Monday, August 8, 2016

Smuggler's Gap Trail Hike - Salt Lake City UT


Introduction



A friend of mine, for a while, has wanted me to go and hike Smuggler's Gap Trail with him.  Something has always come up but finally this past weekend, the stars aligned and both of our schedules worked out.  

So with a meeting place in mind (the state capitol building) we met on a Saturday afternoon and drove from the capitol building to the entrance of City Creek Canyon, which is just a few minutes north of capitol.

The trail is at the end of the City Creek Canyon.  So basically enter the park and go as far as the paved road takes you.  Find a parking spot and then proceed to the end of the road and you'll see the start of the trail.  After about 200 yards, you'll see a sign that'll take you north to go to the gap.


The Hike


The trip to the top of Smuggler's Gap is easy technically, as the footing was very stable for most of the way up.  However, the hike was an intense one -- it is a hard uphill -- and you''ll be working up a sweat.  Luckily, the trail is mostly shaded.

For a Saturday afternoon, we expected to see someone on the trail.  However, there was no one.  This trail looks like it has the potential to see a lot of wildlife.  We found the remains of an animal leg, some large tracks and evidence of moose.  This trip, however, we didn't see any wildlife.

The way up to the top offers some awesome views of City Creek Canyon, including one point where you can see the Great Salt Lake and even Antelope Island.  

At the summit, which is about 2 - 2.5 miles (to my guess) you can see Grandeur Peak and Red Butte canyon.

The trails ends unceremoniously and if you want you can bushwhack your way around, but the going is pretty treacherous with shrubbery.  

Enjoy the photos:

View from the Summit





Waterfalls in City Creek Canyon













What's left of someone's meal









View from the summit

Keep your eye out for wild animals






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