How's the View?

Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer

2011-02-09T10:44:00.000-08:00

Every year Tubbs Snowshoes sponsors the "Romp to Stomp". They do these snowshoe race/walk events around the country. In the Salt Lake area it is held at Mountain Dell up Parley's Canyon. This is our (my sons included) 2nd year volunteering at the event. We put up signs, we time racers, we cheer. Last year we handed out cups of water. The fun of the race is the costumes and spirit of the event. This year, the costumes were at a low (one pink tutu and a set of pink hats with white flowers).... but the racers (over 300) were out to have a great time. The snow was crusty and crunchy, so no fresh powder to dance in, but the race isn't about the snow. Ethan did the 5K snowshoe race, without snowshoes. It was a last minute idea where he felt inspired to follow the racers, and I was impressed to see him come across the finish line. All in good fun, and the community is great to support the cause.

Snowshoe Guiding

2011-01-05T05:09:00.000-08:00

Every so often I get an email from one of the out-of-town readers of SnowshoeUtah.com asking me to guide them on trails while they are in town. Until this winter that hasn't come together, but Meg from Florida and I explored Little Cottonwood Canyon for a few days hitting the Little Cottonwood trail for a warm up, then climbing up the summer road at Alta for a stiffer work out. Our best day was snowshoeing to Twin Lakes Pass. Though we didn't have clear, blue skies to see Mt. Superior, it was a nice jaunt with a decent if foggy view and a fun powder run down. The snow this year is so lovely. The powder has been light, and at the top of the canyon the air is clear. Always good to get out of the inversion. Meg and I stood in a grove of trees listening to the utter silence as the snow absorbed the sounds. A few birds talked but the silence and energy sunk deeply into my chest, almost bringing me to a buzzing state. Magnificent day on the snow. Meg took the photos (we were unable to get one of us together) and you can see how nice the mountains were. Meg is a promoter. She was passing my name and card along to others she had made friends with at the lodge. Kind of fun to watch her work. Turns out that there is a "Christmas crowd" at Alta's Rustler lodge that return each year. She and her family have been coming out for 9 straight years. She snowshoes while her kids ski. What a great tradition.

New Years 2011 - Island Park

2011-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

New Years for me hasn't always been exciting parties and big events. Many years I'm happy to got to hit the hay at 10, but feel obligated to stay up until midnight. This year my family had the opportunity to join my aunt Katie and Uncle Ron at their Island Park cabin for a weekend of snowmobiling and snowshoeing. What a fun way to spend New Years! Yea! Island Park is one cold place. As low as -10 degrees every day. Rylee got frostbite on her lower legs from her snowpants riding up while we snowmobiled. Almost too cold to be outside but we made the best of it. We got in a fun (but cold) snowmobile ride. I tested out the new MSR Lightning snowshoe with their funky new binding. Mostly I swear at it a lot. I know they won't be happy that I don't recommend it, but honestly who wants to have to watch a video before they can figure out how to get their binding done up? I think user-friendly bindings are the main crux of a sellable snowshoe, and these (though they adjust for an off-center gait) are not user friendly. The new tails are also a pretty interesting design, but in my trials of the shoe I ended up loosing one on the trail. That doesn't speak too highly of their connection system. At any rate - I sure hope they continue to make the Lightning with their original binding because I love that snowshoe. I think Christian, Ethan and I had the most fun sledding behind the four-wheeler on the snowpacked roads. Laughed hard and real while hitting snow banks and whipping on the centrifugal swing. S loved driving.

Skiing The Canyons with my boys and Ski Utah

2011-01-05T04:53:00.001-08:00

The ski season started so early this year. Enough snow to ski even before Thanksgiving--made me feel like I needed to be on the slopes, but I didn't heed the call until December. I've renewed my membership with Ski Utah for 2011 and they let me ride the tails of 2010 by hitting the last December 2010 ski day. I spent the day with my boys, rather than my ski pals, and we had a blast. S's feet were cold because he is hitting the growth stage and he's grown out of his ski boots - they were a real source of discomfort to him (never fear, he got new ski boots for Christmas). Ethan was in his element. He laughed and played in the snow and generally didn't want to quit at the day's end. That lifts my heart. It's good to see him happy on the ski slope. Usually he is the first to decide he's had it, and most often he complains of cold. I'm thrilled that he had such a good time. Both S and L are becoming more proficient on their skis. Had lunch in Red Pine lodge, finished the day with a few last runs and then rode the funky lift to the bottom.

Best Hikes Near Salt Lake City

2010-10-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

25 trails in 2 months. That's where I have been...out on the trail. The first of August, Falcon Guides contracted with me to write their Best Hikes Near Salt Lake City guidebook and I've been racing against the weather to get as much research done as possible before snow comes and we are out enjoying the snowshoe trails and ski runs. It's been a big hiking year!Miss Molly and the boys have made a few runs with me. The Meet-Up hiking groups have been key, and friends have filled in the hiking gaps.

Davis County, Weber County, Salt Lake County, Utah County...I only wish I were going slower and savoring each moment, instead I feel like I'm just ticking them off as fast as I can. The good side - burning some calories. The down side - missing out on contemplative spiritual moments the trails offer.

