Mount Timpanogos Via Timpooneke Trail

The Trial
This strenuous trail is about 7.6 miles long (one-way) with about a 4,660 foot elevation change. This trail heads up the Giant Staircase, which consists of five giant steps that were carved out by glaciers, before connecting with the Aspen Grove Trail and ascending to the peak.

Topographical Map

Zoomed-In Topographical Map of first part of trail

Zoomed-In Topographical Map of second part of trail

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

This trail is easy to find and begins directly south of the parking area. It begins with a mild climb through a pleasant forested area that gradually steepens. As hikers near the turn-off for Scout Falls (indicated by the blue path in the maps above), there are wet sections of the trail where shallow water runs over the path. The turn-off for Scout Falls is 1.5 miles from the trailhead and comes at the end of a switchback.

Shallow water along the trail

Small waterfall seen from trail. The water from
this crosses the trail where I am standing.

Soon after passing Scout Falls, the trail reaches the Middle Basin, where the trail flattens out for a bit before continuing its ascent. The trail continues southeast for a ways before turn west again to climb up a step of the Giant Staircase. It then hits a rocky open section of scree, levels off briefly, and turns southeast again.

Middle Basin

Scree section of trail

Around five miles up the trail hikers will arrive at Upper Timpanogos Basin. At this point there is a sign that says "Toilet" at a trail intersection. This side trail to the right (in green on the maps above) no longer leads to a usable toilet, though it did when I first completed this hike a couple decades ago. Over time, the toilet became a filthy dilapidated thing, and I don't believe it is there at all now. This is a true shame since there are no other bathroom facilities up this way, and many people go in the bunches of trees without bothering to follow proper wilderness protocol and pack out whatever they bring in and/or to bury feces. It is my understanding that the Forest Service decided to discontinue providing or maintaining any sort of toilet facility since this area has been declared a "wilderness" area, though it would probably stay in better shape and be cleaner if something along those lines was actually provided.

The trail that is labeled "Toilet" does however lead to the World War II Bomber wreckage about a mile off the trail, as explained in part here.

Not long after the "Toilet" intersection is another intersection (marked by the blue flag in the topographical maps above). As clearly indicated by the wooden sign here, Trail 0.52 will take you to the Aspen Grove Trail and Emerald Lake. To continue straight to the summit, continue left along Trail 0.54 as marked.

If you plan to do this hike in a single day, I believe the best way to approach it is by starting early in the morning. I have started at different times, but really believe that starting early like this makes the hike feel much more manageable. Depending on your hiking speed, it is good to start anywhere from midnight to about 2:00 a.m. and hike up in the dark. You can watch the sunrise this way from the saddle or from the top. Hiking up in the dark makes it much cooler (dress appropriately as it is cold at the top in any case), and it leaves the top and distance difficult to discern on your way up. In my opinion, this makes it easier to just keep going without thinking about how much further you still have ahead. When I went this time around, some members of the group were slower than planned due to unexpected challenges, and therefore we found ourselves in the Upper Timpanogos Basin at the time of sunrise. It was still beautiful from there.

Sunrise

 
After making your way through the basin, the trail switchbacks up to the saddle. There is another trail (marked by the hiker symbol) that intersects along these switchbacks where the Aspen Grove Trail meets up with the Timpooneke Trail. This trail also heads to Emerald Lake and is the more direct route to the summit from the Aspen Grove Trail. It traverses the rocky slopes beneath the top of Mount Timpanogos and is often partially covered with snow. Not far from this intersection is the saddle from which views of Utah Valley open up.

Trail coming from Aspen Grove

Looking up at the saddle and peak. Note the trail to the left; this is the trail
from Aspen Grove

 

Looking toward Mahogany Mountain from the saddle

Looking at Timpanogos Basin and Roberts Horn from the saddle

From the saddle, the trail cuts to the west side of the ridge and climbs up to the peak from that side of the mountain. This section of the trail has a number of steep rocky parts that may require some slight scrambling.

Looking back toward the saddle

There are steep rocky sections along this part of the trail. This is looking up
at the trail as it zig-zags up a steep section

Same section as the picture above looking down
from the top of it

Wildflowers will still grow and bloom amid the rocks along this
last part of the trail

Looking toward the peak

There is a odd metal hut structure at the top. This structure was originally built by surveyors who used the peak as a triangulation point for their measurements. The circular peak marker and summit log are inside of this hut.

Metal hut on top of Timpanogos

The views from the top are expansive especially on a clear day. It could have been more clear while we were there, but it was still fantastic.

Looking down at Emerald Lake from the top. The lake in the background
is Deer Creek Reservoir

Looking back at the trail up from the top. Bomber Peak is the farthest right
along the ridge line in the photo.

A trail also appears to continue south along the ridge (partially shown in brown in the maps above). This is the way hikers go who wish to slide or hike down the glacier to get down to Emerald Lake. Sliding down is sketchy and is not recommended; many people have been injured going this way.

View/trail looking south of the peak

The safer route is to hike back down the way you came up. With the sun now up, we enjoyed the breathtaking display of color on our way down through the basin. While I have hiked this trail several times before, this was the best I had ever seen the wildflowers. The kaleidoscope of color was a brilliant masterpiece of nature well worth the effort of the hike in and of itself.

Looking toward Robert's Horn

Shrubby Cinquefoil surrounded by lots of other
wildflowers

Looking up at the glacier, which is the section that
some people slide down.

Upper end of the valley right below Upper Timpanogos Basin

Continue down the way you came. If you have the time and energy, Scout Falls is a nice stop and pleasant place to cool off on the way back down.

