TWIN LAKES RESERVOIR

Every hike is unique, with different people, trails, & unique experiences. We walked through a golden forest of aspens and a wonderful time of prayer at the reservoir.

TRAIL BEGINS AT SILVER LAKE

DESCRIPTION: A great hike for beginners, kids, and those out of shape.Enjoy walking the boardwalk around Silver Lake, and climbing over the pass to Twin Lakes Reservoir.

SILVER LAKE BOARDWALK

MILEAGE: 1 mile hike to the lake. 

ELEVATION GAIN: 800' 

HIKE TIME: 40 minute up, and 30 minutes down.

RATINGS: MODERATE

TRAILHEAD: At Brighton, Utah, at the Silver Lake facilities.

RESTROOM: Silver Lake parking lot.

GOLDEN ASPENS

TWIN LAKES RESERVOIR 

LOW WATER

GOD GAVE US A BLUE SKY DAY

SUPER HIKER

GRAND CANYON RIM TO RIM ADVENTURE

GRAND CANYON

The weather man forecast, 30% chance of rain for all four days; but God gave us a light sprinkle the first day and sunny weather during our adventure. That is why it is important to pray all summer, for good weather and safety. 

NORTH RIM GRAND CANYON

DESCRIPTION: Backpacking the Grand Canyon from the North Rim to the South Rim. Four days of hiking and three nights sleeping at backcountry campgrounds on the Corridor Trail. We hiked down the North Kaibab trail and up the Bright Angel Trail. 

DAY ONE  Travel to the Grand Canyon 

DAY TWO 

North Kaibab Trailhead ~ Elevation 8,241' Parking can be hard to find. The trail begins at the lower end of the parking area. This is a good place to pray and take pictures, before your journey. 

NORTH KAIBAB TRAILHEAD

JOURNEY DOWN THE GRAND CANYON

Coconino Overlook Hiking down a forest of fir trees, you will come to an overlook. This is a great place to drop your pack and take pictures.

COCONINO OVERLOOK

 

Supia Tunnel ~ Elevation 6,800' 1.7 miles from the North Rim Great rest area, with restrooms and water. The tunnel is the gateway to the classic Grand Canyon. 

FIRST REST AREA

SUPIA TUNNEL

Roaring Spring ~ Elevation 5,200' 4.7 miles from the North Rim You'll come to a sign, it is a 1/2 mile drop down to the day use area. There are restrooms; but we found the water line was broken.

 

Resident House (Helicopter pad) Water is available outside the residence, near the trail. 

Cottonwood Campground ~ Elevation 4,080' 7 miles from North Rim. Pick your campsite and set up your tent. Display your permit on your tent. The campground has restrooms, water and an emergency phone. Make sure you pack out all your garbage. 

DAY THREE 

Ribbon Falls 1.6 miles from Cottonwood Campground Leave early in the morning while it is still cool. You'll be hiking over 8 miles, and there's lots of exploring & fun. 

NORTH KAIBAB TRAIL

On the North Kaibab trail, you come to a sign to Ribbon Falls. Cross a bridge and find a place to drop your pack. This is a wonderful place to wet yourself and cool off. There is no water and no restrooms from Cottonwood to the Phantom Ranch. 

RIBBON FALLS

RIBBON FALLS CAVE

UPPER RIBBON FALLS

GRAND CANYON  RIBBON FALLS

THE BOX

Phantom Ranch 7 miles from Cottonwood Campground Before 4pm, the snack bar is open, where you can get ice cold tea or lemonade, apples, bagels and other goodies. During the evening, if you have made your reservation, you can get a steak dinner, vegetarian chili dinner or beef stew dinner. You can ask if they have any meals available too. Phantom Ranch has dorms, cabins and showers for guest who have booked their stay one year in advance. 

Bright Angel Campground ~ Elevation 2,480' Beautiful campground, with a running stream nearby to cool off in. You'll find, flush toilets, a sink for washing pots & pans, a pole to hang your back pack, and metal boxes to protect your food from the wildlife. There was even a Ranger talk, the night we came. 

BRIGHT ANGEL CAMPGROUND

DAY FOUR  The ranger advised us to begin early, because of the hot temperatures in the bottom of the canyon. We prayed at the Bright Angel trailhead. 

Silver Bridge This bridge is for hikers only. The mule trains have to cross the black bridge, which connects with the South Kaibab trail. The Colorado River was muddy brown, and the views at the bottom where wonderful.

SILVER BRIDGE

COLORADO RIVER

JOURNEY UP THE SOUTH RIM

WONDERFUL DAY WITH JESUS

River House ~ Elevation 2,480' 1.5 miles from the Bright Angel Campground Take off your pack, and enjoy this stone shelter, lay down and put your feet up. This is the only restroom available until Indian Gardens. There is no water available. 

Indian Gardens Campground ~ Elevation 3,800' 4.7 miles from Bright Angel Campground On the way to Indian Gardens, you'll have great views, and even see small water falls. Indian Gardens Campground has covered shelters over the picnic tables and has lots of critters. Set up your tent and go on a day hike to the overlook. 