Maybe it's time to take the last few trails of the season and head out alone and find some time to meld with the energy of the mountains.

Adams Canyon Again - July 2010

2010-08-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

Twice in one year! I guess that's what book research does to you. This time George Coleman and I took our kids up the trail. It was a nice night. That first 1/2 mile is always a sandy slog, but once in the canyon it's a beautiful hike. Davis County's most popular hike. Ethan oozes energy, bouncing off rocks and running the trail. Boys are awesome! Megan has a harder time of it, but Elsie was a real trooper. The waterfall - ahhhh!

Ensign Peak

2010-08-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

We are famous. Today Ethan, Matt Thalman, Josh Page, Molly and I hiked Ensign Peak. I've never been before. It was the perfect trail for these guys. Short, interesting little dirt trails, rocks to climb on and we quickly got to the destination. The trail is grassy and dry, but the overlook takes in the entire SLC valley. The spot where Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, and other future prophets of the church stood to look over the valley and envision their layout of the city, this is most certainly the spot for that! A clear view right down the center of the valley with the Oquirrhs on the right and the Wasatch Range on the left. Took us only about 15 minutes to get to the top. But, back to the reason we are famous - Channel 2 News was there to look at the trail and they interviewed me. I got a plug in for the book. We just finished watching it. They got all the boys, Molly dog barking at the camera, and my interview was pretty smooth. Fun trail for kids!

4th of July - Rocky Mountain Raceway

2010-08-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hadn't been to the RMRW before and I got a couple passes on writing trade from Travel Host, so I took the fam. for the 4th. Long night, hard seats, lots of racing (the boys loved the train races). They put on a A+ fireworks show at the end, but all in all I was glad to go home. Not really my bag, but you don't know til you try it.

Wasatch Crest Trail

2010-08-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

The Wasatch Crest trail is one of Utah's finest mountain biking trails, but if you've got the whole day it's a gorgeous hiking trail too. The views are just unbelievable down both sides of the crest. This trail is long on foot, but worth it. Wildflowers punctuate the area during July and August! This trail will be in the hiking book too. Rick Gardner and I biked this and the Pipeline trail mid-July. Good climb from Guardsman, but the downhill on a bike is a blast! Good fun and a great ride!

Days of Thunder

2010-08-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

All I can say is I think this hike ruined me to the sport of backpacking. Who knew? Bells Canyon is a steep granite canyon that frankly is little more than a staircase of rocks rising at 1000' elevation each mile. 10 hours to do 5 miles. The next day Mike Scalora and I hiked to the North Thundermountain overlook up fields of granite boulders. Feels like you've gone miles when you've only gone yards. Couldn't walk for 4 days after I got home. Didn't hit the trail again for 2 whole weeks. I'm thinking of bagging my attempt on all the 11,000 foot peaks. Uggg! I must give due credit to the wonderful falls on the way up! The trail to the lower and upper falls will be included in the guidebook.

Lift-Assisted Mountain Biking in Paradise

2010-06-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten how beautiful Sundance Ski Resort really is. Biking below Timpanogos, the waterfalls cascading down the mountains, the green groves of trees, ferns, grasses and flowers (and the smell of them)...well, the scenery is definitely part of what makes a day of biking here worth ever penny of the $20 for the lift pass. And, hey, it's a much better price than the $28 you pay at Deer Valley. Was working on a story for Travel Host magazine and a feature for Lori's Mountain Report this month on KALL 700, so had camera and recorder along. George, Greg, Rick and Vincent came along for the ride (pun intended). Greg and Vince stuck to the trails, even on the uphill, then left early, but George, Rick and I stayed until 5:00 pm-- So glad I brought my own car. Shakes and sandwiches for lunch on the wooden deck next to the creek. Total 5-star day. They don't have a ton of terrain (25 miles), but the routes are good--you just get to do them over and over. There's a great cross-country trail (Archie's Trail) that zooms you out to the edge and has some nice scenic drop-offs. The second type of terrain is tighter, switchback single track in the trees. Luved it!

Mountain Biking the Mid Mountain Trail

2010-06-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

The Mid Mountain trail is a 25-mile long trail that begins at the Deer Valley ski resort, crosses the mountains through The Canyons ski resort, and stays near the 8000' mark for most of the trail. Lots of up and down. There is about 2200 ft. of elevation gain, but just as much drop. Depends on where you start and where you stop. George, Rick and I road it this past Saturday and it was a gorgeous day to be out!! Superb. Challenging ride. By the end we were pretty well worn. If you begin at Stein Erickson Lodge you don't have a big climb up to the trail (my style). The first part of the trail has a fair bit of climbing. Takes a bit to get my lactic acid worked out of the muscles. Views along this trail are magnificent. Along the entire trail you are crossing above Summit County and all the resorts, housing developments, bodies of water, mountains, the entire shebang is visible. The last 14 or so miles of the trail pick up on some larger rocky sections. At times I thought my bike was going to fall apart on the downhill, and certainly part of the fatigue was found in my hands and arms from the shaking - could have used a full-suspension bike. Currently there are about 8-10 trees down across the trail in this last 14 mile stretch. One is huge - you must walk up the mountain to get around it. Definately needs some trail maintenance. Lots of satisfaction in riding this trail. Took us 4 hours and 55 minutes to do the 25 miles. Good times!

