Tag Archive: hiking

Turkey Run State Park – Marshall – Indiana

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A view of Trail 3 in Turkey Run State Park, near Marshall, Indiana. Trail 3 is quite unique as you follow a deeply carved sandstone gorge, surrounded by deep green forest, moss, and vegetation. Throw in a creek running through it all, ladders, and plenty of people and its almost like an obstacle course at a water park. Reminds me a little of the Narrows in Zion Canyon National Park, but over a much shorter distance, and with a lot more climbing, and quicker twists and turns.

Bald Mountain Trail – Mirror Lake – Uinta Mountains – Utah

Bald Mountain - Mirror Lake - Uinta Mountains - Utah

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A view of Utah’s Uinta Mountains from the top of Bald Mountain. In the distance can be seen Mirror Lake, Bonnie Lake, Pass Lake, Blythe Lake, Moosehorn Lake, Mt. Agassiz, and Hayden Peak.

The Uinta Mountains, a subrange of the Rocky Mountains, are the highest east-west mountain range in the United States, and the highest mountain range in the state of Utah. The highest peak, Kings Peak is 13,528 ft. Much of the rain from the east and southeast portions of the range flow into the Green River, and ultimately down the Colorado River to Mexico. Whereas water from the west and northwest portions of the range flow into the Provo, Weber and Bear Rivers. All three rivers flow into lakes, including Bear Lake, Utah Lake, and the Great Salt Lake, which is itself the end point for all three rivers, in Utah’s West Desert.

The valley below Bald Mountain is a popular recreation spot, along the Mirror Lake Highway, which passes northeast through the western Uinta’s and over Bald Mountain Pass from Kamas to the Wyoming border.

The high Uintas were extensively glaciated during the last ice age, and most of the large stream valleys on both the north and south sides of the range held long valley glaciers.

See more images from the Colorado River watershed.

Mount Timpanogos – Wasatch Mountains – Utah

Mt Timpanogos is an 11,752 ft peak in the Wasatch Mountain Range that rises above the surrounding Utah and Heber Valleys. Even though the shortest hike to its summit is more than 14 miles, it is one of the most hiked mountain peaks in the Rocky Mountains. The two primary trails to it summit are from Aspen Grove via Provo Canyon and the Alpine Loop near Sundance Resort, and the Timpooneke Campground in American Fork Canyon.

The mountain derives its name from a Native American tribe that inhabited the area around the mountain at the time of the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in Utah.

In addition to being a designated wilderness area, the mountain also hosts a national monument near its base, that was setup to protect beautiful cave system discovered by various individuals between 1887 and 1921.

It has been said that the mountain resembles a sleeping indian princess, and that its a legend that came from local tribes, but its more likely the tale as its known today came from Eugene Lusk “Timp” Roberts, a professor at Brigham Young University, who was trying to promote the mountain to the world. Roberts was also the creator of an annual one day hike that attracted thousands of people between 1911 and 1970. The hiking event was ultimately cancelled due to the damage being done to the mountain over the years.

Mt. Timpanogos at Sunrise from Silver Glance Lake - American Fork Canyon
  • A view of Mt. Timpanogos in winter from Deer Creek Reservoir, near the town of Heber.
Hardy Fishermen Deer Creek Reservoir and Timpanogos in Winter
  • A view of the start of the Aspen Grove trail near Sundance Resort in October, with fall colors near their peak.
Fall at Mt. Timpanogos at the Aspen Grove Trailhead, Wasatch Mountains, Utah
  • A view of Timpanogos from Squaw Peak Road in the Fall, above Utah Valley and Provo Canyon.
Mt. Timpanogos Autumn - Squaw Peak Road - Wasatch Mountains
  • At the base of Mt Timpanogos in Fall, with Sundance Resort in the distance. Near Aspen Grove Trailhead.
Fall at Cascade Peak and Sundance from Alpine Loop
  • Wildflowers near Emerald Lake below the summit of Mount Timpanogos near sunset.
Mt. Timpanogos Wildflowers at Sunset

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