Trail Finder

A 607-foot two-tier waterfall reachable on flat pavement, which is why it is the most-visited natural feature in the county. Access has been free and staying free was an explicit argument for making it a state monument rather than a state park.

Season: The falls freeze into columns in a cold winter; Provo Canyon holds the highest concentration of ice climbing in the Salt Lake and Utah County area.

What these numbers describe: The paved Provo River Parkway walk from the falls-side parking area to the viewing area at the base. The steep dirt scramble above the pool is a different, harder proposition and is not what these numbers describe.

The paved spine of the valley's trail network, running from Utah Lake up through Provo Canyon. It is the reason Bridal Veil Falls can be reached by bike without a car.

Season: Plowed and usable in winter on the lower sections.

What these numbers describe: The full paved parkway end to end. Nobody walks all of it in one go; the number is there so the trail sorts with the long flat routes rather than the short ones.

Spring water surfacing through terraced pools, on boardwalk the whole way. The easiest genuinely scenic outing in the county for anyone who cannot manage uneven ground.

Season: Reached via the Alpine Loop, which closes for winter. Sits around 6,300 ft, so it runs cooler than the valley floor.

What these numbers describe: The interconnected boardwalk loops at the springs themselves, not the 6.5-mile drive in from the Alpine Loop turnoff.

The shortest real payoff in Utah County -- a waterfall dropping through a cobbled alcove, with stream crossings on plank bridges that small children treat as the point of the outing. There are two trails at the pullout and people start up the wrong one.

The disagreement: When the Nebo Loop gate closes for the season you park at the gate and walk the road in, commonly reported at around 1.3 miles each way, turning a half-mile stroll into roughly a 3.5-mile outing with real elevation added. The closure is snow-dependent at both ends and the dates move year to year.

Season: Nebo Loop closes for winter. The Pole Creek Fire in 2018 burned a large area on this side of the loop and standing dead timber is still visible.

What these numbers describe: Summer access, driving to the trailhead roughly seven miles up Payson Canyon. The winter version is a different hike entirely -- see the note.

A drive-to reservoir with a flat loop around it, good for a stroller-aged family or a paddleboard. Moose are common in the surrounding meadows.

The disagreement: Four different lakes share versions of this name: Silver Lake Flat Reservoir (drive-to), Silver Lake (alpine, above it), Silver Glance Lake (higher again), and an unrelated Silver Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon an hour north, which is what most search results are actually about.

Season: Alpine Loop access closes for winter. The Forest Service lists 4x4 as recommended for the washboarded dirt road in.

What these numbers describe: The flat walking loop around the drive-to reservoir. This is NOT Silver Lake, the alpine lake above it, which is a separate and much harder entry in this directory.

The most family-friendly trail on the quiet half of the network, up a broad side canyon along a stream, crossing it repeatedly on wooden bridges. Thick maple and chokecherry low down giving way to aspen and pine.

The disagreement: Published distances run from about 3.5 to about 4.3 miles and gain is quoted anywhere from roughly 450 to just over 1,000 feet. That spread is not sloppiness: the loop can be extended or cut short at several junctions. Provo City separately lists a 5.8-mile continuation through to the Rock Canyon trail, which is a different trip.

Season: Shaded for most of its length, which matters more here than almost anywhere else in the valley -- the exposed foothill trails become unpleasant after about ten in the morning in July.

What these numbers describe: The standard family loop from Big Springs Park. The midpoint of the published spread is used for sorting because the canyon carries several roughly parallel paths and the outing is assembled from whichever you choose.

The most-hiked short waterfall in the county, and the trail more people in this valley have stood at the bottom of than any other. Narrow tread past the halfway point, shared with horses and bikes.

The disagreement: This trail carries two legitimate difficulty ratings and the guide explains why both are right. Filed under moderate here because the sustained grade catches out people who arrive expecting a stroll.

Season: Winter is the version most people never see. Microspikes from roughly November through March.

What these numbers describe: Kiwanis Park trailhead to the falls and back. Going further up the canyon past the falls is a longer and steeper trip.

The valley's best short waterfall hike, and one of its most heavily used trailheads -- the lot fills on summer Saturdays. Dogs are allowed on leash here, which is not true everywhere on this mountain.

