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- Dec 23, 2013
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Back in 2020, I attempted this same hike the last weekend of May. Unfortunately for me, a late spring storm rolled in and not being prepared for foul weather, the ensuing snow storm drove me off the ridgeline, with Grandview in sight. So since I didn't make it up to the Teton Wilderness this past weekend, I decided to give this another go.
The hike essentially follows the north ridgeline of City Creek Canyon with Grandview Peak, located at the head of the Canyon, and is a little over 23 miles in length with a lot of up and down along the ridge. With a long day in mind, I left the Ensign Peak Trailhead at 5:10 in the morning, and I finished up at 8:58 at night, so a 15 hour and 48 minute day. Fortunately for me, the weather was gorgeous and the fall colors were in full swing along the entire route.
The sun angle for this hike wasn't very good as I was hiking into the sun for most of the route, so I took a lot of pictures looking back from where I'd come from.
I took three cameras with me on this hike, and they were:
- Canon EOS 6D Mark II
- Canon PowerShot SX150
- Canon PowerShot SD780 IS
The silhouette of Ensign Peak with the monument on top
Salt Lake City lights
Starting to get a little lighter, with lights of North Salt Lake below, with airplanes (four) descending into the Salt Lake Airport
Two lights up City Creek Canyon, one I know is the water treatment plant, but I'm not sure where the other one is
Looking back on the Wasatch Front at dawn
Camera is compensating for the low light by this point, with the south ridge of City Creek Canyon in view
Trail conditions at the beginning
Fall colors were peaking for the maples and aspen along the way. I wanted to stop and
take pictures of all of them, but I couldn't if I expected to make my goal
Fall colors
Looking down Barneys Hollow
First light on Broads Fork Twin Peaks and Lone Peak
The Dude Benchmark ahead
Pretty
Looking down the north ridge of City Creek towards the Oquirrh Mountains on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley
Map for hunters
Zoomed in on the Avenues Twin Peaks across the canyon
The sunlight is about to catch up to me
It caught me.
The Dude Benchmark
View to the east from the Dude Benchmark. I'll be following the ridge. Grandview Peak can't be seen at this point
Looking back west, coming off the Dude Benchmark
One of the ridges that plunges down into City Creek
Looking back at the hill located to the east of Dude
More looking back to the west at another hill just descended
View to the north towards Bountiful, Farmington and Francis Peak
Looking back at the hilly terrain
Looking down North Canyon
Arriving at Rudy's Flat, more than halfway to Grandview
Firepit and benches at Rudy's
A tote goat hidden away. I'm guessing a bow hunter road it up. It was not there on my way back down.
From Rudy's Flat, it is a steep climb to the top of the ridgeline where Grandview is located
More fall colors above
Elderberries
More berries - red elderberries?
Antelope Island in the distance
Francis Peak
Selfie
A tree is in the way, but this shot is looking down Mill Creek towards Mueller Park
Not up top yet
Starting to get into the aspen
The Sessions Mountains to the north
Some lingering snow on the north slopes. I filled one of my water bottles with some.
On top of the ridge that leads to Grandview. This is as far as I got back in 2020 before the storm ran my back down the ridge. Still
a ways to go.
Zoomed in on the air traffic control towers on Francis Peak to the north
A controlled burn in Parleys Canyon
More aspen
A stand of aspen on Black Mountain Ridge
Grandview ahead, I think I might just make it
Getting closer
Grandview Peak
Last climb ahead
View down Cottonwood Gulch from the summit of Grandview
View over to Lookout Peak from the summit of Grandview
Summit shot
This lady was kind enough to take my picture on top. She told me that she had hiked in from the Big Mountain Trailhead and that
she had run in the Wasatch Back race a couple of times. She was the only person I saw on this hike until I got back close to the
Ensign Peak Trailhead, where people were hiking up to Ensign with their headlamps.
So I shared my Tony's Chocolonely with her.
Time to head back down
Aspen below at the head of Mill Creek
Another view of the Sessions Mountains
One of the few clouds on this day
Heading back to Rudy's Flat
More maples
Back at Rudy's Flat with a long Scatman shadow. I had a feeling that I'd be hiking out in the dark
Looking back up towards Burro Peak
Not another hill! My legs were getting pretty tired by this point
Looking back to the east again
The Dude Benchmark casting its shadow on the hill to the east that I just came down
Black Mountain Ridge on the south side of City Creek Canyon
Coming off of the Dude Benchmark
The sun going down over the Great Salt Lake
View to the south of Utah State Capital and State Street extending south though the
valley.
I got home around 9:20 PM exhausted, and went to heat up a frozen Rico's black bean and cheese burrito in the microwave because I was starving. Normally I punch a few holes in the burrito so that it doesn't explode and put black beans all over the microwave. On my third attempt to put a hole in the burrito, the steak knife glanced off the burrito and into the webbing of my left hand between my thumb and pointer finger. Well, this meant a trip to the emergency room to get stitched up, so I never got to eat the burrito. I will have it as soon as I finish this report.
