what is in the river bed. The trail is about 7.8 miles long; however, you can stop depending on the conditions of how far and long you want to go (and how tired your legs are). To get the full experience of this scenic hike I would recommend staying at least one night in the canyon. The further you travel, the more exquisite the land becomes.

The rock formations that have been developing over many thousands of years are something you can only experience by going deep into the canyon. The harder the hike, the greater the reward!