Plateau Point 1.5 miles (each way) from Indian Gardens. Enjoy a level hike to this Grand Canyon overlook, pictured above. Make sure you bring snacks, water, flashlight, and a camera. There is a water available sometimes at the overlook. This is a great place to watch the Sunset. 

PLATEAU POINT

AMAZING OVERLOOK

GRAND CANYON COLORADO RIVER

DAY FIVE 

Begin your journey at sunrise. Today, you'll climb up 2/3 of the elevation of the Bright Angel Trail. 

INDIAN GARDEN

Three Mile House ~ Elevation 4,920' A great place to take your pack off. There is a shelter, restrooms, water, and an overlook for great scenic photography. You only have 3 miles left to the top! 

THREE MILE HOUSE

Mile and a Half Resthouse ~ Elevation 5,720' Water and restrooms are available.

 

BIG HORN SHEEP

Upper Tunnels Once you have reached the two tunnels, you'll be nearing the South Rim.

South Rim ~ Elevation 6,860' You'll come to the trailhead sign. This is a great place to take pictures. Take the Rim Trail to the left, to the view areas outside the Bright Angel Lodge. There are restrooms and food available.

BRIGHT ANGEL TRAILHEAD

WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE

RIM TO RIM SHIRTS

DESERT VIEW WATCHTOWER

DAY SIX  Travel back home. 

RATINGS: DIFFICULT

GEAR: Backpacks should be under 30 lbs, before you add water. Make sure you bring one gallon bladder, or water bottles. It is important to eat salty foods and drink electroylites.  Wear sunglasses, hat and put on sunscreen. Bring dehydrated food for evening meals. Make sure you cook and try out your menu before you take it backpacking.

CONDITIONING: You need to prepare yourself by hiking long distances, carrying weight, and camping in deserts. Much prayer is needed. This should never be your first backpacking experience. Each time you backpack, you learn what gear is needed for light weight packs. 

PERMITS: Are required for backpack camping.  No permit needed for Day use. 

LAKE BLANCHE

An enjoyable day with Jesus and good friends in the mountains. It was a wonderful Labor Day, with cool breezes by the lake. Back in the city, it was a hot day.

LAKE BLANCHE TRAILHEAD

DESCRIPTION ~ One of the most popular trails up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Both day hikers and backpackers enjoy hiking to the three alpine lakes. Lake Blanche is a beautiful red rock lake.

ARRIVING AT LAKE BLANCHE

RATINGS ~ Intermediate

Not recommended for beginners & kids. On the trail, we saw some kids make it all the way to the lake with their parents. 

MILEAGE ~ 2.8 miles to Lake Blanche,

ELEVATION GAIN: 2,720' 

HIKE TIME ~ 2 1/4 hours up, and 1 1/2 hours down.

LUNCH BREAK AT LAKE BLANCHE

DIRECTIONS ~ Big Cottonwood Canyon begins at Wasatch Blvd, and Fort Union Blvd (70th South), in Salt Lake City. Travel up the canyon 4 miles to the S curve. The trail head is up the paved road to the right. Parking may be difficult to find, so you might want to park on the road.

RESTROOMS ~ At the trailhead during the Summer.

WATERSHED ~ Big Cottonwood is a protected watershed area. No dogs allowed in the canyon. Also, you are not allowed to wash, wade or swim. This is our drinking water.

WILDERNESS ~ Group size is limited to 10 persons in Wasatch Wilderness areas. Backpackers need to camp 200' away from water & trails in a previous used site. 

RESTING ON RED ROCK

GREAT EXERCISE

CHARLIE'S ANGELS

LAKE BLANCHE ~ BIG COTTONWOOD

PARK CITY TO WANSHIP ~ RAIL TRAIL

It's incredible how God gives us the weather we need. Normally, this is a hot mountain bike ride, with no shade; but He gave us clouds and a cool breeze. 

UNION PACIFIC RAIL TRAIL

DESCRIPTION ~ One of the best Rail to Trails in the state of Utah. The trail is a 3 mile paved parkway, that leads into a 23 mile dirt and gravel, doubletrack. It is non-technical, and a ride for all levels of bicycle riders. This trail is a non-motorized trail. You'll have fun coasting down the hill to Wanship, between the I-80. 

DIRT AND GRAVEL 

RATINGS ~ MODERATE

MILEAGE ~ 27 miles loop total out and back.

ELEVATION GAIN: 750' 

RIDE TIME ~ 1 1/2 hours Park City down to Wanship. 2 3/4 hours from Wanship up to Park City. 

RESTROOMS ~ Promontory & Wanship

DIRECTIONS from SLC: Drive east on I-80 up Parleys Canyon to Park City, take the Kimball Junction and turn right, travel to Park City and turn left on Kearns Blvd; turn right on Bonanza Blvd, make an immediate left turn on Prospector Ave and drive past the strip mall, turn right into large parking area and look for the Union Pacific Rail Trail sign. Drive time 40 minutes. 

GEAR ~ Water, energy snacks or lunch, sunprotection, extra tube and tools to change flats, helmet, pump, first aid. We recommend that you put thorn liners or sealant.

BREAK AT WANSHIP

RIDING UPHILL TO PARK CITY