The disagreement: Every source gives a different distance for this hike, and the guide opens by explaining why. The signs at the trailhead are the single most useful thing on that page -- the neighboring path is the twelve-mile Aspen Grove route up Timpanogos, and people start up it by mistake.

Season: Reached via UT-92 past the fee station. The Alpine Loop closes for winter.

What these numbers describe: The Aspen Grove trailhead out and back. The Sundance chairlift is an entirely different way in with different numbers.

The best view-to-effort ratio in Utah Valley, on a bench that is a literal ancient beach. No shade to speak of -- plan around the sun, not around the distance. Land management changes underneath you as you walk.

The disagreement: It is not one trail. It is a set of fragments on the ancient lake bench, which is why published stats for it contradict each other. No single distance or gain is given here because none would be true; the guide covers the segments individually.

Season: Effectively year-round on the bench, which is unusual here. Mud in spring thaw, and there is a winter wildlife-area caveat on one section.

A paved trail on top of a buried aqueduct, running the length of the north valley with no climbing at all. The default long, flat, wheels-friendly route in Utah County.

The disagreement: Published as 17, 18, 18.3, 20 and 20.8 miles by sources of comparable authority. The disagreement has a cause: the buried Provo River Aqueduct runs roughly 21 miles to the Point of the Mountain, and the trail sits on top of it for about 17 and stops in Lehi.

Season: Paved and flat the whole way.

What these numbers describe: The Mountainland Association of Governments description: 17 miles from 800 North in Orem to Timpanogos Highway in Lehi.

The short, steep, relentless climb to the letter above campus -- 1,100 feet in about a mile. The small trailhead lot fills fast. Portable restroom at the trailhead, no water.

The disagreement: About 1.1 miles each way, but published round trips run 2.2 to 2.4 miles depending on whether the measurement stops at the base or the top of the Y.

Season: Exposed and hot in summer; go at sunrise. Usable in winter with traction.

What these numbers describe: The trailhead at the end of E 820 N up to the Y and back. Continuing past the Y toward the ridge is a longer trip.

Provo's best canyon hike and its most flexible one -- a limestone gorge that narrows and earns its name half a mile in, with the crowds stopping well before the mid-canyon. Restroom and drinking fountain at the trailhead. Also the county's best-known climbing.

The disagreement: The distance depends entirely on the segment, and the guide answers that honestly rather than picking one figure. Difficulty changes as you walk, and so do the rules -- leash law in the city park, Forest Service rules above it.

Season: Year-round. Two lots with roughly 71 marked spaces plus street overflow.

What these numbers describe: Trailhead at the end of N Temple Dr to the upper basin and back. The canyon works equally well as a thirty-minute walk to the narrows, which is what most visitors actually do.

A steep paved climb to a cave entrance, and the only hike on this list where the trail is a prerequisite for a timed ticket rather than the destination itself. Dogs are not permitted on the trail.

Season: Seasonal operation and the cave tour is ticketed and timed. The hike up is the qualifying event -- you have to be at the entrance for your slot.

What these numbers describe: The paved 1.5-mile trail from the visitor center to the cave entrance at 6,730 ft, and back. The Park Service describes it as strenuous.

The quiet one, mostly because it does not lead anywhere obvious -- no waterfall, no lake, no summit at a reasonable distance. A steady climb up an old road bed through oak, then pine, then aspen and meadow. Carries reliable springs, which is unusual on this side of the valley.

The disagreement: Quoted at 3.7, 7.5, 7.7 and 9 miles depending on which endpoint and which direction is being measured. The dedicated guide covers all four figures and where each comes from.

Season: Starts from the valley floor, so it is reachable when the canyon roads are closed -- which is exactly why south-side locals use it for conditioning.

What these numbers describe: Slate Canyon Trail #061 out and back: the Forest Service describes it heading east for 2.7 miles then climbing north for another mile to meet Slide Canyon Trail #062.

The most convenient hard workout in the north valley: a sustained climb up the west face below Timpanogos with the whole valley opening behind you. Orem's 2000 North and Lindon's 200 South are the same road, which is why directions to it name two different cities and both are right.

The disagreement: Trail #049 runs 0.6 miles to the Curly Springs junction, another 1.9 to Little Baldy, a quarter mile more to the Big Baldy saddle, then north 2.2 miles to the Battle Creek trail and a final 0.8 to the Timpooneke Road. Reports describing that connector are not describing the day hike.