So be careful out there!
The End.
The hike essentially follows the north ridgeline of City Creek Canyon with Grandview Peak, located at the head of the Canyon, and is a little over 23 miles in length with a lot of up and down along the ridge. With a long day in mind, I left the Ensign Peak Trailhead at 5:10 in the morning, and I finished up at 8:58 at night, so a 15 hour and 48 minute day. Fortunately for me, the weather was gorgeous and the fall colors were in full swing along the entire route.
The sun angle for this hike wasn't very good as I was hiking into the sun for most of the route, so I took a lot of pictures looking back from where I'd come from.
I took three cameras with me on this hike, and they were:
- Canon EOS 6D Mark II
- Canon PowerShot SX150
- Canon PowerShot SD780 IS
The silhouette of Ensign Peak with the monument on top
Salt Lake City lights
Starting to get a little lighter, with lights of North Salt Lake below, with airplanes (four) descending into the Salt Lake Airport
Two lights up City Creek Canyon, one I know is the water treatment plant, but I'm not sure where the other one is
Looking back on the Wasatch Front at dawn
Camera is compensating for the low light by this point, with the south ridge of City Creek Canyon in view
Trail conditions at the beginning
Fall colors were peaking for the maples and aspen along the way. I wanted to stop and
take pictures of all of them, but I couldn't if I expected to make my goal
Fall colors
Looking down Barneys Hollow
First light on Broads Fork Twin Peaks and Lone Peak
The Dude Benchmark ahead
Pretty
Looking down the north ridge of City Creek towards the Oquirrh Mountains on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley
Map for hunters
Zoomed in on the Avenues Twin Peaks across the canyon
The sunlight is about to catch up to me
It caught me.
The Dude Benchmark
View to the east from the Dude Benchmark. I'll be following the ridge. Grandview Peak can't be seen at this point
Looking back west, coming off the Dude Benchmark
One of the ridges that plunges down into City Creek
Looking back at the hill located to the east of Dude
More looking back to the west at another hill just descended
View to the north towards Bountiful, Farmington and Francis Peak
Looking back at the hilly terrain
Looking down North Canyon
Arriving at Rudy's Flat, more than halfway to Grandview
Firepit and benches at Rudy's
A tote goat hidden away. I'm guessing a bow hunter road it up. It was not there on my way back down.
From Rudy's Flat, it is a steep climb to the top of the ridgeline where Grandview is located
More fall colors above
Elderberries
More berries - red elderberries?
Antelope Island in the distance
Francis Peak
Selfie
A tree is in the way, but this shot is looking down Mill Creek towards Mueller Park
Not up top yet
Starting to get into the aspen
The Sessions Mountains to the north
Some lingering snow on the north slopes. I filled one of my water bottles with some.
On top of the ridge that leads to Grandview. This is as far as I got back in 2020 before the storm ran my back down the ridge. Still
a ways to go.
Zoomed in on the air traffic control towers on Francis Peak to the north
A controlled burn in Parleys Canyon
More aspen
A stand of aspen on Black Mountain Ridge
Grandview ahead, I think I might just make it
Getting closer
Grandview Peak
Last climb ahead
View down Cottonwood Gulch from the summit of Grandview
View over to Lookout Peak from the summit of Grandview
Summit shot
This lady was kind enough to take my picture on top. She told me that she had hiked in from the Big Mountain Trailhead and that
she had run in the Wasatch Back race a couple of times. She was the only person I saw on this hike until I got back close to the
Ensign Peak Trailhead, where people were hiking up to Ensign with their headlamps.
So I shared my Tony's Chocolonely with her.
Time to head back down
Aspen below at the head of Mill Creek
Another view of the Sessions Mountains
One of the few clouds on this day
Heading back to Rudy's Flat
More maples
Back at Rudy's Flat with a long Scatman shadow. I had a feeling that I'd be hiking out in the dark
Looking back up towards Burro Peak
Not another hill! My legs were getting pretty tired by this point
Looking back to the east again
The Dude Benchmark casting its shadow on the hill to the east that I just came down
Black Mountain Ridge on the south side of City Creek Canyon
Coming off of the Dude Benchmark
The sun going down over the Great Salt Lake
View to the south of Utah State Capital and State Street extending south though the
valley.
I got home around 9:20 PM exhausted, and went to heat up a frozen Rico's black bean and cheese burrito in the microwave because I was starving. Normally I punch a few holes in the burrito so that it doesn't explode and put black beans all over the microwave. On my third attempt to put a hole in the burrito, the steak knife glanced off the burrito and into the webbing of my left hand between my thumb and pointer finger. Well, this meant a trip to the emergency room to get stitched up, so I never got to eat the burrito. I will have it as soon as I finish this report.
So be careful out there! The End.
