Loafer Mountain Trail to Santaquin Peak

The Trail

Santaquin Peak is considered one of seven major peaks of Utah county. This moderately difficult trail is 5.8 miles long (one way) and has a 3,100 elevation gain. However, unlike the climbs to many peaks, there are a number of places where the trail descends some on the way up. While this adds a little to the overall amount of climbing hikers will do, it also spreads the climbing out and makes it less strenuous. The longest stretch of steep climbing takes place between mile 2.25 and 3.75.

Topographical Map

Close-up of first part of the trail

Close-up of second part of the trail

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail is easy to follow despite the fact that it is less popular than other peak trails. In fact, we were surprised to not run into any others hiking it on the day we went. There are a couple places where the trail seems to split, but most places it actually just joins back with itself. The Blackhawk Trail and Bennie Creek trails cross the Loafer Mountain trail about a mile into it, as marked by the blue hiker on the topographical maps, but the trails are well labeled. Just stay on the Loafer Mountain Trail, which is #98. There is also a gate a little ways after the trail split, which you must be sure to close behind you when you get there.

We hiked this trail starting early in the morning on July 24, and our timing was just right to see an amazing array of wildflowers in full bloom on the sloping meadows and along the mountain ridges. We saw lots of horse mint, yarrow, paintbrush, flax, and buckwheat, as well as blue bells, lupines, columbines, and forget-me-nots, among numerous of other blossom varieties.
 

A view of Mount Nebo from the trail

A sage grouse on the trail

Utah Valley from fire pit at the top of the steep steady climb (~ mile 3.75)

Although this trail is called the Loafer Mountain Trail, it actually does not go to the top of Loafer Mountain. Loafer Mountain Peak is said to be a couple feet higher than Santaquin Peak, but it is not a very angular peak. Santaquin Peak blocks the view of Utah Valley from the top of Loafer Mountain, so the view from Santaquin Peak is also considered to be better. Hikers wishing to get to the top of Loafer Mountain can continue up the ridge to its top, though there is not a trail in that direction.

Along the final accent to the peak

Mountain goats seen on the peak across from Santaquin Peak

When we reached the top, we found a tattered U.S. flag tied to a flag pole and a battered mailbox with moldy notebooks in which we could sign our names. The view all around us was fantastic though! From the top hikers can see a number of canyons, peaks, valleys, and other landmarks including Mount Nebo, Utah Valley, and part of Payson Lakes. Don't be surprised if you also spot some mountain goats.

Utah Valley from Santaquin Peak

Mount Nebo from Santaquin Peak

This trail is open to dogs that are kept on a leash and horses. However, as the trail approaches the peak there are rough spots that probably are not suitable for horseback riding. Also beware that there are not restroom facilities available at the trailhead or at any point along the trail.

View of Utah Valley on our way back after the sun came out more

Directions

This trail is located in Utah Valley along the Nebo Loop. If you are coming from the north, take I-15 to Exit 250. Turn left onto Main Street and continue to 100 North. Turn left on 100 North, then right on 600 East, and from there continue onto S. Canyon Rd./Nebo Loop Rd. The trail head is just over 8 miles up the canyon road at a parking area marked for the Loafer Mountain Trail.

If you are coming from the south, take I-15 to Exit 248 for Payson. Turn right onto 800 South, continue to 600 East, turn right and continue onto S. Canyon Rd./Nebo Loop Rd. Continue just over 8 miles to the parking area as explained above.

Bristlecone Trail (Great Basin National Park)

The Trail
This easy 1.5 mile (one way) trail has an elevation change of about 515 ft. It leads hikers past a glacial till and a view of the aptly named Brown Lake before arriving at a grove of ancient Bristlecone Pine trees. There are also some nice views of Wheeler Peak from the trail.

Topographical Map (blue = Bristlecone Trail; green = Alpine Lakes Trail)

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth (blue = Bristlecone Trail; green = Alpine Lakes Trail)

The trail head is actually found just up from the parking area after passing the nature trail. To stay on the Bristlecone Trail, stay left where it turns off from the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail (shown in green on the maps above). Once hikers reach the Bristlecone Pines, the trail makes a small loop through the grove. There are interpretive signs here labeling trees and explaining their characteristics. At the far end of this loop, the Glacier Trail (not shown) continues up the mountain for about another mile to the only glacier found in Nevada.

If you are not already planning to hike the full Alpine Lakes Loop Trail, it is well worth it to see the beautiful Teresa Lake before returning to your vehicle. You can get there by following the Alpine Lakes Loop trail as shown in green on the maps above. This will only add 0.2 mile to your hike with an extra 44 ft. elevation change. (Please note that the elevation graph shown above is only for the Bristlecone Trail and does not include Teresa Lake.)

Teresa Lake

Please beware that pets are not permitted on these trails.

Directions
This hike is located in Great Basin National Park in Nevada. From US-50, turn onto NV-487. Continue for just under five miles then turn right onto NV-488. After almost another five miles, turn right onto Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. Continue to the end of this road right before entering the campground. There is a parking lot here from which you can access the trails in this area. The trails are well marked and well maintained.

