Baring Falls

The Trail

This short easy trail is about 0.4 miles long with only a 130 ft elevation change, ending at a beautiful waterfall. 

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail start just off the road and descends down stairs adjacent to the bridge. Technically this part of the trail is along the Siyeh Pass Trail. The trail will follow Baring Creek for the first bit but quickly diverges from there. At the junction about 0.3 miles in, stay right to reach the falls. From here the trail loops around back to the creek at the point of the falls.

Trail heading down stairs next to bridge

 

California Tortiseshell butterflies
under bridge

The trail descends to the falls, so keep in mind that you will be heading uphill on your way back.

There is plenty of shade near the falls and many good points from which to enjoy the view. We also met a young buck near the falls.

Baring Falls

When finished enjoying the falls, you can head back the way you came or continue along the Pigeon Pass Trail.

Direction

This trail is located in Glacier National Park in Montana. To get there, follow Going to the Sun Road within the park and park at Sunrift Gorge. GPS Coordinates: N48° 40.708' W113° 35.726' 

Running Eagle Falls

The Trail

This trail is short and easy with only about a 15 foot elevation change in 0.3 miles. It falls is named after a Pikuni girl who became the only woman among their people to undergo 4 day fast above the falls and become a warrior. The falls is also known as Trick Falls because the upper cascade can hide the lower one during times of high water. While we were there, this upper cascade was not flowing.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trailhead has some signs explaining the background information for the falls. The trail itself is paved, but going over the bridge and up past that may be less accessible.

Signs at trailhead explaining trail's name

 

This flat paved trail is stroller and wheelchair friendly for
much of the way

At least until the bridge, where pavement 
is gone, and there are steps

 

There is a bench along the way with a bit of a view of the waterfall, but it is distant from this point and obscured by foliage.

The viewpoints closer to the waterfall though are fantastic.

 

After enjoying the falls, head back they way you came.

Directions

From MT-49, turn west onto Two Medicine Rd. Head just over five miles up this road to the trailhead on your right. GPS Coordinates: N48° 29.766' W113° 20.901'

Sheep Shelter Trail

The Trail

This super short trail is only about 0.15 miles round trip with about a 50 foot elevation change. It goes a short way up the hillside to a small cave across from the parking area.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

Across the road from the parking area one can also see the Indian Blanket pictograph up on the rocky hillside.

 

After crossing the wide dirt path, continue up the hillside to the cave. A sign labels the trail.

Because the images here are facing the back of the cave, a mirror has been placed so they are visible.

Directions

This trail is located in Fremont Indian State Park in Sevier County, Utah. To get there, take Exit 17 off of I-70. Turn west and then turn right at the next two T-intersections. The trailhead here will be on the left about 1.5 miles past the Visitor's Center. Because this trail is in a state park, there is a fee for visiting and using the trails.

GPS Coordinates: N38° 34.782' W112° 18.566'

Cave of 100 Hands

The Trail

This easy trail is pretty flat with about a 20 ft elevation change in 0.3 miles (one way), making it an doable stroll nearly everyone.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

This trail starts from a little pull-off parking area. It follows the creek for a short time and heads down under the highway. 

 

After that, the trail turns more east and heads along the base of the hillside until it arrives at the cave. It does look like there is a trail heading the opposite direction here, so don't turn that way. The cave itself is protected by metal bars to prevent damage to the images. Despite its name, the cave only has 31 hand prints in it.

Trail heading wrong way

Directions

This trail is located in Fremont Indian State Park in Sevier County, Utah. To get there, take Exit 17 off of I-70. Turn west and then turn right at the next two T-intersections. The trailhead here will be on the right about 0.3 miles past the Visitor's Center. Because this trail is in a state park, there is a fee for visiting and using the trails.

GPS Coordinates: N38° 34.722' W112° 19.830'

Bonneville Shoreline Trail to Power Line Road

The Trail

This easy trail is about 1.6 miles one way from the trailhead to Power Line Road with only about a 450 foot elevation change. The maps below show an additional tenth a mile continuing along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail past Power Line Road, but hikers of course could travel much further than that with enough time and desire.