Season: Largely exposed -- go early. The name is only mostly accurate; in wet years there is water in the creek.

What these numbers describe: The common out-and-back day-hike version from the paved lot at the end of Dry Canyon Drive. Forest Service trail #049 continues far past this for miles, which is why some trip reports sound like a different hike.

An alpine lake at around 9,000 feet under White Baldy and the Pfeifferhorn, and one of the genuinely spectacular places in the range. Easy walking through aspen for the first half, rockier and steeper for the second.

The disagreement: Gain is in the range of 1,200 to 1,450 feet depending on whose track you believe. And the name is shared by four different lakes -- see the Silver Lake Flat entry.

Season: Alpine Loop access closes for winter. The stream crossing runs high in early season, and the Forest Service posts changing conditions for this site through the season.

What these numbers describe: From the north side of Silver Lake Flat Reservoir, about 2.2 miles one way into the Lone Peak Wilderness. Distinct from the flat loop around the reservoir itself.

The peak on the skyline directly above Provo, renamed in 2022 and still widely listed under the old name. Steep and sustained, with the whole valley below you the entire way up.

The disagreement: Four different features carried the retired name, and the guide sorts out all of them: the peak, the road, the overlook and the trail. The US Board on Geographic Names renamed the peak Kyhv Peak in September 2022; the old name still appears on some maps, apps and older signage.

Season: Kyhv Peak Road closes in winter, which removes the short approaches entirely.

What these numbers describe: The figures this site's own hiking roundup publishes for the peak itself. The ROAD of the same name is a separate feature and its length is quoted from 4.4 to 28 miles depending on which section is being measured.

At 11,068 feet, the mountain filling the skyline directly east of the city. The west ridge is a climber's path more than a graded trail, with real exposure near the top.

The disagreement: The clearest segment problem on the list: a three-mile round trip or a thirteen-mile round trip depending entirely on which trailhead you use. Same summit, entirely different day. Be certain which one a trip report is describing before you use its timing.

Season: Kyhv Peak Road closes in winter. Once it does the short route is gone and the mountain has to be climbed from the valley floor, which is a serious winter objective rather than an afternoon.

What these numbers describe: The Slate Canyon approach from the valley floor, which is the version most people can actually start from. From the west ridge trailhead at the top of Kyhv Peak Road it is about 1.5 miles up and roughly three miles round trip. NOTE: the dedicated Provo Peak guide publishes no distance or gain figure at all -- these numbers are read from this site's lesser-known-hikes guide, named in figuresFrom.

The valley's defining objective and the one people most often underestimate. Timpooneke is gradual and basin-to-basin and usually busier; Aspen Grove is steeper and passes the waterfalls and Emerald Lake.

The disagreement: Two trailheads, two genuinely different mountains' worth of numbers, and the guide tabulates them side by side rather than averaging them into one misleading figure.

Season: A snow-free window that is shorter than most people assume, and the Alpine Loop closes for winter.

What these numbers describe: Timpooneke from a ~7,360 ft trailhead: ~14-15 miles and ~4,400-4,700 ft. Aspen Grove starts lower at ~6,900 ft and runs ~14-16.7 miles with ~4,900-5,600 ft, steeper, with waterfalls and the lake.

The highest peak in the Wasatch Range, at the far south end of the county, and a genuinely full day from any trailhead. The Nebo Bench trail runs the east slopes at around 9,000 feet through basins that carry serious wildflowers at the right time of year.

The disagreement: Even the summit height is contested: 11,877, 11,928 and 11,933 feet are all defensible, because two of them are the south summit and two are different survey data. The Forest Service's own wilderness, ranger-district and byway pages all use 11,877, which is the south summit on the old survey.

Season: Reached from the Nebo Loop byway, roughly 24 miles from Payson to the signed Nebo Bench turning. The byway closes for winter.

The third paved spine, and the one that turns a local network into a regional one: from the Murdock Trail's north end you can join it and keep going into Salt Lake County. Quieter than the other two, past wetlands and new subdivisions with a long view back to Timpanogos.

Season: Low, open and paved, with no canyon gate to close behind you.

What these numbers describe: The Utah County portion only. Our paved-trails guide describes it as roughly the first ten miles, from Inlet Park in Saratoga Springs through Lehi and Thanksgiving Point. The whole trail runs well over forty miles to Davis County, which is a different number describing a different walk.