Antelope Meadows Yurt

2010-06-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

June 8-9th Gene, myself, and my boys all backpacked into Antelope Meadows yurt, owned by Blue Sky Adventure, to get the deets for an update on the YurtsOfUtah.com website and a KALL radio report.

One might think that a 2.5 mile backpack should be no big deal, but as this is Blue Sky Adventures first year with the yurt they had not yet marked the trails. Feeling that pointing out the yurt on the next mountain should be enough to help us get there, we followed the verbal directions as best we could, and finally after 3 miles looked down upon a yurt. "Interesting" I thought. "This yurt has a house next door. That's not usual." So we made our way down the mountain, happy to be at the end of our pack, only to find it was a saloon-style restaurant owned by another company completely, and closed down. Luckily, a phone call informed us we only had to follow the reservoir and head south to find our yurt.

The adventure had just begun. I'll sing the praises of solar lighting, a big fire pit, laminate wood floors and the clean that comes with new. No question this is the nicest yurt in the Utah yurt system. The location is a lot of fun also because Blue Sky has kayaks they keep on the reservoir, so my boys and I played Lewis and Clark as we paddled around the water looking for frogs and exploring the water world.

This yurt gets an A+ for convenience. If you don't want to hike in, you can drive to the yurt. Road comes right up, and it's a good thing, because just as the boys fell asleep we started hearing something below the yurt clawing and chewing. Loud and persistent, 2 hours later we were getting no sleep and were slightly freaked out as to what was trying to eat out the bottom of the yurt. Not one, not two, but I could hear 3 different eating patterns. I called the owner at 12:30 a.m. to let him know some nocturnal animals were having their way with the yurt and he may want to come do something about it if he wished his yurt to be around very long.

The ranch manager and his assistant used that road, drove to the yurt at 1 a.m. and shot 2 large porcupines that were hurriedly eating away at the yurt and seemed immune to our attempts to throw rocks at them, dump water on them through the deck, or scare them off with the piercing light of headlamp. The things you learn...who knew that trex deck was a porcupines favorite food? Turns out that the salt found in adhesive used in laminate is a primary fetish of porcupines.

We tried to BBQ steaks on the charcoal grill, but I don't think the grill got hot enough. Ended up throwing most of the steak in the fire pit. Slept on air mattresses, which are indeed comfy alternatives to the floor. Luckily mine had an automatic inflator attached as it had to be filled regularly.

This yurt is set up for groups, couples, families, retreats. Blue Sky is an adventure company that will send out fly-fishing guides, kayak instructors, and even a rock climbing instructor if you want. They are on the verge of a much larger development - the yurt is just the first step. For info. on the yurt go to www.yurtsofutah.com.

This was Ethan's first official backpack trip! He did great! Molly dog went along too. Gene's first packpack with the broken hip. A fine adventure. Except we got lost on the way back too.

Holbrook Creek Trail: Bountiful

2010-06-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

Holbrook Creek trailhead sits just south of the Bountiful LDS Temple. There is a nice little parking area with room for plenty of cars. The drop into the canyon is a bit steep on a wide gravel trail, but at the bottom you are immediately met by Holbrook Creek and tiny falls that dump out of the canyon. If you want to make it to the top you will have to cross the river repeatedly, so a pair of Chacos isn't a bad idea. I've hiked it twice in mine this year.

Clouds rolled in just as Gene, S, L, Molly dog and I started. By all expectations this should be a great trail for Miss Molly, but her curly black hair turned out to be Velcro for the burrs in the area. Wow! Globs bigger than my hand. Poor little thing. Bath, scissors, struggling... it was not a fun experience. I have conceded that perhaps she is not a trail doggy. But, I digress...Everything is green now. The creek is running full and happy. The trail, if you persevere to the dead end rock, is about 2.5 miles to the top and sits at about 5960'. Very pleasant spot for an afternoon jaunt. Obviously dogs are allowed, just clean up after them.

This trail is popular, but not as frequented as the nearby Mueller Park. Holbrook is a more level trail than Mueller Park, and it follows the creek, which is always nice. Both can be snowshoed, hiked, enjoyed!!

Little Red Riding Hood Century

2010-06-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Monique and I rode the Little Red in Cache Valley for our annual Girl's Weekend. I hate to admit it, but we took the 57 mile route instead of the entire 100 miles, but we didn't regret it. The support, food stops, and route markings were great. 3100 riders rode this year. It gets harder to get into every year because if you forget and don't register as soon as it opens you often lose the chance. I only saw one person I knew out of all those women, crazy as I'm from Cache Valley. The route started in Lewiston and ran through all the little towns on that side of the valley. Gorgeous open, green space! The 100 mile section ran up into Idaho. It's not hard at all to ride that distance when they have refuel sections every 15-20 miles. We bought biking socks and picked up our jerseys at the registration booth the night before the ride. Live bands, silent auctions, more food...

Luckily no problems at all. We road in to the finish line where the big bad wolf handed us glasses of iced gatorade with a strawberry floating on top. All good fun. The weather was perfect!!

