Cardiff Fork is a long, straight canyon with steep cliffs on both sides, the landscape is both beautiful and unique. The trail is basically a very rocky road leading to the remains of the old Cardiff Mine and then on to Cardiff Pass which descends into Alta in Little Cottonwood Canyon. You are in the heart of historic mining territory. The majority of this area is PRIVATE land with signs posted everywhere. The Forest Service has permission from private land owners for access to the road. Please, please, please be respectful and do not venture from the road so that the canyon may remain open for all to enjoy! I really like this hike and I would hate to have some numb skull vandalize the old mining structures or get injured and ruin the hiking experience for the rest of us. (done with my soapbox) The highlight of this hike for me is the one large remaining structure of the mine - an ore bin. Mining began here in the 1880's and finally came to an end in 1967. During the mine's heyday it produced large quantities of gold, silver and copper. There are massive mine tailings piled all along the trail. The hiking distance to the old ore bin is 2.5 miles with an elevation gain of 1370 feet. It is an out and back hike for a total of just over 5 miles. We also took a jog over to Donut Falls for a quick peak since we were in the neighborhood.
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| This rocky road is the trail. |
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| Very large moose right on the trail made us bushwhack to get around him. |
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| Beautiful stream coming down canyon. |
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| Dramatic cliffs line the canyon. |
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| First large pile of tailings. |
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| Road becomes a stream bed. |
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| Remains of an old cabin. |
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| Ore bin |
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| Wild raspberries made a yummy snack. |
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| A variety of wild mushrooms! |
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| Nature never ceases to amaze and delight me! |
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Wildflower of the Week
This plant is Canada Thistle. Even though it is quite pretty, it is a non native, invasive, noxious weed - So says the State of Utah. It often grows in large patches and has a deep rootstock that make it hard to kill.
For myself I hold no preferences among flowers
so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous!"
Ed Abbey
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******Miles hiked tally
beginning March 22, 2013
Beginning of this Blog
339.2