Topographical Map (Blue=Bonneville Shoreline Trail)

Graph of Elevation

 

Trail in Google Earth

The trail starts heading due north from a small parking area. A Rocky Mountain Power sign warns that the trail is only open to non-motorized use for hiking, running, biking, equestrian, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing.

The trail makes a switchback and crosses a dirt road before reaching the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. At this point, the trail moves east along the base of the mountain, offering some lovely views along the way.

There is not much shade along the trail, so hiking this during cooler times of the day is probably more pleasant during the summer months. The trail is pretty easy to follow. At one point I took the dirt road that followed the power lines, which is shown in red in the maps above. However, if you stay on what looks like the hiking trail, you will not end up as I did. I took the right trail on the way back. Both paths lead the same direction though.

Along the dirt road

Along the trail on the way back

After just over a mile and a half, hikers will arrive at Power Line Road, which goes up to a fenced off reservoir. You cannot get near the reservoir, but this point is a logical turn around point for those looking for a short hike with some nice scenery.

Looking up Power Line Road toward Reservoir

 

There are some other trails that turn off along the way. I am not sure where they all go. One is shown in green in the maps above. Another appears on Google Earth to circle up and then back down to the trail again.

This trail is open to dogs and horses. There are no restrooms at the trailhead.

Directions

If you are coming from south of the trailhead, head north on I-15 and take Exit 349 for 2700 N in Farr West. Alternatively, depending on where you are coming from, it may make more sense to take Hwy 89 to 2700 N. From there, head east and turn left onto 1000 W. Then turn right onto Pleasant View Drive and take the next left right before a church onto 900 W. Next, turn right onto 4300 N, then left on 125 W. When this street ends, turn left onto Cottonwood Dr. At the end of this road, turn right onto 4600 N and continue to the parking area at the end of the road.

If you are coming from the north, it would be better to take Exit 351 from I-15, turn left, and get onto Hwy 89. From there, turn left onto Pleasant View Drive and continue as explained above.

GPS Coordinates: N41° 20.476' W111° 58.592'

 

Big Fill Loop Trail

 The Trail

This easy trail is a 1.6 mile loop with only about a 95 ft elevation change. The trail basically follows the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroad grades to the Big Fill, with lots of informative points along the way.

Topographical Map

 

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

Heading clockwise around the trail will follow the informative points in order. A explanation pamphlet can be bought from the visitor's center, but you call also call into each point on your cell phone to hear the point narrated.

Trailhead

Going clockwise, the trail starts out following the Central Pacific grade. Since the two railroad companies couldn't agree on where to meet, and both were being paid based on how much rail they laid, they built two different tracks right past each other. The Central Pacific line created the more stable Big Fill to lay their track on, which was created from piled earth to fill in the area between hills for the tracks to run across. The trail arrives at the Big Fill about half way through the hike.

The Big Fill

Meanwhile, the Union Pacific company created the nearby less stable Big Trestle for their tracks to run on. It no longer is standing, but the dirt platforms from which it was built are still there.

Looking across the dirt platforms for The Big Trestle

Near the Big Trestle is a "false cut" where Union Pacific workers started making a cut into the rocks a little north of where they needed to. A few hundred yards south they made the cut in the correct spot.

On the other side of the loop on the way back toward the trailhead there is small cave (marked by green dot on the topographical map) that was probably used as a temporary shelter by workers during blasts.

Cave along the trail

Trail heading to the cave

This trail is open to dogs. It is fully exposed and thus quite hot during the summer; make sure you bring plenty of water. There are no bathrooms at the trailhead, but there are at the visitor's center. There is a fee to visit this trail since it is part of Golden Spike National Monument.

Directions

This trail is located in Box Elder County, Utah. To get there from I-15, take Exit 365 and head west on Promontory Rd. This road will become UT-83, and you will stay on this road for about 20 miles before turning left onto 7200 North. From this turn it is about 3.7 mile to the trailhead on the right. The parking is a little ways up a dirt road here. GPS Coordinates: N41° 38.238' W112° 29.490'