Waterfall Canyon: Ogden

2010-06-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

The Waterfall Canyon trail in Ogden is a beautiful little trail that climbs up a canyon to the areas largest waterfall (or at least the largest I have seen in the area). The trail is popular and sees a fair amount of traffic. Just over 2.5 miles round trip, it's kid friendly and dogs are also allowed. Gene,Varena, Holly Ty and myself carpooled to the 29th St. trailhead in Ogden where we met up with the Davis County hiking meet-up group and spent the morning on the trail. The trail follows the stream to the falls at the top. I had heard the waterfall was 200 feet high, and I was prepared to be impressed, but when we actually reached it, it was thrilling. Beautiful, wide, dramatic. Though we didn't do it, I was told you could climb up the cliffs to the south of the waterfall in order to get up and on top of the falls. Gene did really well with his broken hip still healing. On the way down it started hailing, but we were prepared for rain and just enjoyed the greenery. Found one tree with a huge swarm of bees in a bundle around the trunk. I haven't seen that before. Takes about 2 hours to hike. To get to the trailhead just follow 29th St. all the way to the foothills. The trailhead is well developed and is a trailhead for a handful of hikes in the area. Plenty of parking. No bathroom or water.

Deaf Smith Canyon: New Find

2010-06-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

On my search for new canyons and trails my friend Todd brought me to Deaf Smith. I'd never even heard of this place before. Not much of a trailhead, just a deadend on a residential road up off of Wasatch Boulevard between Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon. The first part of the hike takes you up into the foothills, then you have to walk on a driveway/road to get into the canyon. I'll say upfront that this canyon trail is an exploratory trail. The first section of the trail is easy to see and well defined, but soon enough the trail starts deadending here and there and one must climb rocks and cross the stream to reconnect and find the next section of trail. There are a few climbing routes, old and not much used it appears. We hit a couple sections where we had to climb up and over rock faces and though it was very exposed, the hand and foot holds were generous. It's a nice little canyon, just go prepared to explore your way up it.

Desert Scuba

2010-05-17T10:05:00.001-07:00

My son reaches down to touch the nose of the Nurse shark as it saunters up from the bottom of the bay to snatch a fish from Ron, Sea Base’s care taker. The little Mollys swarm a hand or foot left still in the water, and nibble at the surface skin as they swarm. Four-foot Angel fish jump for the food Ron tosses into the water, their powerful bodies quick and strong.
The ocean? Sea World? No, it’s Utah’s desert, nine hundred miles from the nearest ocean. In Grantsville, out past Toole, 40 miles west of Salt Lake City, Bonneville Seabase is a group of salty geothermal springs that have been turned into bays – diving bays. Three pools that drop as deep as 63 feet are stocked by Linda Nelson and her husband George Sanders, with a dozen varieties of tropical fish that technically shouldn’t be able to survive in this water.
This is Utah’s inland diving ocean. With three connecting bays, platforms for divers, a sunken ship called the “Sheer Joy” as well as a water tunnel connecting White Rocks Bay to Habitiat Bay, this unique inland ocean was designed as a dive training site where scuba divers can come and do their deep water dives to complete their certification. My sons and I are here on assignment from Wasatch Woman magazine. For more info tune into the magazine. Keeping it real: visibility was very low. Had we not been there for feeding time I'm not sure i would have believed the fish were really there. I've heard some people feel ripped off after going out and seeing nothing, but others feel like it's the most surreal experience to be seeing tropic fish, including the shark, in the middle of the desert. Some huge fish cruise these waters. The place rents out all your digs and gear.

Kays Creek Parkway: Layton

2010-05-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

Family friendly trail! This is a community walkway in what appears to be a nature preserve area.One of many sections that Layton is developing, the path is paved and from the Adam J. Walker trailhead (Center trailhead) you can head either east to the Oak Forest trailhead, or the Canyon View trailhead. There is also a west trailhead that is unnamed (1450 E. access). From the Adam Walker trailhead it is .75 mile to either trailhead. A scout put up nice fauna markers along the trails with detailed descriptions of the animals in the area. My boys jumped off the trail, down into Kays Creek, (small and winding)and spent the afternoon with boy toys: rocks, water, sticks, mud, reeds. The trail is flat heading west and gains 200' heading east to the Oak Forest Access. Bird song was profuse! Dogs allowed on a leash. The greenery is filled in nicely and we had a great afternoon in a nature retreat around Hobbs reservoire which provides Kays Creek irrigation. The area feels secluded but sits right in the middle of a residential area.

Ferguson Canyon: Salt Lake Hike

2010-05-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that this has been a great week for groovy new canyon finds! I attended a hiking presentation at REI last week where I bought the book from the presenter. (Will leave book unnamed) With the book I found the trailhead, but after that all his beta was wrong. There is no way the author hiked this trail. Though the book says it's an easy hike it is actually quite challenging. The trail is primarily a boulder path once you pass the 1/2 mile mark, and it climbs and climbs. There is over 1000' of elevation gain in the first mile. The highlights of this hike are the waterfalls!! One after another. The air is cool and fresh and wet. Boulders the size of 20" televisions make up the path, but it follows the stream up this narrow canyon. My GPS says it was about 2 miles to the top where the trail leads up and out of the canyon to the north, then crosses over to a lookout point down into Big Cottonwood Canyon. Phenom views from here as well as great views in the first portion of the trail. Granite bubbles make for well used climbing walls along the route and an interesting granite cave in the first 1/2 mile. Loved the trail! Take a walking stick.

