The best day hike in the Wasatch Mountains
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Mt. Raymond, in the distance, gives Big Cottonwood Canyon a hug. Photo: Erin Alberty/Axios
We're kicking off the weekend with the hottest of takes: Mount Raymond is the best hike in the Wasatch Mountains.
The big picture: There may be better hikes in Utah — but not many.
- Notch Peak, The Subway, and Loop Trail at Natural Bridges are up there.
- If we include overnight Wasatch hikes, there are arguments for White Pine Lake in Logan Canyon, or Timpanogos (which is too long to recommend as a day hike for most people).
But in our backyard, this is the first hike I'd suggest for any Salt Laker who has the stamina for about 8 miles and more than 3,000 feet elevation gain.
- It was my first hike when I moved here. Step for step, I still haven't found one that tops it.
Here's the theory of the case.
1. The sense of journey
So many beloved Wasatch hikes go straight up and down one steep drainage.
- Lake Blanche, Bell's Canyon, Little Cottonwood's Red and White Pine Lakes, Neff's Canyon — each a stunning destination, but the hike itself isn't much of an adventure.
Mount Raymond is thoroughly epic, with conifer forests giving way to flowering meadows, rocky crags, sweeping vistas and aspen stands so thick they look like the air is absorbing the color of the leaves.
- It feels longer than its miles, but in a good way. There's so much more to remember about the path than just a slog up switchbacks.
2. The mental map
The meandering route makes it one of the best hikes to internalize the geography of the whole area, with views of multiple basins and other peaks you've hiked in the Cottonwoods and Mill Creek Canyon.
- Make it a loop with Dog Lake via the Desolation Trail.
3. The final scramble
Nothing makes me feel an explorer's urgency for the next step like puzzling my way up the rugged cliffs to the summit.
- It's like a jungle gym, but there's little risk of getting lost, unlike Mount Olympus.
Caveat: Friends of mine — including superior athletes — were fearful of the exposure (hiking lingo for the possibility of a big fall).
- Their fears were borne out a few years ago, when a hiker died in a fall after slipping on the rocks here.
If you're uncomfortable, turn back.
4. The view from the top
Take it all in.
Tell us: What do you think is the best hike in the Wasatch? How about the whole state?
- Email your faves and photos to [email protected], and you could be featured in a future newsletter!