Albion Basin

 

July is the annual Wasatch Wildflower Festival so the flowers are pretty amazing if you do this hike in July or August when the wildflowers are in full bloom.

 

Distance: 0.5 miles each way

Elevation change: the trail was pretty flat with a little up hill, nothing too bad.

 

Driving Directions: Drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon 8.3 miles to the parking area to the right of the Alta Guard Station at the end of the pavement (by the Albion Basin Campground).

 

More info: here and here

 

The trailhead was a little difficult to find. We asked at the guard station and were told to drive down the large hill to the right and park down by some bathrooms and the ski area.

 

There was a chair lift at the beginning that the kids liked sitting and climbing on.

We had a large hiking group this time! So much fun to have lots of little kids hiking together.

There were 9 moms, 1 dad (he's taking the picture), and 15 kids (3 boys and 12 girls). All the kids are age 4 or younger.

The wildflowers were pretty amazing. Just beautiful!

Hard to believe there is still snow on the mountains when it was 103 degrees the day before in the valley!

 

 Time for a snack at the top! When I say "top" I really mean the open meadow.

I asked my friend to take our picture and we didn't even get ONE good one out of like 20! Eliza would not smile, and I was blinking in half of them. Oh well.......

 

Aaaaand she's out! Fell asleep right at the end.

I had been saving this hike for July when the wildflowers were out and it did not disappoint! I highly recommend this hike!

 

 

 

 

Lower Bell Canyon Reservoir Hike

Distance and Elevation Gain:

From the Granite trailhead to the reservoir is .7 miles, with a vertical rise of 560 feet.

 

From the Boulders trailhead to the reservoir is .5 miles with a vertical rise of 578 feet

 

Hiking time: 1- 1.5 hours

 

 

Driving Directions:

 

Granite trailhead- located just East of the intersection of Wasatch Boulevard and E. Little Cottonwood Rd. at about 9800 South and 3400 East. Toilets available.

 

Boulders trailhead- located at 10245 S. Wasatch Boulevard; it has parking but no toilets.

 

More info: Here and Here

 

 

We parked at the Granite Trailhead where toilets are available. That's always a good idea to have toilets withsmall kids. I like to have them try to "go" before the hike and after so we don't have problems on the hike.

 

 
This was a beautiful hike with beautiful views of the valley. We started hiking about 10:00 am. I would suggest starting earlier in the summer since it got pretty hot at the end.

 

Having a rewarding snack at the top of the trail before heading back down. We could see ducks in the reservoir too. If you have the energy you can walk further around the reservoir.

  

Abigail fell asleep. She looks a little squished.

What a great spot for lunch!

I spy some snow!

Why is she so cute with a little pack on!?

 

I love hiking with Eliza. It's a great work out for me since I'm carrying a 20 lb. baby on my back and frequently have to carry Eliza for a little bit on my front. It's great for Eliza because she gets outdoors and enjoys nature and builds up her stamina for more hiking. And it's beautiful and free!

Temple Quarry Trail

Temple Quarry Trail up Little Cottonwood Canyon

Total Distance: 0.3 round-trip (very short)
Walking time: 10-30 minutes (depending on how long you want to spend there)
Elevation Change: 85 feet

 

"This paved interpretive trail explores the site where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints quarried stone to build the Salt Lake Temple in downtown SLC."

"Paved and wheelchair accessible, a great walk for toddlers and young children. Lined with interpretive signs outlining the site's role in building the temple, the trail offers a chance to learn a little piece of SLC's history in a beautiful mountain setting."

 

Driving Directions: From the south, take the 90th South I-15 exit, which turns into 94th South. Continue east to the mouth of Little Cottonwood. Just before the stop sign (where you turn right onto the road up the canyon), you'll see a paved turnoff to your right taking you to the Temple Quarry Trail parking area. 

From the north, take Wasatch Blvd. When you see the illuminated road condition sign at the mouth of Little Cottonwood, turn right then immediately left again into the Temple Quarry parking.

More info: Here

 

This trail is an easy 10 minute trail with interpretive signs talking about the granite stone the Pioneers cut to build the temple. It was overcast and rainy that day. Luckily the rain stalled long enough for us to complete our hike.

You can see the chisel marks on the edge of the granite slabs where the pioneers would hammer it in to split the huge rocks into smaller pieces.

The kids enjoyed climbing among all the rocks.

Very fun "trail." It's basically a short walk. My baby was in an umbrella stroller. Fun place to walk around and explore for little kids.