Rock Canyon

Overview

Distance: ~ 7 miles (round trip)

Elevation Gain: 5124 ft to 7165 ft =  ~ 2041 ft
Time: 3-5 hours (round trip)

Date: June 7, 2012

How to get there from BYU:  

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Trail:

Description:


The Rock Canyon trail has some of the most beautiful views around. The rocks rise up in great cliffs and swirls on both sides.

The trailhead

The cliffs near the trailhead are a favorite of climbers.

Going up!

Don't let go

The trail is fairly rocky the entire way though can be a bit gravelly in parts near the beginning. Be sure to bring good shoes for walking over rocks.

A gravelly section

However, without stumbling over the rocks, be sure to look up. There is a lot to see along the way.

Sqauw Peak

Looking up towards Y-mountain

Mountains have layers

A cool swirl in the rocks

More impressive cliffs

The trail follows along a small stream. I've never seen it flow down as far as the trail head but you generally reach it within the first mile -- depending on the time of year. It must have been fairly impressive in the past though considering all of the cement work near the trail head.

Give said the little stream

A little waterfall along the way

 Along the way you'll see evidence of an old aqueduct. It has since been replaced with pipes running under the trail. Every once in a while you'll see the pipes stick out and sometimes you can even hear the water running under the trail.

A portion of the aqueduct that has broken near this bend in the rock

There are 5 bridges along the way -- all before the Squaw Peak trailhead. Most of the time the stream is low enough that they aren't really needed though. They were just replaced earlier this spring and are in very good shape.

Bridge 2

bridge 3

In between the 4th and 5th bridges there's a side trail to a cave which then joins back up to the main trail. The cave doesn't go very far in but is fun to check out nevertheless. Found bats in it once, so I've named it the Bat Cave.

Bridge 4 - The trail to the Bat Cave is to the left

The 5th bridge - the Bat Cave trail joins back up on the other side of the bridge

No, I don't think Batman lives here

 Not many people make it past the Squaw Peak trail head. After that point the trail is fairly quiet though there are still some great views.

The Sqauw Peak trailhead

I think there used to be a sign here but I'm not sure what for

The 2nd of the two fountains. Drink up

 Shortly after the Squaw Peak trailhead there's another fork. A less well-maintained trail heads to the south. I've named this trail the Klimeck Trail after an old roommate that first explored it with me and helped set me up with my now wife. There's a largish rock right at the fork with some neat fossils in it too that he was always on the look-out for too. The Klimeck trail connects up with the Slide Canyon and Y-Mountain Peak trails to the south.

Klimeck Trail

Further down the trail the river diverts to the south and you'll come to a small switchback that takes you up to a beautful overlook. From here you can get a great view of the stream coming down from the south, as well as Provo Peak and it's neighbors.

Looking back to Provo

Looking towards the south. Rock Canyon stream below, Provo Peak above

Close-up of the stream

Looking up the canyon followed by the Klimeck trail and back of Y-mountain

Shingle Mill and Freedom Peak to the East

Not long after this view point you'll begin to pass through meadows. The grass can be tall and wet and I saw some nettles along this last part of the trail so be sure to wear some decent pants. The meadows come right before the Rock Canyon Campground. I've never seen anyone at this campground before but the facilities look nice and it appears to be reservable online.

The meadows before the camp

Entering Rock Canyon Campground

 There are some lovely views of the peaks above the campground

Cascade Mountain

Shingle Mill Peak on the left and Freedom Peak on the right

Follow the 060 trail signs through the camp. It will eventually lead you out the other side till it goes back into the woods.

Back into the woods

This part of the trail goes for about a quarter of a mile to where I'm placing the end of this trail and the beginning of the Dry Fork trail -- though technically they are both labeled trail 060.

End of Rock Canyon and beginning of Dry Fork Canyon

Geocaching


There are quite a few geocaches along this part of the trail though many of them can be challenging to get to. It can also be a bit tricky getting good satellite reception in the narrow part of the canyon.

Other Links:
Rock Canyon Campground

Skipper Bay Trail

Overview

Distance: ~ 3 miles (round trip)

Elevation Gain: 4493 ft to 4493 ft =  ~ 0 ft
Time: 1-2 hours (round trip - depends on how fast you find the caches!)

