Hike

Shepard Creek Trail

July 2, 2011 by rickety 3 Comments

Shepard Creek Trail - Susan, Shauna, and Jill

Yesterday Susan, Shauna, Jill and I hiked Shepard Creek Trail. Shepard Creek Trail winds out of several residential areas in Somerset and Shepard Heights and up a canyon. To get to the trail, from Main Street go east toward the mountains on 1400 North one block. Look for a dirt road to the north and park along 1400 North. Step over the pedestrian gate.

Shepard Creek

Walk north up the dirt road. This is part of the old Bamberger Railroad right of way. As you come to a large open area, cross near a stone culvert, past the weather station, to the far side of Shepard Creek. The trail parallels the creek winding through trees and crossing two bridges. The first bridge is a large log with a rope as a handrail. Turn left and follow the trail beside the stream.

The trail was steep in places

When you come to some wooden steps, go straight across and continue paralleling the stream until you reach another set of wooden steps. Turn left and cross the second bridge. Follow the trail again paralleling the stream. You will pass some houses. If you take a wrong turn you could end up in someone’s kitchen. So watch for the trail markers.

Flowers along the trail

Keep bearing to the right and eventually you will rise up a short hill to an intersection where there is a bench. The Somerset section of the trail continues on from here.

In 10 or 20 minutes, the trail will come out on Bella Vista Drive. Look up the canyon over your right shoulder to see the break in the chain link fence where the trail continues.

Hike up the dirt road about 200 feet and watch for the trail to cut up the slope to the right. Continue up the trail beyond the chain link fence and hike straight up the dirt road until it “T’s”.

Go left at the “T” and follow this dirt road. After 75 to 100 feet, keep an eye to the right of the road for a faint footpath. Follow the footpath up a ways where it turns to the south. Notice that there is a footpath that travels east up and over a rock outcropping. Another trail goes south from here to Farmington Canyon.

It was a hot day but most of the first part of the trail was shaded. Once out in the open one could feel the sun. Occasionally there was a gentle breeze which felt really good.

We didn’t get to the end of the trail. A hiker on his return trip said it was very steep further up the trail. We weren’t equipped with hiking boots so we eventually turned back after admiring the view.

There were several benches along the trail

Further up the trail

Jill on the trail

Shauna with a view of the valley behin her

Jill with the Kaysville LDS granary in the distance

Utah's state flower, the sego lily, by the side of the trail

Shauna and flowers

FAA long-range radar site atop Francis Peak

Jill, Shauna, and Susan make the return trip

On our return, this little waterfall cooled the air while we rested

Deuel Creek North and South and Centerville Canyon

September 18, 2010 by rickety 2 Comments

View of Centerville from Centerville Canyon

On Friday Susan, Melissa, Jill and I took a pleasant hike up Centerville Canyon. We parked the car on the dirt road by the Deuel Creek North trailhead and ended up walking to the Deuel Creek South trailhead. So we began by following the south trail for about one mile to the junction of the north trail where on our way back we would descend on the north side of the creek.

Click on the images to enlarge and be sure to view the videos.

Jill is as sure-footed as a mountain goat with her new walking stick

In places the trail is not maintained well. However, I think it adds to the enjoyment to have the possibility of falling off a cliff or two. If you make it to the first stream crossing, there are now eleven log footbridges at key crossings. The Centerville Hiker even put metal mesh on the wood to prevent slipping.

Jill, Susan, and Melissa. Notice the metal mesh on the logs

From the junction we continued up the canyon for some distance. On the south side of the creek there is shade and the melodic sound of gently flowing water. Susan and Melissa found a geocache and signed the enclosed book.

Give said the little stream as it hurried down the hill

Turn right at the 589th tree, remove the grey colored rocks, and you will find the geocache

For directions you could follow the flag flying atop of the mountain. Does anyone know who placed it there?

I wonder who unfurled this banner high on the mountain top?

The hike turns into the adult equivalent of the toddler that gets to run around at the park and play on the swing. That’s because there is a long rope swing hanging from a tall tree along the trail. After some of our party tried the swing we turned around and retraced our steps to the previously mentioned junction.

Give Melissa enough rope and she will swing high into the trees

Jill likes to hang around in the trees

On the north side of the creek Susan and Melissa searched among the rocks for another geocache. I don’t know if they found it because Jill and I went on ahead. The afternoon was getting hot and there was no shade except under our hats.

Melissa looking for another geocache

Melissa and Susan following our path back to the trailhead

Parrish Canyon Fremont Pictograph Photographs

September 6, 2010 by rickety 1 Comment

In the photograph above Connie illustrates what the canyon looks like by the pictographs. Not that it helps much I admit. There is a Forest Service marker at one point that warns you not to touch the rock art. We looked at the rock, and even took pictures, but we could not see any art in it at all. Mark went further up the canyon, climbed around some rocks, and found the pictographs.

Mike told us that it is best to come up in the Spring when the pictographs are freshly painted.

Parrish Canyon Fremont Pictographs

September 6, 2010 by rickety 5 Comments

At the trailhead: Mark, Connie, Kent, Melissa, Jill, Rick(ety), Mike, and Paul. Susan is on camera duty.