The most popular hot springs near Provo: a canyon walk with several creek crossings, ending at pools that step down a hillside beside a waterfall. The soak itself costs nothing, but the trailhead sits inside a fee area, which is the distinction people miss until they are parked.

The disagreement: Our own guide carries both 4.6 miles and 'approximately 4.5' on the same page, the body and an FAQ disagreeing by a tenth of a mile. The filter sorts on 4.6 and the label prints both, because a tenth of a mile is not worth picking a winner over.

Season: Diamond Fork's road is gated seasonally and the closure moves with conditions rather than sitting on a fixed date. There is more than one gate on that road, and a winter attempt is a much longer trip on snow.

What these numbers describe: The out-and-back from the Fifth Water trailhead to the pools. Our guide also states the hike in as 2.3 miles, which is the same walk counted one way.

An alpine reservoir with a sandy beach, picnic grounds and calm water, reached on paved road up the North Fork. The canyon's lowest-effort, highest-reward stop. Our guide covers the 2016 sediment release and what the state's own health assessment concluded about getting in the water.

Season: At about 6,400 feet, spring arrives here weeks after it reaches the valley floor and the aspens turn earlier than they do in town.

What these numbers describe: The drive-to shoreline: the beach, the picnic ground and the walking around the water. Our guide publishes the reservoir's elevation at roughly 6,400 feet but no loop distance, so this row carries none. The leash flag is read from our dog-hikes guide, which covers Tibble Fork in the same section as Silver Lake Flat.

Battle Creek's longer, harder sibling two canyons north: a trail climbing a narrow canyon on a ledge, with a waterfall partway up and a cliff-edge stretch that thrills older kids and unnerves some adults. It connects on top with Battle Creek for a loop locals treat as a half-day.

Season: A valley-floor front-range trailhead like Battle Creek's two canyons south, so it is reachable all year. Our coverage does not describe winter conditions on the ledge section, and a cliff-edge stretch under snow is a different proposition from the same stretch in June.

What these numbers describe: The ledge trail climbing from the Grove Creek Drive trailhead. Our Battle Creek guide publishes around eight miles and well over two thousand feet for the GROVE CREEK AND BATTLE CREEK LOOP, which is both canyons joined on top, not this one on its own. That figure is why the difficulty here reads hard, and it is deliberately not printed as this row's distance. Fee and leash are read from our Pleasant Grove guide, which records the trailhead as family- and dog-friendly; no posted rule on the upper trail was verified for this row.

The byway's main stop and the one people spend actual time at. Payson up to the lakes and back is a comfortable couple of hours from Provo and still buys you the climb, the views and somewhere to eat lunch without committing to the full drive to Nephi.

Season: Reached from the Nebo Loop byway, which closes for winter and is not UDOT-maintained, so its status has to be checked separately from the Alpine Loop's. Our guide also records that individual sites inside the recreation area can be shut in a given season for maintenance or conditions.

What these numbers describe: The developed recreation area about twelve miles up from Payson: paved trails, improved picnic sites, camping and fishing. Our byway guide gives the DRIVE distance, never a trail distance, so this row carries none.

Red rock eroded into pinnacles and spires forming a small amphitheater in the middle of a green Wasatch canyon, reached by a short paved trail and an observation deck. The one stop on the byway that works with small children or with anyone who does not want a hike at all. Often called Utah Valley's Little Grand Canyon, which oversells the scale considerably.

Season: On the Nebo Loop byway, which closes for winter.

What these numbers describe: The paved path and observation deck at the pullout. Our byway guide describes this walk in minutes rather than in distance, so this row carries no mileage.

A paved loop around the pond in the middle of Salem, with a fishing dock, a swim area and the city's park facilities on its edge. Our paved-trails guide calls it the south county's most pleasant short walk. Salem was originally Pond Town and the pond is still the middle of everything.

Season: Valley floor in the middle of town, so nothing closes behind you.

What these numbers describe: The paved walking loop around the pond. Two of our guides describe it, the paved-trails guide and the south-valley guide, and neither publishes a distance, so this row carries none.

The valley's beginner singletrack: wide, well maintained and forested, in the same South Fork drainage as Big Springs Hollow. Our guide calls it the ideal first real mountain bike trail -- enough dirt to feel like an adventure without the technical features that put beginners off. It is shared use, so walkers meet bikes on it.