Hiking Neff Canyon

2010-05-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

First time ever to Neffs Canyon. Great little trailhead with plenty of parking. Just a small jaunt through a residential area to get to it. Only had 2 hours for the trail. Trailhead sits at 5585', we went for 1.8 miles to the Mt. Olympus Wilderness Boundary at 6650'. Todd and I both loved the canyon. A new find for both of us, the trail was steep in places. The first section has been widened for vehicle access. Very rocky in spots. Narrow canyon and the weather was great, so even though we were truckin' it on snow a bit there was no wind. Great views of Antelope Island and some funky rock formations higher up the canyon walls. This is where Mt. Olympus spring water comes from. Trucks take the water from Neffs canyon to a bottling facility in Salt Lake. This canyon will be beautiful in the summer and more so in the fall when the leaves fill in then change color. Lots of deciduous trees. Dogs are permitted as this is not a watershed canyon. Supposed to be 5.5 miles RT. We'll see. Definitely a canyon to get into again.

Baer Canyon: Kaysville

2010-05-10T13:51:00.001-07:00

For Mother's Day I grabbed my friend George and my dog Miss Molly and we went to explore a trail I had not yet hiked. Baer Canyon is not one of Davis County's nicest trails, but it's a pathway into the mountains next to a stream, and that's always something to be appreciated.

Once at the trailhead I found that the new batteries I put in my GPS were really old batteries and so I have no elevation or distance readings, but the weather was perfect for a day on the trail. The trail through Baer Canyon is rocky and prone to erosion. Many parts of the trail are falling into the creek below. There are a couple fire rings available off the trail, all look well used. We hiked for a couple hours and there was still more trail to go, but George needed to head home for a family party. Miss Molly got tired and hot and laid in the creek for a good 5 minutes to cool down. Dogs are allowed on the trail, just make sure to kick the dog doo off the trail or pack it out. We met up with a couple different set of hikers, with their dogs, otherwise the trail was quiet.

To get to the trailhead: from U.S. 89 turn east at 400 North. Trun right again onto Mountain road and follow to East Oaks drive, to 1800 E. Take a left on 1800 East. Follow the road to a deadend then turn sharply right onto a small road that leads up to the parking area.

Adams Canyon Hike: Layton

2010-05-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

Adams Canyon is one of Davis County's most popular hikes. It has a spacious parking area that is easily accessed right off U.S. 89. The trail begins in the northeast corner of the parking area. Yesterday I hiked Adams with the Davis County Meetup Group. A wonderful day to be out on the trail. I was reminded how important it is just to get out and sit next to a river, to tune back into nature. I kept wanting to stop and sit on a rock and do a little meditating, but the group was pressing forward and I didn't feel like I could. The hike took 1.5 hours to get to the falls. Its 2.5 miles up for a total day of 5 miles up and back. There were plenty of people on the trail, but there are places one feels much solitude. A couple campsites had warm fires from the night before.

The first .5 mile from the parking area is an uphill(gain between 400-500 ft) trudge over a sandy path. This is my least favorite part, especially on a hot day. But, once you arrive at the top of this foothill you have the view out across all of Davis County, the Great Salt Lake, and Farmington Bay. At the top of this foothill the trail intersects with the Bonneville Shoreline trail. The BST and Adams Canyon trail share the same path into the canyon where the BST then continues over a bridge and south, whereas the Adams Canyon trail heads east and into the canyon. Exposure to the sun declines and you enter the cover of trees while hiking next to Holms Creek and an array of small waterfalls that culminates at the end with a 40 foot waterfall that makes the hike worth every step. The trail is well defined with exception of a few spots where it appears to end and one must look closely for the trail that takes you up and over rock faces or across the rock face. This trail is fun because the terrain is a mix of scramble, wide-path hiking and river crossing. To get to the waterfall at the end you will need to cross the stream, so plan to get your shoes a little wet. Great picnic area, or just a wonderful place to rest and cool off. I love the way this path is deeply covered by the greenery and tree cover. I love hiking next to the creek, and I love having a destination-worthy waterfall at the end.

To get to the trailhead: From U.S. 89 turn east onto the frontage road at an unmarked road just north of Oakhills Drive (Traffic light). Once on the frontage road head south for approximately a half mile and you'll run right into the parking area.

Deuel Creek Hike: Centerville

2010-04-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have a goal this summer to increase my knowledge base of the Davis County trails. Saturday I hit trail #2 for the season - Deuel Creek North and South. Attached is a map photo so you can get an idea of the layout of the trail. This trail will be a 5 star trail in the summer when the leaves fill in. It wanders right next to Deuel Creek which is a spring-fed creek and thus runs year-round. Obviously spring run-off increases the flow, so you have the soul music of water along the route. The primary difficulty of the route is getting to the trail head. There is currently no great approach to the trail head kiosk so you end up walking up a road, across a Forest Service bridge, along part of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and then up a mountain just to get to the trail head. Once you hit the trail though it is beautiful and levels out nicely. There is some scrambling over rocks, but people of all ages were successful in this group - kids, dogs, older folks.

