UT · Mountain West
6 forest guides within driving distance
Planning a trip near Salt Lake City? Our curated guide has the top picks.
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Wasatch National Forest rises directly above Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah, offering Mount Olympus Wilderness, Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon hiking, and some of the most accessible alpine terrain in the Intermountain West.
5 min read
Complete guide to Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah. Trail recommendations, campgrounds, permits, alpine lakes, and trip planning resources.
10 min read
Ashley National Forest in northeastern Utah encompasses the High Uintas Wilderness and the shores of Flaming Gorge Reservoir, offering Utah's highest summit and some of the most remote alpine hiking in the Intermountain West.
8 min read
Cache National Forest covers the Bear River Range in northern Utah, offering alpine lakes, wildflower meadows, and the iconic summit of Naomi Peak above Logan Canyon.
6 min read
Manti-La Sal National Forest covers 1.4 million acres across two distinct units in Utah and Colorado, pairing the high plateaus of the Wasatch Plateau with the dramatic La Sal Mountains that rise above Moab's canyon country.
7 min read
Fishlake National Forest sprawls across 1.5 million acres of south-central Utah, anchored by the Pando aspen clone, one of the largest living organisms on Earth, and Fish Lake itself, a high-elevation jewel prized for trout fishing.
8 min read
Guide to the Living Room Trail in Wasatch National Forest, Utah. A 3.4-mile out-and-back from the University of Utah area to a rock formation with panoramic Salt Lake Valley views.
3 min read
A 3.4-mile out-and-back on the Wasatch foothills above Salt Lake City to a rock formation at 5,700 ft with direct views down into the Salt Lake Valley, Great Salt Lake, and the Oquirrh Mountains.
8 min read
Guide to the Grandeur Peak Trail in Wasatch National Forest, Utah. A 6.2-mile out-and-back from Mill Creek Canyon to a prominent 8,299-foot summit above Salt Lake City.
3 min read
Guide to Grandeur Peak in Mill Creek Canyon, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Utah. A 6.6-mile out-and-back strenuous summit hike with 360-degree views of the entire Salt Lake Valley.
7 min read
Guide to the Mount Olympus Trail in Wasatch National Forest, Utah. A 8.2-mile out-and-back with Class 3 scrambling to a dramatic 9,026-foot double-summited peak above Salt Lake City.
3 min read
Guide to the Big Willow Trail in Wasatch National Forest, Utah. A 7.4-mile out-and-back through Mill Creek Canyon to a quiet alpine basin above the Wasatch foothills.
3 min read
Guide to the Donut Falls Trail in Wasatch National Forest, Utah. A 3.0-mile out-and-back to a unique waterfall with a hole through which the creek flows in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
3 min read
Guide to the Lake Blanche Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. A steep 6.8-mile out-and-back to a stunning alpine lake beneath Sundial Peak.
6 min read
Guide to Bells Canyon Trail in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest above Sandy, Utah. A strenuous 7.8-mile out-and-back through a dramatic granite canyon to lower Bells Canyon Reservoir, with a 40-foot waterfall at mile 2.5.
7 min read
Guide to the Bells Canyon Trail in Wasatch National Forest, Utah. A 9.0-mile out-and-back from the Wasatch foothills through a dramatic canyon to an alpine reservoir.
3 min read
Guide to the Red Pine Lake Trail in Wasatch National Forest, Utah. A 6.6-mile out-and-back to a stunning alpine lake beneath White Baldy in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
3 min read
Guide to the Donut Falls Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. A family-friendly 3.2-mile hike to a unique waterfall that flows through a hole in the rock.
6 min read
A 6.8-mile out-and-back in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest climbing to a granite cirque lake at 10,000 ft in Little Cottonwood Canyon, with views of 11,326-ft Pfeifferhorn above Salt Lake City.
7 min read
Guide to the Cecret Lake Trail in Wasatch National Forest, Utah. A 1.8-mile out-and-back to an alpine lake at 9,876 feet in the Albion Basin above Alta Ski Area.
3 min read
Guide to the Cecret Lake Trail at Albion Basin in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. A short 1.8-mile hike to an alpine lake with world-class wildflowers.
6 min read
Guide to summiting Mount Timpanogos via the Timpooneke Trail in Utah. A strenuous 14-mile out-and-back to the second-highest peak in the Wasatch Range.
8 min read
A 10-mile out-and-back sampling of the 104-mile Uinta Highline Trail in Ashley National Forest, traversing open tundra above treeline with views across the High Uintas Wilderness.
4 min read
Hike Dry Canyon Trail in Cache National Forest, Utah. This moderate-hard 6.0-mile out-and-back climbs through a limestone canyon with Cache Valley views and spring wildflowers.
3 min read
Hike to the Jardine Juniper in Cache National Forest, Utah. This moderate-hard 4.4-mile out-and-back visits one of the world's oldest Rocky Mountain junipers, estimated at 1,500 years old.
3 min read
Walk the Temple Fork Trail in Cache National Forest, Utah. This moderate 5.2-mile out-and-back follows a scenic canyon stream through riparian habitat with wildlife and wildflowers.
3 min read
A short 3.5-mile out-and-back trail to Spirit Lake in Ashley National Forest's High Uintas, passing through spruce-fir forest to a scenic alpine lake at 10,100 feet.
4 min read
Summit Mount Elmer in Cache National Forest, Utah on this strenuous 7.2-mile out-and-back. Gain 2,200 feet through Logan Canyon for dramatic Wasatch Range summit views.
3 min read
Walk the Tony Grove Lake Trail in Cache National Forest, Utah. This easy 1.8-mile out-and-back visits a stunning alpine lake at 8,050 feet surrounded by wildflowers and limestone peaks.
3 min read
Hike to Naomi Peak, the highest point in Cache National Forest, Utah. This strenuous 6.4-mile out-and-back reaches 9,980 feet with views spanning Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.
3 min read