Bowman Fork Trail to Baker Spring

This weeks hike took me to Millcreek Canyon and the Bowman Fork Trail in the hopes of escaping the summer heat in the valley.  The plan today was to at least make it to Baker Springs and hopefully all the way to Baker Pass where trails continue on to Mount Raymond and Gobblers Knob.  Bowman Fork Trail begins at the Terrace Picnic area about 5 miles up Millcreek Canyon road.  Turn right at the sign for Terrace 1/4 mile, cross the bridge and make your way up the narrow road into the Terrace picnic area.  There is a small trail parking area located at the top of the picnic area.  The hiking trail for Bowman Fork is on your right with Elbow Fork trail on the left.   The first piece of the trail follows a lovely stream and is lush with plant life most notably thimble berry bushes.  This section of trail is a favorite for dog walkers.  The trail then climbs steadily through a nice forested stretch which provides good shade until you reach White Fir Pass.

 May the forest be with you!!!

At White Fir Pass the trail faces a southwesterly direction, the conifers thin out and you have more exposure to the afternoon sun - too hot!  
Take a moment to appreciate the views of Porter Fork from White Fir Pass.

 

There were so many beautiful wildflowers along the way I just have to share a few.

Colorado Columbine

Scarlet Gilia

King's Yellow Flax

Paintbrush

 

Rocky Mountain Clematis

Next stop is Baker Springs 3.2 miles from the trailhead.  Baker Springs is the site of an old mining camp and you can still see evidence of mine tailings in the beautiful meadow.  Baker Spring also has a reliable water source (if you dare).

Now you can see Mount Raymond.

 And Gobblers Knob which isn't quite as impressive from this angle.

And also a view of Grandeur Peak and the Salt Lake Valley.

We only made it a little beyond Baker Spring before deciding to turn around for the day.  The hot afternoon sun had done us in.  I am a bit discouraged that I can't quite nail the big peaks. :(  I'm not getting any younger you know - but I'm still hiking. 

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 Wildflower of the Week

These blossoms are from a Thimble berry plant which later produce berries that look a bit like a raspberry.  The berries are edible, but I haven't tried one to report on the taste - yet.  The leaves on this shrub are huge, some up to 10 inches wide.  The first section of Bowman Fork trail following the stream was lined with many Thimble berry bushes.

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
308.8

Brighton Lakes Updated

The Lake Mary/Catherine Pass trail gives hikers the opportunity to visit four lakes in just a 4.5 mile jaunt.  The trail begins at the base of Brighton Ski Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  Lake Mary is a well known trail, but shhhhhhhhh here's a little secret - hike this one early in the morning to beat the crowds and have the best chance of seeing moose. 

The first small lake - more of a pond really - is Dog Lake just 500 feet from the main trail to Lake Mary.  Dog Lake is definitely worth a brief visit before moving on to the ever popular Lake Mary.

Next, on to Lake Mary! Another 1/4 mile past Dog Lake or 1 mile from the trailhead is Lake Mary.  Lake Mary is in a glacial basin and in 1916 a dam was built to create a water supply reservoir.  It is a watershed area and signs are posted at the lake - no swimming!  Lake Mary is an extremely popular hike so be prepared to share the trail all summer.  It is a beautiful large lake with Mount Millicent in the background and the entire area is even gorgeous buried under 6 feet of snow in winter.

Next comes Lake Martha.  Lake Martha is a much smaller lake that shares the same glacial basin with Lake Mary and is only .3 mile further on the trail.  Lake Martha sits at the base of Mount Tuscarora and has a unique island of small pines on the lake.  I love the solitude and peaceful setting of Lake Martha.  Lake Martha receives fewer visitors than her popular sister lakes - which is fine by me.  This last photo of Lake Martha was taken from high atop Mount Tuscarora in September of 2013 giving a nice bird's eye view of the lake.

The final lake and my all time favorite is Lake Catherine.  Lake Catherine is only another .7 mile from Lake Martha.  The trail climbs up to the ridgeline overlooking the upper bowl of Brighton Ski Resort then levels off as it makes it's way to Lake Catherine.  And by the way, this piece of the trail is part of the Great Western Trail system.  There are also some great views looking down upon Lake Martha and Lake Mary to check out before you drop down the trail and arrive at Lake Catherine.  Lake Catherine sits at the base of Sunset Peak and Pioneer Peak.

 Lake Catherine from a different angle looking toward Mount Tuscarora.

There was still a fair amount of snow on the trail as of June 22.  Use caution as the drop offs are very steep!

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 Wildflower of the Week

One of my favorite early summer flowers high in the mountain meadows are Marsh Marigolds.  The brilliant white blossoms and shiny green veined leaves are hard to miss.  These wildflowers often form dense colonies and sometimes push their way through melting snow.  Marsh Marigolds are from the Buttercup family.