Directions to trail head as of summer 2010: Park at the Bowl Area on 850 E. 100 S. in Centerville. It is at the base of the foothills along a neighborhood road. Head 2/10 of a mile up the dirt road then the trail transitions onto an undefined foot path that heads east to the bridge. The bridge is a F.S. bridge and part of the Bonneville Shoreline trail. At .3 miles you must head straight east up a foothill vs continueing on the obvious trail. The obvious trail is the B.S. trail. Continue to the top of the foothill where you will then see the ATV track to the right. From here you can see the trailhead kiosk to the left that starts the Deuel Creek hike. This is the trail head for South Deuel.

For summer hikers you should note that the canyon is full of poison ivy and long pants are suggested. Poison Ivy does not bother dogs, I'm told. Dogs are allowed on the trail without leashes-if they are well behaved.

At 1.17 miles South Deuel loops around and turns into North Deuel. If you wish to continue straight the trail goes on for 4.5 miles with a handful of campsites and bridges along the way. Found a rope swing that was good fun also.

The loop for North Deuel is not marked. The return trip is more exposed. Mahogany Flat sits another 1/10 of a mile along North Deuel. Nice little camp spot with a great view, but right on the trail. Fires are allowed from Oct - April. Practice Leave No Trace camping. North Deuel empties out right near the dirt road which you descend to where you parked.

Hiking the Bonneville Shoreline Trail: NSL trailhead

2010-04-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

April 10th. My friend Bill introduced me to the concept of Meetup Groups. These are hobby groups of all different types (anything you can imagine), where people who have similar interests join up and engage in their hobby together. So, I found a hiking group that will help me explore the Davis County trails that I am less familiar with. On Saturday I took my son and Miss Molly dog and we joined with the Davis County Hiking Meetup group to tackle the Bonneville Shoreline trail. This trail is hard to keep track of for me because it has so many different lengths. Some sections of the trail are finished, some have funding approved but are not yet done, and since it starts in Cache Valley and stretches across the Wasatch Front in sporadic sections I find it hard to keep track of. That being said, it's my own fault for not just getting out and doing every section. Perhaps that can be a summer goal. So this time we started at the NSL/Bountiful trailhead which lies at the far south end of the Bountiful Eagle Ridge Golf course. The entire trail is a dirt road. I must tell you that I loved getting out hiking with my son - spring fever, and I found the views of all the industrial life there at the point of the mountain interesting, but perspective aside, when I look for a great trail the view I want is not one of railway cars, gravel pits and refineries. Once you round the corner above Salt Lake the view of the entire Wasatch Front opens up and you are looking right down on the capitol and downtown SLC. It was a nice cool morning to get out. At the top of the trail you can head down toward Ensign Peak or head up further past more relay station towers and deeper into the foothills. We climbed a bit and then called it quits when Molly got tired and laid down in the snow. 4.45 miles round trip in about 2 hrs and 3 min. A little bit of clay on the shoes, but mostly a cool spring morning and it was much better to be outside than in. Dogs allowed on a leash. Easy access mountain biking.

Alta Spring Skiing

2010-04-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Spring Break at Alta with the boys. Beautiful day. The boys crack me up!! I've never seen other kids do this, but my boys decided it was more fun to lay on the back of their skies and slide down the mountain like a sled. Then they got up on their skis and pretended to be fighter pilots. Their arms made wings and machine guns when they needed to shoot one another on the pass. Full on sound effects with the occasional passing skier laughing at them. My oldest son was a US fighter pilot and my youngest son was left to be Russian, which he was not happy with. He claimed he would be China, until son #1 informed him that Chinese planes were made poorly and would fall apart at the first pass. So then son #2 agreed to be Russian, where son #1 then informed him that China made the Russian planes and exported them. Funny boys. Their second full day at a resort. Son #2 tired out early. We all went home with goggle tan lines.

Ski Utah Interconnect Tour

2010-04-09T08:52:00.001-07:00

Ski Utah's Interconnect tour is a ski tour that takes you through 4 resorts via the backcountry. Boot packing, side stepping, fishboning, traversing, untouched powder fields, GORGEOUS scenery, 2 guides, and on a good day the best snow in the world. Thursday April 8th I went on the tour to update KALL 700 Trailmaster radio website. On assignment, but as always my research is fun. The first part of the day we found some nice snow. As the day progressed the deep powder turned to sloppy, heavy crud. It was hard work. Temps in the high 40's I'd guess. Great lunch at Solitude and a long shove across Highway to Heaven with the hopes that no more snow would slide. Avi danger was high in many places today, but the sky was blue and the day was beautiful! The Cottonwood Canyons have to be one of the most dramatic and beautiful places on the planet. Skied Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude and back!

