Mt. Timpanogos is the king of the southern Wasatch range, rising high over Lehi and Provo, UT. The area is a wilderness, yet the summit lies within clear sight of probably a million people and an interstate highway.
My college friend Nick and I headed up the Timpooneke trail early on a Saturday morning. The parking lot was recently expanded so even on our July weekend there was plenty of space.
We saw a nice mule deer about a mile in, then continued to climb through the lower canyons and benches through the next few miles. The views of the Wasatch Alpine Ridge to the south were amazing. There is a lot of water low on the trail this time of year.
Soon we caught sight of the true summit as we neared the Timpanogos Basin, about 4.5 miles in.
Views in the basin were stunning. Wildflowers stole the show from the rugged alpine scenery. A flat walk across the basin gets you to the ridge hike but we were in no hurry.
After the meadow hike, switchbacks bring the trail to the ridge on rocky terrain.
At this point, the trail reaches a saddle and the town below is visible. There is still a mile and several hundred vertical feet to go.
After hiking some gnarly looking steep switchbacks we summited after 3:15 hiking
The summit was not too crowded considering it was a prime summer weekend! We stayed and ate for a bit then headed down, where we found more people. I guess we were just fast?
I cannot get over how outstanding the wildflowers were in the basin. Go now.
Not a lot of shots from the lower trail. It seems a lot longer on the way down than on the way up for some reason. My La Sportiva Thunder hiking boots also completely exploded on the way down which was a sad day. I am planning on replacing them with two pairs of footwear: a pair of trail running shoes for summer and mountaineering boots for winter/spring snow hikes. Hopefully that will work better and will be a more survivable solution than my do-it-all heavy boots.This is probably the best hike in the area for people who are not looking to do anything technical or scary. Highly recommended, especially when the wildflowers are in bloom.