Date: June 5, 2012

How to get there from BYU: 

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Trail:

Description:

The Skipper Bay Trail is actually part of the Provo River Parkway Trail but you have to walk along the road   a little to the northwest to get to this portion so it's not readily obvious. It a beautiful trail to go down and easy enough for just about everyone. There's a small parking lot right by the gate also so you can drive right to it. Also, it's just outside the fence of Utah Lake State Park so there's not fee to access it.

Parking

Start Gate

Utah Lake State Park just the other side of the fence

There were great views in all directions though it was a bit hard to see the lake through the trees. Utah Lake was to the west and the Despain Cattle Ranch was to east with. Looking out over the ranch I could see 6 of Utah County's "Seven Peaks" (all except Lone Peak due to trees).

Despain Cattle Ranch

Hard to get a good view of the lake most of the time

Mt. Timponogos

Spanish Fork Peak, Santaquin Peak, and Mt. Nebo in the distance

There is lots of wildlife about. We came in the morning and the birds were singing their hearts out. We also came across some small snakes, ducks, and of course some cattle :-). There are other critters out there to be found so keep an eye open. Later in the season I'm sure that you want to bring plenty of bug repellent due to all the standing water alongside the trail.

Yellow-Headed Blackbird - one of the more vocal birds

Towards the end there's a covered picnic table for those that want to bring food or just take a rest before heading back. At the very end of the trail the road simply ends at a small waterway going into the lake. Be sure to go all the way and get the cache at the end of the trail.

End of the trail

Probably don't want to go any further

Utah Lake from trail end

 There are plenty of caches to find along the way (even a mystery cache to be found). There were a couple that needed maintenance when I came by but hopefully that will be remedied in the near future. Most of the caches are small pill bottles with not much room for trading anything much larger than a quarter but worth the search nevertheless.

Looking back on the trail

My son waiting for the GPS to lock onto satellites

Other Links:

Skipper Bay Trail (Utah County)
Utah Birds
Video

Maple Canyon Lake

Overview

Distance: ~ 4 miles

Elevation Gain: 6093 ft to 8746 ft = ~ 2653 ft
Time: 4-7 hours round trip
Date: June 1, 2012

Official Description: Spanish Fork Peak Trail

How to get there from BYU: 

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Trail:

Description

I found this to be a very beautiful hike. There are lots of good caches along the way up that make perfect rest stops. Many of them are not very difficult to find. The lower ones can be tricky as the narrow canyon prevents getting a good satellite signal. Most of them have good hints though such that they can be found by without a GPS. You could also just do it the old fashioned way with a topographic map and a compass.

 Right at the beginning we found a nice shallow play area for the kids where the trail crosses the stream.

river crossing -- fun place for the kids to play

The peak trail proper starts at this point. The sign here says that it's 5 miles to the peak. The lake is only about 3.5 miles up however.

official starting point

It starts off fairly rocky so bring some good shoes - these are the Rocky Mountains after all. After mile 1 when you get into the pines isn't as bad though. The trail follow a nice little stream up the canyon. Later the trail rises higher up the side of the canyon and you don't see it as much.

a pretty little cascade in the stream

Mile 1: The trail is well maintained and has lots of good shade.

Lots of good shade and not quite as rocky

Mile 2: There are some nice meadows along the way where it appears others have camped in the past. You'll find lots of trees in the area with initials on them. Accumulated over many years.

a well defined trail the entire way

There are some nice meadow areas

Mile 3: The trees aren't quite as thick at this point. Almost there!

The peak is in view. The peak trail follows along the ridge in the center

 Mile 3.5: The lake is really more of a pond that you could wade across but is quite pretty as it reflects the peaks above.

First Glimpse of the lake

Looking over the lake to the south. Spanish Fork Peak can be seen behind the center prominence

 Looking back from near the lake. You can see Hobble Creek Canyon in the back

It took me about 3.5 hours to make it to the lake and back. That included stopping for the caches along the way. Made it up in about 2.5 hours but, due to a lack of time, I pretty much ran back down the mountain in about 1 hour which I assume most people won't want to do.

To the Peak:

Not this time. I wanted to go up the rest of the way but ran out of time (June 1st). The upper trail still had plenty of snow on it though so it may have been difficult nevertheless. Will post again once I make it....