On Labor Day at 8 am nine adventurous souls set off to find the Parrish Canyon Fremont pictographs. The pictographs are not very far up the canyon. It was a little cold and Mark loaned Jill his coat. I am told it is a thirty minute hike but I didn’t time it. According to the minutes of the Centerville City Trails Committee meeting held Thursday, April 10, 2008, the pictographs had been damaged:

Mark Day reported he hiked to the Fremont pictographs in Parrish Canyon, and he said they have been vandalized. He said some of the pictographs have been scratched, and others have been rubbed out. (Trails Committee Meeting Minutes)

So we set off to see if we could take some pictograph photographs. I will show you first the path we took to the pictographs and then in the next post the pictographs themselves.

We set off on the trail. We got lost. Asked directions. Continued.

When you get to the bridge, cross it and turn right.

Take a picture of the waterfall and continue.

Follow the creek just like Connie and Susan are doing here.

At this point in a normal blog you would see the pictographs. But there are too many photographs already so the pictographs are in the next post.

Paul and Mike continued onward and upward. I followed. I wish I hadn't.

We got back before the others and met Merrill on Red.

Red is an Arabian Paint and his real name is in Russian which I can't pronounce much less spell.

The Mueller Park Trail

July 23, 2010 by rickety 4 Comments

Today we hiked The Mueller Park Trail in Bountiful. It is a great walk that is mostly shaded all the way up. Much of the trail is gently sloped. From various locations there are good views of the Great Salt Lake and the valley far below.

The Mueller Park Trail is 13 miles round trip. The route begins at the Mueller Park Picnic Grounds in the east Bountiful foothills and ends at a small grassy clearing called Rudy’s Flat. We chose to turn around at Big Rock, called “Elephant Rock” by the locals, to make it a 7 mile round trip.

Mueller Park Trail can be busy on weekends and holidays. Its multi-use designation means it’s open to hikers, mountain bikers, and motorcycles. Today we were passed by numerous bikers.

Click on the images to enlarge. In the video Jill explains what we are doing.

Jill at the trailhead

Susan, Shauna, Jill, and Mike begin the ascent

We are headed for Big Rock

Here we are just above Big Rock

Taking a break on the bench above Big Rock to admire the view

JIll says, "I'll race you down!"

Goodbye folks, I'm glad you could join us on the Mueller Park Trail. Photo by Susan Ward

City Creek Canyon Trail

July 10, 2010 by rickety 1 Comment

Yesterday found us walking along City Creek Canyon Trail. City Creek was the first water source used by the Mormon Pioneers settling the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. In the early years water flowed through ditches for irrigating gardens. Residents hand dipped water for their culinary and domestic needs. In 1866, City Creek was first diverted into a municipally-owned, piped water distribution system to provide fire protection and culinary water supply to city residents.

The maximum recorded flow in City Creek during the floods of 1983 was 322 cubic feet per second, which resulted in considerable debris flows, flooding and damage through downtown Salt Lake City as State Street was converted into a temporary “river” after debris clogged the city’s storm drain pipes.

We walked up the road 2.5 miles and back again. So not many photographs (click to enlarge). The first two shots about sum it up:

Going up. Shauna, Jill, Susan, and Mike.

Coming down. Susan, Shauna, and Jill.

Mike carried on when we turned back. However, we did find a concrete staircase built in the middle of the wilderness by a lost civilization.

We stopped for lunch.

We sent Shauna out over a rotting log to find the trail but there was none.

The girls found a geocache by a big tree stump.

I love it when the directions say, "You will find it by the tree down by the river"

Mike went on to Area 26, about a 10 mile round trip.

The View From The Living Room

July 9, 2010 by rickety 6 Comments

View From The Living Room

On Monday, for a view of the Salt Lake Valley, we hiked to The Living Room. We relaxed in sandstone chairs with armrests. There were even coffee tables we parked our feet on.

The hike takes about two hours (it took us longer). It is considered easy (it isn’t). Trail length is 2.3 miles (seemed like 5 miles).

Here are some photographs of our hike. Click on the images to enlarge.

My nieces Shauna and Connie on the trail

Mark photographing the view

My brother Mike works his way to the top

Mark, Connie, and Shauna ahead of us across the canyon.

Susan and Jill behind us

Shauna in the living room

Mike captures the living room view

Mark and Connie eat a snack in the kitchen

Jill wonders what happened to the television

A beautiful view

Susan and Shauna did some geocaching

The mandatory group photograph

Left to right: Jill, Rick, Kent, Connie, Mark, Susan, Melissa, and Shauna.

Jill on her way down

Waterfall Canyon Trail

September 19, 2009 by rickety 4 Comments

To access Waterfall Canyon, begin at the 29th Street trail head and take the trail to the left at the shelter and follow the sign. This is a moderately difficult trail with some scrambling for hikers and bikers.

Hardly anyone works on a Friday, including me, so yesterday I went on the Waterfall Canyon hike with family. Left to right below is Connie (niece), Jill (wife), Adelaide (daughter-in-law), Steven (son), Aurora (granddaughter), Susan (sister-in-law), Shauna (niece), and Rick (myself). Click on a person’s head and a photograph from the hike will appear. I had no suitable photos of Susan so hers is from a recent Parrish Canyon hike.