Salt Lake City - Biking, Bucket Lists, and Beer

During our weeklong stay in Salt Lake City, we did what we usually do. Drink beer. Check off bucket lists. And bike. We’ve got a separate post on the 14 breweries we visited so be sure and check that out.

When: June 3 to June 10, 2021 (seven nights)
Where: Salt Lake City area
Biking: Murdock Canal and Provo River Parkways
Bucket Lists: Hike Up Mount Evergreen

Ensign Peak

When Brigham Young hiked a peak near what is now Salt Lake City, he reportedly stated that it was a “proper place to raise and ensign the nations.” Hence, that is how the Ensign Peak got its name. Aside from its historical significance, the peak is supposed to offer stunning sunsets and sunrises. We thought that a sunrise would be a nice way to test out some of the time lapse features on our camera equipment.

The trailhead sits near several houses; the only parking we found was to parallel park along the residential street. A gaggle of twenty-somethings were gathered near their cars in clubwear after being out all night. Given their footwear attire, the kids were likely not going to be joining us. It turns out that we only say one other couple during our hike. Perfect!

The hike to the top is challenging, especially if it’s 5:30 am and you are worried about missing the sunrise. I certainly wasn’t going to get up again this early so I huffed and puffed my way to the top at a quick pace. There’s 374 feet of elevation gain in about 0.8 miles, but it is worth it. The summit contains a small plaza, monument, and signage that helps visitors identify the landmarks below. We could see everything from the state capitol to our campground to the Great Salt Lake. We are still getting the hang of our time lapse settings, but overall, I think the video turned out pretty well.

Gilgal Sculpture Gardens

Much like Ensign Peak, this attraction is sort of hidden in a residential neighborhood. The gate to the Gilgal Sculptural Garden is easy to miss as it is tucked between two adjacent buildings. The three-acre garden sits in the middle of the block, and it is easy to miss. The lined but unmarked parking spots for the garden suggested that we were in the right place.

Gilgal Sculptural Garden — One of dozens of stones

The gate to the garden opens at 8 am, and we arrived just before it opened after our hike to Ensign Peak. The sculptures in the garden range from a sphinx with the face of Joseph Smith, founder of the Morman religion, to a work comprised of various severed body parts. The place feels a little creepy until you start researching and learning about some of its history.

The garden was created from 1947 by a Mormon bishop, Thomas B Child Jr., who continued to work on it until his death in 1963. He scattered scriptures, poems, and other texts on stones throughout the park. “Gilgal” means “circle of the standing stones.” The garden is reportedly named after the place where, after crossing the Jordan River, twelve Israelite men each placed a stone to create a circle as a memorial to God for stopping the river’s flow to permit them to cross into Zion. While I was content to spend about a little over an hour in the garden exploring it, I can see how the writings would make folks repeat visitors. The place is incredibly spiritual, even if for someone like me who does not practice the Mormon religion.

Mill B South Trail – Big Cottonwood Canyon Road

The Mill B trailhead is about five miles into the scenic drive on Big Cottonwood Canyon Road. Mill B is a VERY popular trail. It’s short. It has a waterfall. It’s paved. And it is short. Yes, I said “short” again because in the type I wrote this sentence, I could have hiked Mill B. Admittedly, there are a variety of other trails that connect up with the Mill B trail head. To the west is the Broads Fork Trail, and to the east is the Lake Blanche Trail. However, there was an immediate pay-off with a waterfall just when hiking just the paved section.

The trail was packed with people when we drove by on Big Cottonwood Canyon Road (Highway 190) on a Saturday. We opted to visit it on a weekday morning, and found the crowds much better. Yet, I’d still consider the trail crowded, and we were looking for something more off the beaten path.

Silver Lake and Twin Lake – Big Cottonwood Canyon Road

We had enjoyed the scenic drive on Big Cottonwood Canyon Road so much that we decided to drive it another 10 miles to Silver Lake, a ski resort area with a 0.9 mile loop around the lake comprised of mostly boardwalks. It connects up with the Twin Lakes Trail, a 2.3 mile out-and-back with 767 feet of gain. We grabbed our hiking poles and started on that trek up Mount Evergreen.

Mount Evergreen near Twin Lakes — Outside of Salt Lake City

I’ve never climbed a mountain in the summer before so I’d consider this a “bucket list” hike. Snow was still visible in some areas, but the 70-80° temperatures make the hike perfect weather-wise. The path includes some dimly lit forest, shimmering alpines, and rocked bluffs where a small group of other hikers were trying to spot pikas. Near the summit, the trail traverses some ski runs and signage, and I loved the emptiness of seeing all of that with no people around.

Interestingly, despite its name, the lake itself is comprise of only one twin. I was expecting two lakes, but there was only one. Nonetheless stillness and beauty of that one lake and having it pretty much all to ourselves was something I will never forget. The hike to Twin Lakes was one of the highlights of our Salt Lake City stay.

Provo River Parkway and Murdock Canal Trail

Just south of Salt Lake City is Provo Utah. We loaded up the bikes on the Jeep and headed to the Provo River Parkway trailhead near North Canyon Hills Drive. The entire trail spans 15.2 miles, we explored just the eastern 6-mile portion that goes into the mountains and ends at at Vivian Park. The rails-to-trails parkway runs along the Provo River as well as Provo Canyon Road (Highway 189). The highlights included two waterfalls: Bridal Veil Falls and Upper Falls. A dedicated parking lot for viewing the former just across from it, and dozens of people parked there and walked to the falls for photo ops. Upper Falls is way less crowded so I personally liked that area more.

When we got back to the Jeep, we decided explore the Murdock Canal Trail. To access it, we had to bike a few blocks west on the sidewalk and streets, but we started biking northward on the actual trail, we were pleasantly surprised. The path is largely through residential neighborhoods with fairly frequent but well-marked stop signs. Yet, the ride was amazing because there were views of both the Great Salt Lake and the mountains. To my knowledge, I’ve never ridden on path that had once been a canal so I suppose this was a “bucket list” ride as well.