There is a fee required to access this area. As mentioned previously, there are no restroom facilities along the trail, but there are vault toilets at the trailhead. Please be mindful to pack out whatever you pack into the area and stay on the trail to help prevent erosion and other damage to the area. Make sure you are well prepared with the proper supplies and clothing before you leave; many people have ended up injured or dead hiking this mountain who were not adequately prepared or wise during their adventure. Horseback riding is permitted, but not all the way to the top of the trail. Dogs are permitted on this trail, but should be leashed. This is as much for their safety as for anything else; I have heard and read of a number of people who had their dogs gored by mountain goats. In fact, seeing mountain goats along this trail is normal; I have seen them there every time I have gone. They don't seem that worried about the people any more either; this last time I came within six feet of a mother and her baby in the dark before I realized they were there and they didn't seem too concerned. You should definitely respect these animals though and maintain some distance from them. You may also encounter moose or see some big horn sheep.

Mountain goats grazing at the saddle near a fair number of hikers there

Mountain goat watching us descend the mountain

Directions
This trail is located in Utah County near Alpine and Cedar Hills. To get to there from I-15, take Exit 184 and head east on Timpanogos Highway/UT-92. You will continue up this road into American Fork Canyon. Beware that there is a fee to go up the canyon and use this area. Continue up this road following signs for the Timpooneke Campground. The trailhead parking will be on your left just before the road reaches the campground. Make sure to take the trail heading south since a couple trails start from this area. GPS Coordnates: N40° 25.884' W111° 38.332'

North Route to Mount Nebo

The Trail
This strenuous trail is 4.5 miles one way with about a 2650 foot elevation change. However, because the trail goes up and down, hikers will end up climbing a good deal more than that. By the time you go up to the peak and back down the way you came, you will have climbed over 4,000 feet. Mount Nebo is the highest point in Utah County and is one of Utah Counties "Seven Peaks."

This route starts out along the trail that goes to North Peak. However, for hikers wishing to go to the north-most and highest peak on Mount Nebo, this path is the shortest, easiest, and most popular route there. The trail splits off (as marked by the red flag in the map below) at the saddle of North Peak.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail is Google Earth

The scenery along this trail is breathtakingly beautiful. We went at just the right time to see just about every wildflower along the trail in full bloom. The array of colors and flower varieties seemed endless. There were lupines, wild roses, mint, paintbrush, wild geraniums, sweet peas, buckwheat, blue bells, yampah, mountain asters, and many other flowers. The ascent to the peak was even dotted with columbines.

The trail starts out running along a ridge by a barbed wire fence through hilly meadows. The trail offers some nice views of some of the nearby mountains through here.

 

The trail soon heads away from the fence. It then leaves the ridge briefly and continues into a forested area about 1.5 miles up the trail. There are a lot of dead trees in this area that have fallen over across the trail. Hikers can climb over them or in some cases follow makeshift paths around them. Coming out the forest area, the trail follows the ridge again briefly before turning into a small basin. The trail then climbs out of the basin to the ridge forming its west side.

Looking out toward Loafer Mountain (in back to right)

After coming up this ridge, the trail reaches the saddle for North Peak. The trail continuing up to the top of North Peak is not prominent, so it is easy to stay on the main trail that continues to Mount Nebo. The trail descends along the west side of North Peak and arrives at the saddle called Wolf Pass on the other side.

Trail descending along the west side of North Peak to Wolf Pass

From there you still will have to go roughly a mile to the top, which is still about 1,250 above you. This steepest section of the trail is covered with sharp shale rocks. After first ascending to a false summit point, the trail descends a couple hundred feet before making a final climb to the peak.

Looking toward Mount Nebo from the false summit

View of Mona from the false peak

Being at the peak of Mount Nebo can be exhilarating.  It can also be very cold, depending on the day. On this trip to the top, we found ourselves at the level of the clouds, which obscured our view some. A brisk chilly wind kept us feeling pretty cold. Pay attention to conditions and be prepared for the possibility of inclement weather up here.

From this peak, it is also possible to continue hiking south if desired to the south and middle peaks along Andrew's Ridge Trail. These paths are difficult though, so make sure you research them and are prepared. It is possible to continue going south after reaching the south peak along Andrew's Ridge Trail to the Nebo Bench or Willow Creek Trails.

Looking southwest from the peak

Looking southeast from the peak

Looking east from the peak

Some people do this trail as a backpacking trip. If you do this, just make sure you practice leave no trace principles.

This trail is open to dogs and horses as well as people. However, taking a horse all the way to the peak will not work for obvious reasons. There are no bathrooms or water at this trailhead, but there is an outhouse at the nearby Monument Trailhead just south of it.

Looking out at Loafer Mountain

Directions
This trail is located in Utah County along the Nebo Loop (which goes from Payson to Nephi). To get there from the north, take I-15 to Exit 250 in Payson and head south on Main Street. Continue to 100 North and turn left. Then go to 600 East and turn right. Continue along this road as it turns into the Nebo Loop and goes up the canyon. Find the Monument Trailhead on your right, which is about 22.6 miles from where you first turned onto 600 East. At the Monument Trailhead you will find the Nebo Bench Trail, which will also go to Mount Nebo, but it is much longer. The trail map at this trailhead (at least while we were there) it did not show the trail explained above; it only showed the trail to North Peak. There is an outhouse available here though, so if you need to use it, this is the place to do so. To get to the trailhead explained above, head up the dirt Mona Pole Road at the north end of the Monument Trailhead parking lot. You will soon reach a dirt parking area from which the trail starts.

If you are coming from the south, from I-15, take Exit 225 in Nephi and turn right onto UT-132/100 North. Continue up this road for about 18.6 miles as it goes up the canyon until you reach the Monument Trailhead, as explained above.