Season: Dirt in the South Fork of Provo Canyon, so it rides and walks in the snow-free months. This is an editorial estimate of the season, not a live condition -- the canyon conditions page is the live surface.

What these numbers describe: The round-trip singletrack our mountain-biking guide describes, from the trailhead about a mile past Big Springs Park. The guide publishes these figures as a ride and files the trail under its beginner heading; it does not publish a separate walking time, so the time here is this directory's estimate for the same distance on foot.

Six hundred feet of climbing packed into 2.2 miles, which is why our guide files it as intermediate despite the short length. It is a connector between two older loops rather than a destination, and its whole argument is the panorama at the top -- six named landmarks from one vantage. Short enough for a ride before work.

Season: Dirt singletrack at elevation, so it is a snow-free-months trail. Editorial estimate, not a live condition.

What these numbers describe: The loop as our mountain-biking guide measures it, filed under its intermediate heading. The guide does NOT name a trailhead or a city for this one -- it locates the trail only by the two loops it connects, Scott's Pond and the Boneyard. The area shown here is read from the panorama the guide describes (Timpanogos, Provo Peak, Cascade, Provo Canyon, Deer Creek and the Heber Valley from a single vantage), which puts it on high ground east of Provo. It is not a figure the source states.

A classic local loop in Provo Canyon with Timpanogos to the north and Cascade Mountain to the south, built around a marked race course. Six miles and eight hundred feet is a real ride rather than a spin, and the side trails off the marked course let regulars extend it without driving anywhere else.

Season: Dirt singletrack in Provo Canyon, ridden in the snow-free months. Editorial estimate, not a live condition.

What these numbers describe: The marked loop between the upper and lower mountain slopes in Provo Canyon, filed under our guide's intermediate heading. The guide notes side trails branching off the marked course for longer rides; those extensions have no published distance and are not what this number describes.

The canyon's best fall-color walk that most people drive past, through aspen, cottonwood and fir beside the stream, passing one of the very few exposures of red rock in northern Utah within the first mile. Open to hikers, horses, bikes and motorcycles.

Season: Upper-canyon access closes with the Alpine Loop for winter. Several stream crossings run high in spring and the Forest Service warns they become dangerous in storms and high water.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from the Mill Canyon trailhead below Tibble Fork to the Ridge Trail #157 junction at Mill Springs. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

The trail that climbs away from Tibble Fork Reservoir rather than circling it. Steep opening switchbacks pay off early with views back down onto the water, across to Timpanogos and north into the Lone Peak Wilderness, then a steady climb through meadows.

Season: Alpine Loop access closes for winter, and the Forest Service places this trail under a wet-trail closure order in spring and early summer, when it is signed closed to every use except hiking.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from the reservoir up to the Mud Springs #173 junction; the Forest Service publishes a further 1.3 miles from there to the four-way Ridge Trail junction. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

Short and steep the whole way, climbing switchbacks from Mutual Dell through dense fir to the Timpooneke Road. Trailhead parking sits inside Mutual Dell, a private camp, in spaces specifically allocated for Bear Canyon users.

Season: Alpine Loop access closes for winter. Crosses several intermittent streams and springs that run in early season.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from Mutual Dell to the Timpooneke Road. The hard rating is read from the Forest Service's own published grades of 15 to 25 percent rather than from a difficulty rating, which the agency does not publish. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

The mountain walk without the climb: gentle downhill through large stands of aspen and ferns, opening into Primrose Cirque, the bowl the Aspen Grove route to Timpanogos climbs through. Links two trailheads, so it also works one way with a car at each end.

The disagreement: The Forest Service describes this as 'an easy, out and back 2.4-mile trail' while 2.4 is also its published one-way trail length. The two readings differ by a factor of two and the agency does not resolve them.

Season: Alpine Loop access closes for winter; the trail parallels the road, so it goes when the road goes.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from the Summit Trailhead to the Aspen Grove area. The Forest Service calls it an easy out-and-back while publishing 2.4 miles as the trail length, so whether 2.4 describes the walk out or the walk out and back is genuinely ambiguous in the source. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

Named after the snow gauging station near its start, which measures the season's solid precipitation. Traverses a ridge through aspen and fir with views of the back of Timpanogos. The Forest Service notes stretches where the tread is narrow and indistinct but still simple to follow.