Timber Creek Trail and South Fork Baker Creek Trails Loop

The Trail
This moderate loop trail is 5.5 miles long round trip with a 1734 ft. change in elevation. It is located in Great Basin National Park. This trail is shady for most of the way and very pleasant overall. We started along the Timber Creek Trail, so the elevation graph reflects that starting point.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation (starting from Timber Creek Trail)

Trail in Google Earth

The trail starts out crossing a couple bridges that go over the creek. In general, the trail from this direction gets slightly steeper as it continues along to the top. About 0.7 miles up, the Timber Creek Trail intersects with the end of the Pole Canyon Trail. The trail follows the narrow canyon until about 1.2 miles in, where a series of long switchbacks weaving in and out of the trees takes hikers up a hill. The trees open up into a meadow at the top of the hill. The trail then continues to the point it intersects with the South Fork Baker Creek Trail, about 2.6 miles up. A sign marks the different trails here. Continuing straight here will take hikers to Johnson Lake and the historic Johnson mines, but turning right takes hikers around and back toward the parking lot along the South Fork Baker Creek Trail. There are nice views of the surrounding peaks in this area, including Pyramid Peak.

Pyramid Peak

The South Fork Baker Creek Trail follows the creek pretty closely all the way down. The trail heads back into the trees, making it mostly shady once again. About 1.5 miles down from the Timber Creek Trail, the trail intersects with the north portion of the Baker Creek Trail. If you prefer a slightly longer hike, you could turn off here and still head back down the trail to the parking lot. We continued on the South Fork Baker Creek Trail all the way back.

There were a lot of wildflowers in bloom when we hiked this trail in mid-June, including shooting stars and columbines. All the wildflowers attracted lots of butterflies.

Pets are not permitted on these trails, but pack animals are so long as park regulations regarding them are followed.

Directions
This hike is located in Great Basin National Park in Nevada. From US-50, turn onto NV-487. Continue for just under five miles then turn right onto NV-488. From there turn left onto Baker Creek Rd., which is unpaved. Continue to the end of this road, which loops around. There is a parking area with an outhouse at the far end of this loop, and the trail starts here.

Horsetail Falls

The Trail

This moderate trail is 2.2 miles one way to reach the falls with a 1580 foot elevation change. There is also a view point looking up at the falls from a distance about 1.7 miles up the trail, as marked by the green flag in the topographical map below.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail starts from the Dry Creek trailhead and climbs pretty steadily to the falls.

Trailhead

Heading up the trail near its beginning

Note that this trail crosses the stream multiple times and can be very wet, especially in the spring. Some crossings may be covered or nearly covered in water during high run off, so be prepared to potentially get wet.

One crossing in the spring

 At about 1.7 miles up the trail, there is a short turn off to an overlook that is worth stopping at. 

Falls from overlook

Falls from overlook (zoomed in)

Falls from overlook in the spring

About two miles up the trail, the trail crosses the stream again and then splits. We found the water here to be cold, fast, and fairly deep in the spring. Take the trail to the left at the split to reach the falls. Shortly after this there is a social trail leading down to the base of the falls. It can be a bit tricky to find at times if you aren't looking for it. Sometimes there are ropes along it.

The stream crossing in the spring

 

If you miss this turn off you will continue up the mountain along the trail shown in red on the maps (which continues further than shown).

Soon hikers will reach the base of the falls. From here you will see that Horsetail Falls actually does not fall vertically; it just drops at a steep slope. It is easy to walk around this area to various view points around the falls, and if you continue on you will also find some other small falls above the main falls.

Horsetail Falls in the spring

Horsetail Falls from above in the spring

Small falls above the main falls later
in the year

Horsetail Falls with the canyon in
background later in year

This trail is open to dogs and horses as well as hikers. In fact, it is very popular with dogs, so expect to see them on this trail. After the last turn off though, the trail is not really accessible for horses. 


Directions

This trail is located in Utah County near Alpine. If you are coming from the north from I-15, take exit 284 and turn left onto Timpanogos Hwy/SR 92. Then turn left onto Highland Blvd. and then right onto 11800 North. This road will turn to the left and become Westfield Rd. When the road reaches a split, turn right onto 200 North. Continue to Grove Dr. and turn left. Where Grove Dr. splits, keep to the right. At the end of Grove Dr. there is a dirt parking lot for the trail head.

If you are coming from the south, take exit 276 off of I-15 and turn right onto 500 East. Continue to State Street and turn left. Then turn right onto 100 East/Alpine Hwy. Continue along this road until you reach 200 North. Turn right, go to Grove Dr., and turn left. Where Grove Dr. splits, keep to the right. At the end of Grove Dr. there is a dirt parking lot for the trail head.

Note: When we went to hike this trail, a mudslide had taken out part of the trail and the parking lot area. This area was being repaired, but we had to park a little further down the road and walk up to the trail head.

