Bear Canyon Trail To Battlecreek Canyon

[DrNed]

With this weekend's plans of getting into the Uintas for an end of season hike fizzle out, my wife could tell I was frustrated. So, this morning so she said to Bronwyn, my youngest daugher, "Will you please take your dad on a hike?!"

I didn't want to hike Grove Creek or Battlecreek Canyons which are our "no-where-else-to-hike" hikes. I wanted something new, but being short on time, I suggested starting at Mutual Dell in American Fork Canyon and hiking home.

So I rounded up a few things and my wife drove Bronwyn & I to Mutual Dell where we started up the Bear Canyon trail towards the Timpooneke road.

If you're unfamiliar with the Timpooneke road, it starts at the Timpooneke Camp Ground in American Fork Canyon, travels somewhat parallel to the canyon heading west and then comes around to the valley side of Mount Timpanogos traveling south until it ends about a half mile above the top of Battlecreek Canyon.

The Bear Canyon Trail starts at the top of the Mutual Dell parking lot and travels just over a mile from the trailhead to where it meets and road and it's more than a mild climb. It's in the tree the whole way up, typical Utah mountain trail scenery.


Once we got to the top we stopped for a Cliff Bar and some water and headed along the Timpooneke Rd.


As you can see the road is in the trees as well. So there weren't a lot of views or great scenery, but if you're like me, you'll agree any day in the woods is a good day.

The one thing I wasn't prepared for was the amount of traffic on the road. I was under the impression that, yes there is a dirt road there, but no one really uses it much. Wrong! Apparently the deer hunt started recently too.

Fortunately, the road did open up in a few places and we got some nice views.

This one is looking back towards American Fork Canyon.







As you may have noticed, not a lot of color. None the less, we pressed on finally coming towards the front side of Timp. Here we are on the extreme north side of Timp., looking south.




Then something happened as we moved into the front side . . .

We got some great yellows and golds! The ridge in the background is the back side of Mount Mahogany, or if you happen to be driving along I-15 through Utah Valley, it's the "G" mountain.


The patch below looks like it is almost glowing.


While the golds were really nice, I was disappointed that there were no reds.

While there isn't any great scenery along this hike, this was my most favorite shot.


From the Bear Canyon Trailhead to the Timpooneke road to Battlecreek Canyon to my house was about fourteen miles (My phone died, losing my GPS, so the final mileage was estimated) and we did it in about five hours.

 

[Nick]

Some nice colors still hanging on there. And nothing like a good point-to-point. I've never been a fan of the good old fashioned 'out and back'. Side note - I woke up with very abnormal and terrible upper back pain this morning. I kept thinking, if only I lived in the UC, I'd go see Dr Ned! But of course, you were out hiking.

 

[WasatchWill]

Ned,

I wish I would have known/remembered you were a DC. I would have probably paid your office a visit this last week. I've had a mild & dull headache that's been pretty persistent to my left side of the head since Aug 1st. Long story short: After a couple visits to my PCP through the first month of it, who showed little concern for it both times (they were more concerned about my rapid pulse which was only a result of the anxiety I had of thinking there may be a tumor at the time), as well as a couple visits to a guy up in Lehi at a neuro-chiropractic clinic that my wife insisted I try, and no sure diagnosis from either, I went to a chiropractic clinic a little closer to home here in Provo last week. They X-rayed my neck and found not only some scoliosis, but my cervical spine is also lacking any lordosis looking at it from the side. I've already pre-paid for a "10 pack" of visits with them for treatment aimed at getting me on the path to hopefully restoring a lordotic curve to my neck in the way it should be. Depending on how that goes, I may end up still paying a visit to your place after seeing all the headache testimonials from your patients on your site. Odd thing is, I've never been in any kind of car accident that could have caused any kind of whiplash or experienced anything else I know of that could cause any such trauma to my neck and I was not even experiencing any chronic neck pain, other than a sore neck whenever I was working at a computer for long times. All I can come up with is bad posture with me leaning my head forward too much, especially at work and looking down at my phone so much for the past several years. All the anxiety I had in the first couple months of the headache also made it hard for me to feel comfortable going out hiking too, especially solo, so, needless to say, I'm hopeful that what was discovered with the X ray last week will get me on the road to being headache free again. Again, I will get in touch with you depending on how things go over the next few weeks with where I'm already committed for the time being.

Anyway...now to actually comment on your hike...I've never done the Bear Canyon Trail, but that looks like a good workout. When my wife, Jessica, and I did our hike from Park City to Provo this summer, we went through the junction at the top of Bear Canyon, but stuck to trail 151 rather than taking the road to get us around the north face of Timp. There are some rather cool groves of trees that had that enchanted and sometimes even spooky feel in some spots along that section of #151. Of course, at that time, everything was much greener. It never ceases to amaze me how much an area can change in just a couple of months with the changing of the seasons. I actually enjoy the view you get from that northwest part of of Timp as you look out across to Mahogony and out over Grove Creek and Chris Flat.

Thanks for posting!

 

[DrNed]

@WasatchWill I'll have to look up trail #151. Unfortunately I'm not that familiar with trails in AF or Provo canyon, so I stuck to what I knew. The backside of Mahogany towards Grove Creek Canyon is really nice, my favorite place up there actually. As a side note, my older kids who couldn't go on this hike Saturday, decided on Monday they wanted to go up Grove Creek go over and down Battlecreek Canyon. Nice little hike. The caveat being when they were in the trees just before reaching the meadow at the top of Grove Creek a "giant" bull moose came out of the trees and stared at them for a full minute and then moved back into the trees. I would have never guessed there was wildlife that size up there.