Video: Squaw peak Hike, Provo, Utah

Thatcher and I had planned a trip to Moab to do some sight seeing and hiking at a national park.  After a late start and the realization of a long drive (four hours each way) we decided to detour and do a closer hike.  We were driving through Provo, Utah (mostly known for its BYU campus) when I decided to do some research on where to hike that day.

I stumbled upon some mention of Squaw Peak and decided that was going to be our Saturday adventure.  The trail head for this hike is about 50 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City.  The Squaw Peak trail is accessed through the Rock Canyon trail located at E 2300 N in Provo, Utah.  You will see a nice parking area with bathrooms at the end of 2300.  Google map link to the trail head here

Notes:

The trail is pretty moderate but does get steep in a few places, especially nearing the summit. We reached the summit after about 2 hours and fifteen minutes (leisurely pace stopping to take lots of pictures obviously), and at about 3.8 miles from the parking lot.  

We had packed lunch snacks and water for the hike and Olive is starting to learn to carry her own water and snacks.  Her pack also slows her down and prevents any runaways-  so dual purpose with this pack. It takes her a few minutes to get used to it and then finally the tail starts wagging again :) Click here to buy a similar pack for your dog

The hike starts on a semi-paved road out of Rock Canyon.  It then leads to a gravel and then dirt trail.  You will pass about 10 bridges on the way to the Squaw Peak trail.  You will also pass a lot of rock climbers as this Rock Canyon is a very popular rock climbing area. 

About 1.5 miles into the Rock Canyon trail, you will see a trail heading lead with a rock labeled SQUAW PEAK TRAIL. Make sure you take this left.  

Little video clip of Thatcher and the Squaw Peak trail marker.

I brought my GoPro which took a majority of the pictures on this post, 

and the little video at the end.

What I loved most about this trail was the variety of scenery.  Some of the trail was woodsy with adorable bridges and a babbling brook.  

Some of the trail consisted of beautiful views of the neighboring mountains. As you get closer to the top the trail opens up for a bit for a beautiful view of Utah Lake and Provo.  

The trail even opens up to the quaint little meadow up on the mountain which felt so out of place for the surroundings.

The trail is pretty moderate but does get steep in a few places, especially nearing the summit. We reached the summit after about 2 hours and fifteen minutes (leisurely pace stopping to take lots of pictures obviously), and at about 3.8 miles from the parking lot.  

We were a little speechless at first for the amazing 360 views of Provo, Y mountain to the left, and Mount Timpanogos (often called Mt Timp) to the right.

(Y mountain- there is a large block Y on the mountain - BYU's insignia)  Mount Timp (one of the hikes on our bucket list) is to the right of Squaw Mountain. 

We spent about an hour at the summit, taking in the view, relaxing and enjoying lunch. 

Olive definitely took a nap.

Lunch was Taralynns recipe--- over at Simply Taralynn, road trip roll ups.  These were perfect for easy eating on top of the mountain and we brought a spicy mustard for dipping. Tupperware container made sure nothing was smooshed on the way up. 

Dessert was watermelon with a view!

After about 30 minutes at the peak, we ran into a nice group of hikers who educated us on the sites, the mountains, and about the town of Provo. 

Our "tour guides" at the top of Squaw Peak. 

Finally, we decided it was time to trek back down and head for fro yo home.  While the trail is just an out and back and you repeat the same route, the views are much different heading down and again, beautiful. 

We made it up the mountain in 2:15 and were back down by 3:40 of straight hiking time.  If you don't stop for a break at the top you can do the trip in 3-4 hours easily.  We did it in about 5 hours with our long break at the summit.  And a lot of time to take pictures and pull burrs out of a curious dog's fur.

According to my garmin, we started at 4,974' and reached the peak at 7,882', roughly 3,000' of elevation gain.  (My glutes are still sore).  The weather was absolutely perfect and this was my favorite hike to date.  The scenery on the way up is varied and stunning, and then you get to the summit and take in the outstanding views of Provo, Utah Lake, Mount Timp, and Y mountain.  We even watched a hawk/eagle (some large bird) flying around the peak, dipping in between the canyons and soaring around.  (Thatcher claims the eagle (?) was attracted to the american flag at the summit).

If you are in the area, add this hike to your list and feel free to ask any questions!

Enjoy this little video montage I put together with the GoPro editing software!