Season: Alpine Loop access closes for winter. One stream crossing on the lower section.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from the Horse Flat #250 junction to the Salamander Flat Trail #150. It is not reached directly: the Forest Service routes hikers up Horse Flat #250 from the Summit Trailhead first, so the walk to its start is additional. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

The serious undertaking in this canyon: a steep circumnavigation of Box Elder Peak into a seldom-visited corner of the Lone Peak Wilderness. Wilderness rules bind -- no mechanized or motorized equipment including mountain bikes, group size capped at 15 with eight or fewer recommended, no cutting switchbacks.

Season: High-elevation alpine terrain reached off the Alpine Loop, which closes for winter. The Forest Service warns the trail receives little to no maintenance and advises carrying map and compass.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from Granite Flat Campground around Box Elder Peak to the Deer Creek-Dry Creek trail #043. The very-hard rating is read from the Forest Service's own words, 'wild and rugged', and its warning that the trail receives little to no maintenance. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

The connector that turns two separate out-and-backs into one loop: it links Battle Creek to Dry Canyon, and with a stretch of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail closes the gap into a half-day circuit. Reached 0.6 miles up Dry Canyon or from above the falls on the Battle Creek side.

Season: Runs below cliff bands on very narrow tread; the Forest Service advises care at all times, which makes ice and fading light the real limits rather than the calendar.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from the Dry Canyon #049 junction to the Battle Creek #050 junction. Walked as part of the loop it exists to create, it adds 2.4 miles; walked out and back it adds nearly five. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

Carries the Great Western Trail along the front of Mount Timpanogos, over a ridge and into the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Open to hikers and horses only -- the Forest Service does not list it for bikes, unlike several trails it connects to.

Season: Exposed traverse along the mountain front; the Dry Canyon approach is the same hot, dry climb that limits Dry Canyon itself.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from the Dry Canyon #049 junction along the Timpanogos front, tying into the Bonneville Shoreline Trail 4.4 miles in. The junction itself is 2.5 miles up Dry Canyon, so that approach is additional and is not counted here. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

The upper half of the Rock Canyon system and a different experience from the canyon walk below it: a climb to a terraced ridgeline overlooking the South Fork of Provo Canyon with wide Utah Valley views, and one of the better fall-color vantage points on this side of the mountain.

Season: Reached from Squaw Peak Road, which is not maintained for winter travel, so the season is the road's season rather than the trail's.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from Squaw Peak Road to the junction with Big Springs Hollow #059 and Shingle Mill #057. Published grades reach 30 percent, the steepest of the connectors on this page. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words.

The Forest Service's name for the primary access to the Y Monument, and by its own account one of the most heavily used trails in the county -- but almost nobody keeps going. Above the Y it narrows to single track and links the two canyons that bracket south Provo.

Season: No water above the monument, and the exposure that makes the Y punishing in July does not improve higher up.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from the top of the Y Monument to the Slate Canyon #061 junction, with a further 1.1 miles published from there to Squaw Peak Road. This is not a round-trip outing distance; the hikes on this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them. The section linked in page states the same figure and says so in those words. This row is the continuation ABOVE the monument and is deliberately not the Y hike itself, which this site carries separately as Y Mountain Trail.

A short steep climb to an alpine lake ringed by cliffs and fir. Open to mountain bikes and expressly not recommended for them by the agency, on account of the rock and the grade. A historical cabin near the lake is to be left exactly as found.

Season: Reached off the 085 Mineral Basin Road, rough two-track four-wheel-drive dirt the Forest Service says should not be attempted in a passenger car. Road status governs the season, not the trail.

What these numbers describe: The Forest Service publishes grades of 15 to 35 percent for this trail but no length, so this row carries none rather than an estimate. The hard rating is read from the published grade range, the steepest in the district inventory.

A moderate climb through aspen, spruce and fir to a shallow sub-alpine lake with no outlet, acting as a holding basin for snowmelt. Surrounded by aspen and meadow, with coneflower, green gentian and yarrow among the flowering plants the Forest Service lists.

Season: Involves fording the American Fork River; the alternative access is the Schaffer Fork Road, which the agency describes as technical four-wheel drive.

What these numbers describe: The Forest Service publishes grades of 20 to 25 percent but no length, so this row carries none rather than an estimate. It descends from the Ridge Trail #157 rather than climbing from a valley trailhead, so there is no trailhead-to-lake figure to publish.