Puffer Lake to Big Johns Flat via Puffer Lake and Skyline Trails

Trail

This moderate trail is about 6 miles long one way with about a 1255 foot elevation change. Keep in mind though that there is some up and down within the trail. More importantly, even though this trail is only moderately difficult based on elevation changes and terrain, it is difficult to follow as it does not seem to be well marked or maintained in places. This is especially true of the Puffer Lake Trail (Trail 175).

Topographical Map of Full Trail

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

We started at Puffer Lake at an ATV trail. Our Fishlake National Forest map shows a hiking trail stemming from this same area and going more directly over to the main Puffer Lake Trail from the Cullen Creek Rd. However, we didn't see it. If it is really there, I believe it starts further up the road.

Puffer Lake

The ATV trail ended up taking us back toward the main road. The ATV trail ended abruptly at the trail head for the Puffer Lake Trail. We found a trail marker at this point and the trail turned and headed in a northeast direction. It had a steady but not overly steep incline and was pleasantly shaded since went through the forest. While the trail did not seem extremely well used, we managed to follow it without too much trouble until we reached and opening where the trail intersected with the ski resort's ATV trails, about 1.5 miles from our starting point. The in the middle of this area is a metal box. (Because nothing was well marked, we ended up following the ATV trail at this point heading north down the hill - marked by the white trail in the maps - and ended up at the ski lift. We realized we were not on the trail and had to go back up the hill to find the right trail.) When reaching this point, make sure you continue straight along the ridge and do not take the ATV trails. The actual Puffer Lake Trail probably will not be immediately visible, but as you continue it will appear again.

Topographical Map of Puffer Lake Trail (white trail = ATV ski lift trail)

View from open area at metal box

From here the trail was pretty easy to follow until we reached and crossed the creek (the creek is marked by the blue diamond shapes on the topographical maps). Immediately after crossing the creek (at about N38 20.415 W112 21.624), the trail disappeared almost entirely. We managed to find a leaning wooden beam in the middle of some rocks, but any sign it might have held at one point was gone. We continued to head west looking for signs of the trail without much luck. Eventually we noticed a wooden bridge or walkway up by some pine trees above us (marked by the green flag in the topographical maps at about N38 20.514 W112 21.771), so we continued up to that point where we found the Skyline Trail.

Topographical Map of Skyline Trail

Wooden bridge/walkway by which we were able to find the Skyline Trail

After continuing northwest along the Skyline trail for a little ways, we found a sign apparently marking the intersection of the Skyline and Puffer Lake Trails. However, the Puffer Lake Trail seems to get lost in the meadow not long after this sign. The sign itself was broken with a piece of it lying on the ground, which we picked up and placed back on the sign.

Sign marking the intersection of Puffer Lake and Skyline Trails

View from junction of two trails. Downhill path is the white ATV trail on maps

After you reach the Skyline Trail, the trail is easier to follow, although it too has a couple rough spots. It seems that the Skyline trail at the north where the trail head is shown on the above maps has changed at times. We ended up on a section of the trail that according the markers we saw is now closed.  We still found the trail head, but not by the main route. Therefore I have adjusted the trail shown in the maps to where I believe this trail is supposed to be. Just be aware that it may not be entirely accurate though. There are outhouse style restrooms at the Big Johns Flat trail head.

Overall, this is a beautiful trail that is pleasantly cool in the summer due to its high elevation. Hikers will find a great mix of shady forests, open meadows, colorful wildflowers, expansive mountain views, and babbling brooks as they transverse the trail. Dogs and livestock are permitted on these trails.

I would not recommend attempting this trail route though without a map and GPS or compass. Knowing what to expect of these trails ahead of time should also help. For a map of the area, you can go by the Beaver Ranger District Office at 575 South Main Street in Beaver. They will give you a "free" map courtesy of your tax dollars. Just beware that the personnel there did not give us accurate trail lengths. The trails ended up being longer than we were told.

Directions

This trail is located near Beaver, Utah up Beaver Canyon in Beaver County. When coming from the north, to get there from I-15 take exit 112 for Beaver. Turn left onto Main Street, and then turn left onto 200 North/UT-153. If you are coming from the south, take exit 109 off I-15, turn right onto Main Street, and then right onto 200 North/UT-153. Continue up UT-153 for about 21 miles. This will take you up Beaver Canyon and into Fishlake National Forest to a dirt road on your left. Turn onto this dirt road, called Cullen Creek Rd. It will be labeled with signs for Puffer Lake. Continue up this road about 0.4 miles to reach the ATV trail we started on as shown on the above maps.

Alternatively, to start from the other end of this trail, go up UT-153 for about 16.3 miles and then turn left onto Sunset Dr., which is a gravel road. Stay left at the fork to head to Big Johns Flat. Continue another 4.5 miles to reach the trail head (N38 21.541 W112 23.570). Beware that it may be more difficult to start the trail from this end and then find the Puffer Lake Trail from the Skyline Trail if you don't know where to look.