Guardsman Snowshoe

2010-04-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday April 3rd: Guardsman's Pass Up Big Cottonwood Canyon. At the tailend of a week where the Cottonwoods reported 30 inches of snow in two days and this path, which is usually well trodden by snowmobiles and snow cats was still 6-12 inches deep in powder. Beautiful, light snow. Saw a few snowmobilers on the bottom trail, but as soon as we got to the break-off point where you can head up to the right, we started breaking trail and heading into the trees. Total trip was 2.23 miles and we spent a little over an hour on the trail. Cut out early because Mike had friends coming into town, but it was a beautiful trek on a nice day. Snow flurries and some cold winds when we first started, but inside tree cover was nice and protected. Gene was working on getting his leg movement back and I was just loving being outside in such beautiful powder. Really nice morning, I'm very glad we got out.

Park City Powder

2010-04-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I skied with Ski Utah for their member networking day. As our fantastic luck would have it, we were dished a full dish of powder all day long. This was the new best day of the year! The resort was plenty busy, but it was near white-out conditions most of the day and thus the constantly falling snow was refilling the mountain on every run. Good friends to ski with and great powder. I thought I'd just stay a few hours and test out my new ski boots (finally!), but it was so good I just kept getting back on the lift! Jeff Lewis, an instructor at Park City and good friend, lead us around the resort to fine stashes and Bill Weidner and I found some great runs in McKonkey (SP?) Bowl. I'm using the techniques I learned in the Snowbird clinic and the new skill is helping me to carve instead of power my turns. It makes it easier to ski. More than once, as I literally carved between trees in a foot of powder I said, "Thank you God for this run! Thank you for this day! Thank you for this snow!"

Snowbird Ski Camp

2010-03-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

I watch the snow fall past the 10-foot tall picture window as I eat my $15 cheese burger and let my feet rest from my torturous boots. Four days of elite ski instruction on one of the greatest ski mountains in the world. I'm staying at the Cliff Lodge, so after a day's tutelage I can ski in, put my skis in the locker (love that), and head straight to my room. No driving down the windy road in bad conditions. No waking up early every morning to be here in time. I love staying on the hill. I also feel pampered beyond belief because it's just me spread out in this king-size bed, looking out the huge window in my room out to the pool, jacuzzi, and ski slope. My teachers are giving me techniques to practice and helping me drive my ski with finesse instead of power. Great classes by MerMer Blakeslee a national PSIA Demo Team member. Great snow! A great time! Write to mountainschool@snowbird.com for info. on going. I highly recommend it! Two camps each year - one in January and one in March! Definitely the highlight of my ski season. Thanks Snowbird!

Snowshoeing Wheeler Creek in Ogden Canyon

2010-03-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Today was an ideal day. Blue sky and solid temps in the 40's. I had stripped off 2 layers before we were 200 yards up the trail. I joined the Davis County Hiking Meet-up group off www.meetup.com and the group turned out to be a lot of fun. We took off down Icebox Canyon which dips down into a thinner canyon, but it's remote, quiet, and scenic. It makes the trail longer than just trekking up the snow-covered road to Art Nord, but well worth it. Turns out that 3 avalanches had slid and covered the trail. That was news to me. I'll update the trail log to show avalanche probability there. The slides were old and solid so we just trekked up and over, but it was interesting to note how that west slope was dumping right onto the trail. Icebox empties up onto the trail that can take you up to Maples trailhead at Snowbasin, or you can follow it east and north to the Art Nord trailhead. Snow is solid and packed hard. Snowshoes not neccesary, but I'd still recommend them for traction and a few areas where post-holing is likely. Great area with multiple trail options available. Views to the south of the Snowbasin area are STELLAR!

New Trail System at the Great Salt Lake Nature Center

2010-03-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

The Great Salt Lake Nature Center at Farmington Bay is debuting a new trail system constructed by 12 boy scouts working on their Eagle projects. The trail includes bridges over the water ways and look out points for bird watching. Go check out the trail system - great for kids. Spring provides a great walk and watch time. Bald eagles are most numerous here during January and February, but many birds use the area year round.

Trail Master Outdoors Radio on KALL 700 Sports, Utah Outdoors to Around the Globe Talk Radio

2010-02-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

Trail Master Outdoors Radio on KALL 700 Sports, Utah Outdoors to Around the Globe Talk Radio

Lori's Mountain Report: Covering Snowbird's Ski Camps and Snowfall totals

Round Valley in Park City

2010-02-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

Snowshoed Round Valley, trail number 49, 3rd trailhead - Old Ranch Road trailhead. The snow was crunchy, but with the new flurries this week it's probably loaded with powder now. I went about 10 am and aside from one woman walking her dog it was complete solitude. The area isn't very pretty, because there are no evergreens, just scrub, but the views ring with a meditative quality that inspires you to stop and ponder. Views of the ski resorts, the ranches spread out below, the mansions and urban sprawl. I recommend it for a nice morning of fresh air, pondering, and exercise.

SnowshoeUtah.com Photo Contest

2010-02-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

SnowshoeUtah.com announces it's snowshoe photo contest. Winning photos will be placed on the home page of SnowshoeUtah.com with the option to link to the photographer's website. It's easy to enter, just follow the directions below. We are looking for action shots, scenic shots, fun and adventurous shots. Prizes include your choice of a box of GU energy gels or GU CHOMPS, Fox River ski/snowshoe socks, and Dermatone skin and lip balm sun protection.

