Mormon Pioneer Trail Snowshoe

A sure fire way for me to overcome the wintertime blues is to get outdoors and snowshoe or winter hike.  Even though the temperatures are in single digits if the sun is shining it's a wonderful time to be in the mountains.  I joined up with a great group from the Wasatch Mountain Club recently and discovered a really marvelous, scenic, not to difficult trail to add to my favorite snowshoe hikes.  This hike begins at historic Mormon Flats and follows the Mormon Pioneer / Pony Express trail into Little Emigration Canyon.  This is a nice tranquil path which begins by following East Canyon creek, crosses a foot bridge and enters a very gentle canyon (no big climbs here).  Snowshoe for as long as you like then turn around and return.  Our group hike for a total of 3.6 miles.  There was abundant evidence of wildlife traversing the hills in this area.  The landscape was covered with hoar frost giving a white coating of ice crystals to all shrubs especially near the small creek creating a beautiful winter wonderland. Perfect for a scenic snowshoe!

To find Mormon Flat trailhead take I-80 east from Salt Lake City to the Jeremy Ranch exit 141.  Turn left at the off-ramp and cross under the freeway.  Turn left again and pass by the Jeremy Ranch park and ride turning right onto Jeremy Ranch Road which passes the golf course on your left.  Continue about 3.5 miles and find parking along the side of the road.  The last stretch of road is unpaved but has been plowed for winter recreation.  We walked about .5 miles from where we left the cars to reach the trailhead.  Here is a small glimpse of this wonderful trail.

Foot bridge crossing East Canyon creek.

Frost clinging to the Teasel plant.

This is an example of hoar frost.

An animal left it's stash in this tree then dashed away!

Happy to be outdoors!

Members of the Wasatch Mountain Club spent about 30 minutes helping this young man get his Ford truck unstuck.  What a great group!  Here is a small map of the area of our hike.

I would also like to share an awesome resource for snowshoeing with excellent trail information, tips on gear, how to dress in layers and just about everything you need to know to get started enjoying this wonderful winter sport. 
 http://www.snowshoeutah.com/

Happy Hiking