Starting at Church Fork up Millcreek Canyon, UT is a magical place where only those searching for magnificent views, peaks to be bagged and an overwhelming feeling of awe should venture. Be prepared to have your breath taken away, and I am not talking about panting on the uphill.
As the parking lot was closed, we parked out on the canyon road and made our way through the picnic area to the end of the road. Be prepared for a plethera of waterfalls along the way if you are hiking in the spring. At the end of the road you will find the trailhead.
This wonderfully maintained trail is easy to find, follow and navigate.
A continual moderate climb winds up through trees along the stream making for a peaceful beginning. I was breathing heavy 5 minutes into the hike but still able to talk with my son and husband who rather cheerfully pointed this out to me. 🙂
From here the views begin to unfold. They get better and better with each step. The trail narrows somewhat and as we ascended we ran into fresh snow from the previous day. We weren’t expecting snow and neither were the flowers.
There is a false summit and a couple of rock scrambles towards the summit that didn’t cause us any trouble at all. The last half mile is steep and makes the hamstrings burn, but the view from the peak is well worth the effort.
This hike won its way into my heart and is one of my all-time favorite hikes. We hope to visit again and again. It took us 4 hours with our stop at the top. We ascended in 2 hours 15 minutes and got down in about and hour an 20 minutes. It was a total of 6.8 miles round trip and 2700 feet elevation gain. I would classify this as a moderate hike. Be aware that on odd numbered days dogs are allowed off-leash on this trail. Our dog Lucy loved the hike.
Take plenty of water, snacks, sunscreen and a map. Tell someone where you are going if you can’t find someone to hike with. Remember trail etiquette and as always, happy hiking!
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Sydney, thank you so much for your kind words. I will do my best to keep the posts coming. I appreciate you taking the time to read them. 🙂