To enter the contest go to http://www.photographyreview.com/ and upload your best snowshoe photos to the gallery there. The first step is to register with the site. Go to http://forums.photographyreview.com//register.php? . The Gallery Upload page is http://gallery.photographyreview.com/uploadphoto.php?cat=all

In order for your photo to qualify you must enter the key words: "snowshoe contest 2010" in the keywords section for the photo upload form. If you do everything correctly, your photo will appear in the Snowshoe Contest Gallery. Thank you for entering. Please e-mail me if you have any problems or questions @ lori@snowshoeutah.com Contest Deadline: April 2, 2010

Just wanted to announce the winners: 4 photos were chosen. They belonged to OneFunFroggy, MarkJC790, Gene Rawson, Mike Scalora. Thanks for your involvement. Prize packages are being mailed out.

Mueller Park Snowshoe Outting - Bountiful

2010-02-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

Tammy and I strapped on some MSR Lightning snowshoes and headed up to Mueller Park this week. Yes, the trail was icy. Why, you might ask, does a person need snowshoes on a packed trail? Well there are two answers today: 1- the crampons gave us much appreciated traction on the ice spots. 2 - Who stays on trail? We headed off trail up steeper stretches that had foot-deep snow. We climbed, traversed, slid down the hills for fun. Only 2 people on the trail today. One trail runner with Yak Traks and a guy walking his dog. Note to dog walkers: please pick up your dog poo. That's what your left-over Walmart bags are for. Recycle and use them a second time to clean up after fido.

Trail Master Outdoors Radio on KALL 700 Sports, Utah Outdoors to Around the Globe Talk Radio

2010-02-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

Trail Master Outdoors Radio on KALL 700 Sports, Utah Outdoors to Around the Globe Talk Radio

Click here to hear my 1 hour co-hosting on KALL 700 Trailmaster Radio - Jan. 30, 2010
We spend the hour on avalanche safety, snowshoeing, and local resort deals.

Report on the Tubbs Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer Snowshoe Event

2010-02-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

Volunteers arrived while it was still dark. My boys and I slapped off the alarm clock way to early. Pulled on snowshoe clothes. Drove throught the dark to Mountain Dell and sat in the car with the heater running while all the volunteers arrived. We hauled, snowshoed, cheered, poured water and chatted with all the great snowshoers clad in pink boas, hula skirts, capes, pink sunglasses, pink lipstick and pink beanies. My boys and I manned the water station at the 1/2 way point. I'd do that again. Watching all the snowshoers with their teams, friends, and happy spirits was just fun. A 3K or 5K option, and most opted for the 5K. Tubbs raised over $22,000 this year! A great success! I was impressed with the husbands and boyfriends who decked up and snowshoed with their wives. There were moms with babies in packs and even kids trying out their snowshoe legs. Volunteer or race...I recommend either. It's one of those good energy events.

Snowshoeing Robs Trail in Park City

2010-02-03T15:13:00.000-08:00

Mike Scelora and I hit Robs Trail yesterday after looking at condos in Park City. Gorgeous day! Holy smokes! I can't believe I've been inside working all week! Blue sky, warm day, great views, and the powder on the north slopes was light and a good 12" deep.

Park City has a trails foundation that does a great job marking all the trails in the area. There are about 4 different trails that coincide and intermingle with this trail. We traipsed over to The Canyons Resort and then I had to get back because my kids were out of school, but it was such a sweet day. We did 2.56 miles according to the Garmin GPS. Could have gone a lot further, it was hard to turn around. Look up Rob's trail under the Park City section on http://www.snowshoeutah.com/

Can the Kids handle a Full Day of Skiing? Brighton Resort

2010-02-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

I've taken my kids to Ski Free at 3:00 at Alta for years now. It's a decent hill and a great way to teach them to ski without the cost. I love these resorts that have free children's programs. Don't miss them if you want to teach your kids to ski. Ski Free at 3:00 means the lift is open from 3-4:30 without cost. It's just one lift, but again, its a great hill. It has a variety of terrain so everyone of varying levels can continue to learn.

Finally my kids are old enough that I think they can focus and enjoy a full day of skiing - we tested it on Saturday. Brighton lets kids under 10 ski free, so I only needed to purchase 2 ski passes. The day was blue bird and the kids were warm, so they lasted a full 5 hours! Yea!!!! Milestone hit! It also happened to be the Gatorade FreeFlow competition so we got to watch the high flying fun. Wowza! Some of those teenage skiers rock the skies!

Youth Participation

2010-01-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

Last week I went up to my sisters, hauled my tub of snowshoes, and fitted 6 kids and 2 adults for a snowshoe excursion. It wasn't exotic, we just tromped through the fields by her house, but the kids had a blast. I was disappointed at first that we wouldn't get too far from home but I was tired and didn't want to haul everyone up the canyon at the moment. To my surprise it mattered not all to the kids. They raced, they slid, they jumped, they helped each other, and when we got back the kids had made memories, we all had fresh air, we explored and my sister's kids got to experience snowshoeing for the first time in their lives.