Posted by “climb mountains and get their skin”
John Muir
At least once every summer I try to get to Snowbird located in Little Cottonwood Canyon in the majestic Wasatch Mountains of Utah. My wife and I usually rent a room at the Cliff Lodge and take advantage of the Zip Line, Alpine Slide, concerts and other games and entertainment, then wind up with a dip in the beautiful pool beneath towering Alpine firs and Engelmann firs with billions of stars filling the sky above the snow-dotted peaks. Then a nightcap at the Airee Lounge while we listen to live jazz makes for the perfect end to an evening. In the morning, “Mountain Breakfast” is a delicious buffet-style breakfast where your tables look out over the craggy forested slopes of Snowbird Resort where until mid-June most years you can see people getting their last ski runs before all summer. gold. There is also a great spa and fitness center on top of the hotel which we enjoyed very well at times.
While all of these are great, my favorite is the Snowbird Tram, which takes you from the base of the mountain at 7,760 feet to the top of Hidden Peak at 11,000 feet in the heart of the Wasatch Mountains. The 125-passenger tram covers 2,900 feet of elevation gain in about 7 minutes. And as you get higher and higher, the Wasatch scenery in summer gets better and better. Once you reach the top, you will be treated to incredible views in all directions. To the east is the greater part of the 11,068-foot Baldy Mountain that separates Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort from the Alta Ski Area. Further east along the ridge, 11,051-foot Sugarloaf Peak is rounded with the jagged knife-wielding 10,920-foot Devil’s Castle. On the horizon to the east are the Uinta Mountains, the highest mountains in Utah. To the south, you look down to the top of American Fork Canyon with the mighty 11,750-foot Timpanogos Mountain in the distance. In the foreground to the west are the identical 11,489-foot American Fork Twin Peaks. To the north, you’ll see the steep, jagged 11,132-foot Mount Superior ridge, the summit of Monte Cristo. Looking to the northwest, you can see the road down Little Cottonwood Valley in a “U” shape to the Salt Lake Valley and the O’Queer Mountains and the Stansbury Range beyond. This valley is “U” shaped because it was carved out or gouged out by a massive glacial action in the last ice age. From the top of Hidden Peak, a seasoned hiker who isn’t afraid of exposure and knife-edge hills can easily climb Mount Baldy, Sugarloaf, American Fork Twins, and many other peaks to the west. Some say it’s cheating to start at Hidden Peak but I say it gives me more time above the tree line. For hiking enthusiasts, you can start at the cliff lodge and follow the ski service routes up to the base of the higher peaks. The view from the top of Hidden Peak is amazing. If you do nothing else but drive to Snowbird for a few hours and take the tram to the top, you’ll be rewarded with gorgeous mountain views in all directions.