The mountaineering approach to the Lone Peak Cirque and summit from the Draper side, starting 50 yards east of the Ghost Falls trailhead at the Jacobs Ladder sign by Lone Rock. Wilderness rules bind: no bikes, group limit 15 with eight or fewer recommended.

Season: High-elevation alpine wilderness. The Forest Service warns these trails receive little to no maintenance and advises carrying map and compass.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from the Ghost Falls trailhead to the Lone Peak Cirque. The very-hard rating is the Forest Service's own wording -- extremely steep, long, and rugged. THE TRAILHEAD IS IN DRAPER, SALT LAKE COUNTY, not Utah County; it is carried here because this site covers Salt Lake and beyond as a region, and the row says so rather than implying a Utah Valley trailhead.. Not a round-trip outing distance; this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them.

The gentler of the two Hamongog approaches, running to the Second Hamongog trail and its meadow. Shares the Ghost Falls trailhead with Jacobs Ladder.

Season: High-elevation alpine wilderness; little to no trail maintenance, per the Forest Service.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from the Ghost Falls trailhead to the Second Hamongog trail and meadow. The agency's text describes reaching the meadow from the Alpine City side while its directions route from Draper; the trail runs the boundary, so both readings hold and the published Draper access is the one used here. Not a round-trip outing distance; this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them.

Climbs into a rarely visited and remote corner of the Lone Peak Wilderness that the Forest Service still calls quite beautiful, with access to Lake Hardy and the Deer Creek-Dry Creek area. A route for people comfortable navigating an indistinct tread.

Season: Rarely visited and remote; the agency calls the tread difficult to follow, so navigation rather than the calendar is the limiting factor.

What these numbers describe: Forest Service published trail length, measured ONE WAY from the First Hamongog junction into the upper Wilderness. The Forest Service flags it as difficult to follow, which is the operative fact rather than the mileage. Not a round-trip outing distance; this site's own guides are measured round trip, so this row sorts short against them.

The gradual route, starting higher at roughly 7,360 feet and climbing the Giant Staircase in benches and pitches rather than one grind, through Timpanogos Basin with its wildflowers and mountain goats. Scout Falls early on makes a worthy turnaround on its own.

The disagreement: Our own guide publishes both figures as ranges and says in its own words that sources vary, because GPS tracks differ, people measure from different parking spots and the summit spur gets counted inconsistently.

Season: Snow covers the trail until mid-summer and the Alpine Loop closes for winter. Timpooneke trailhead parking requires a timed ticket on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

What these numbers describe: The midpoint of the round-trip range our Timpanogos guide publishes for the Timpooneke route. A midpoint is a sorting device, never a claim; the label prints the full range. This is ONE OF TWO ROUTES UP THE SAME MOUNTAIN and is carried separately because choosing between them is the real decision a hiker makes.

The steeper, prettier route: long switchbacks up Primrose Cirque with waterfalls visible for much of the ascent, opening into Hidden Lakes and then Emerald Lake at roughly 10,380 feet. Shares a trailhead lot with Stewart Falls, which makes parking competitive.

The disagreement: Our own guide publishes both figures as ranges and names the reasons sources disagree.

Season: Snow covers the trail until mid-summer; the snowfield at Emerald Lake is the recurring hazard. Alpine Loop closes for winter.

What these numbers describe: The midpoint of the round-trip range our Timpanogos guide publishes for the Aspen Grove route, which the guide identifies as the Mount Timpanogos Trail #052. A midpoint is a sorting device, never a claim. THE SAME SUMMIT as the Timpooneke row, by the steeper trailhead.

The broad but increasingly exposed ridge both routes share, finishing at the stone shelter hut. Not technical and no ropes needed, but the footing is talus, cairns matter, and most people who get into trouble on Timp do so descending it tired.

Season: Rock and talus with steep drop-offs on both sides and hard funnelled wind; not a place to be in a thunderstorm, in the dark, or past your energy reserve.

What these numbers describe: The final ridge only, as our Timpanogos guide publishes it: roughly 1,369 vertical feet over about 1.3 miles from Emerald Lake to the summit. THIS IS NOT A HIKE ON ITS OWN -- it is the shared finish of both routes above, carried separately because it is where the outing changes character and where most trouble happens.