Cedar Breaks NM Alpine Pond Trail

Need a road trip for the summer?  That includes a little hiking in the coolness of mountains above 10,000 feet?  That is very easy to drive to?   Cedar Breaks National Monument will definitely fit the bill for such a road trip.  Cedar Breaks became a national monument in 1933 thanks to FDR.  You have to love forward thinking presidents!  At over 10,000 feet above sea level this giant amphitheater covers about 3 miles and is more than 2000 feet deep!  And in July the wildflowers abound!  The entrance fee is $4 for adults and children 15 and under are FREE.  Cedar Breaks also hosts many activities for the entire family to enjoy from wildflower festival to star parties in summer to guided snowshoe walks in winter.   There are only a couple of hiking trails to choose from at Cedar Breaks NM and the only one I have tried is the Alpine Pond Trail.

Brian Head is the peak in the background.

The Alpine Pond nature trail is a two mile double-loop trail through forest and beautiful meadows filled with wildflowers.  I like hiking it as a figure 8 loop.  Half way through the loop hike is a natural, spring fed alpine pond. (Take bug repellant!) The park provides a nice trail guide to take along which points out interesting features of the trail - well worth the $1 donation.  It is sad to see so many dead trees surrounding the pond destroyed by a beetle infestation beginning in 1992.

There must have been something interesting at the pond.

One of my all time favorite wildflowers at Cedar Breaks is the lavender columbines.  The larkspur, lupines and mountain bluebells were some of the healthiest plants I have ever seen!

Tall Larkspur!

Very healthy Lupine

Lush Mountain Bluebell

Here is a list of many of the other wildflowers you will find in the park. http://www.nps.gov/cebr/planyourvisit/upload/Wildflowers.pdf

Don't forget to look for bristle cone pines on the trail.  They are some of the oldest trees in America.

My favorite way to Cedar Breaks NM is to exit I-15 at Parowan, Utah and travel on highway 143 to Brian Head Ski Resort then take highway 148 to Cedar Breaks.  It's a beautiful drive!  Drive on to Cedar City on highway 14 - more beautiful!  Add an evening at Cedar City's famed Shakespeare Festival and you have the makings of an awesome summer weekend road trip!

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 Wildflower of the Week

This beautiful magenta colored wildflower is called Parry's Primrose.  It typically blooms high in the mountains and loves to have wet roots so you will find it on waterfall ledges and streamsides.  You will find this gorgeous plant near the sink hole on the Alpine Pond trail at Cedar Breaks NM.  But don't touch the plant because just lightly touching will bring out a very unpleasant odor.

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
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310.8

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
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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
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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