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
302.4

Circle-All Peak

Circle-All Peak is technically not a true mountain peak.  It doesn't have the 300 feet of elevation rise from the saddle to qualify (clean prominence).  But no matter, it still provides great views in all directions and it felt like we had bagged a peak.  The trail for Circle-All Peak begins at the Butler Fork trailhead in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  The trail is quite steep.  The elevation gain is nearly 1600 feet in the 1.75 miles it takes to reach the summit of Circle-All Peak.  About 1/2 mile from the trailhead there is a junction with a small sign, Dog Lake to the right and Mill A Basin straight ahead.  Circle-All Peak is straight ahead on the Mill A Basin trail for another mile and a quarter.  This trail has everything you could want in a mountain trail, a lovely stream to follow, lush vegetation, plenty of trees for shade, open meadows and beautiful wildflowers.  However, the recent summer snow damaged many of the aspens and flattened the mountain bluebells.  Once you reach the ridge the trail divides with the more prominent trail for Mount Raymond and Gobblers Knob heading north to the right and a small foot path heads south to the left for Circle-All Peak.  At this point you are there!  Another hundred yards or so and another 125 feet of elevation and you have arrived.  Breath deep and take in the view!!

The summit of Circle-All Peak

Beautiful view of Kessler Peak

Hiking buddies at the summit of Circle-All

Looking down at Big Cottonwood Road

 

Looking up at Circle-All Peak

Looking toward at the Salt Lake valley

Take this small foot path heading South

Evidence of a lightning strike near top of Circle-All Peak

Lush vegetation!

Aspens damaged by summer snow.  Many branches broken and whole trees snapped.

Lovely wallflower on the top of Circle-All Peak.

 

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 Wildflower of the Week

  

The Sticky Geranium is a very easy wildflower to identify.  They are everywhere in our Wasatch Mountains.  They are called sticky because the glandular hairs on the sepals and leaf stems exude a sticky substance with geranium odor that traps insects.  There is another type of geranium in our mountains that is pure white in color.  Those are called Richardson's Geranium.
  

For myself I hold no preferences among flowers

so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous!"

Ed Abbey

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

******Miles hiked tally

beginning March 22, 2013
Beginning of this Blog
298.9

Twin Lakes Pass

The trail to Twin Lakes Pass begins at lovely Silver Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  About a quarter of the way around Silver Lake on the west side you will come to a junction with a trail sign for Twin Lakes and Lake Solitude -  Continue straight ahead.  The trail for Twin Lakes branches off to the left a few yards past this sign, then it is a steady uphill climb for one mile until you reach Twin Lakes dam.  Take time to soak in the views from Twin Lakes, it is a great hiking destination - but we are not finished yet!  Once you reach the Twin Lakes dam you will see a small trail on your right.  This trail will connect to a ski resort service road past Mount Evergreen.  At this point you could follow the service road down hill to Lake Solitude as a loop hike - but we are not finished yet!   The trail we we want continues up hill and was fairly easy to follow until we came upon a very large snow field.  We could see the footpath along the mountain and needed to cross the snow field to reach the notch in the ridge and hook up with the trail.  No big deal! and in another couple of weeks the snow will be gone and the trail more visible.  Soon you are looking down upon Twin Lakes and once you reach the pass you have awesome views down into Grizzly Gulch looking directly at Mount Superior and all the way down Little Cottonwood Canyon.  The pass sits at just under 10,000 feet.  Our hike totaled 4.5 miles roundtrip.  I enjoyed this hike immensely!!

Mount Superior from Twin Lakes Pass

I always get a little ahead of myself with this blog.  It is just that the end result is so amazing.  Back to the beginning . . . . . .

Trail to Twin Lakes dam just above Silver Lake

Twin pines on the way to Twin Lakes

Serene, tranquil, peaceful aspens

Mount Millicent on left, Wolverine Cirque on right and Twin Lakes below

Climbing the snow field

Mount Wolverine and the Wolverine Cirque

Geological Survey Marker and my good friend Martha

Nice view of the trail heading back

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 Wildflower of the Week

Mountain Bluebells are very easy to recognize!  This pretty wildflower covers the moist meadows and mountainsides in our canyons.  But did you know the flowers are edible raw and the plant has reported medicinal uses. (Don't ask me what the medicinal uses are, but that is what I read).  Mountain Bluebell plants sometimes grow to over three feet tall and have a very sweet fragrance.

For myself I hold no preferences among flowers

so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous!"

Ed Abbey

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

******Miles hiked tally

beginning March 22, 2013
Beginning of this Blog
295.4