The bottom line: This afternoon was the hardest hike I’ve done in probably decades. It was straight up the side of one of the mountains bordering Salt Lake City. It followed a cascading stream full of recently melted snow. And it terminated at a boulder field that led to a hidden waterfall.
But first: Camping! Red Canyon, just outside Panguitch. We’re going to retire to Panguitch. This campground was beautiful. Quiet and full of trees, with big sites and lots of privacy. Not to mention the best camp showers I’ve ever experienced — fully worth the 7 quarters it takes to get them going.
We stopped for groceries, and had to try the Idaho Spud. It was… good?
Little Cottonwood Canyon was on my list of must-sees, because I have some wonderful memories of math conferences at Snowbird Ski Resort. The Canyon is no-dogs-allowed, it turns out, so this was purely a driving tour. Still wonderful to see it again.
Finally, our backup plan: Heughs Canyon trail, something you really have to know about to find. Parking is on a busy road at the foot of a housing development full of mansions. One gets the impression that the mansion-dwellers would rather folks not know about the trail. Aside from the sign for parking, there is no signage to help you navigate the several steep neighborhood turns to get to the trailhead. And even if you know where you’re going, there’s a locked gate in the way. “No unauthorized vehicles” is posted conspicuously every few yards. Only a single small sign marking the “pedestrian walkway” gives up the game. Rosie’s excellent internet sleuthing got us past it all and onto this beautiful but strenuous trail. Georgia did mega-zoomies on the way down, which means this was probably her favorite moment of the trip so far.
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