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Beartrap Fork Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon
To get to the trail head: Approximately 10.63 from the intersection of 7200 South and Wasatch Blvd you will find the lonely gate marking the entrance to the trail head The gate is on the North side of the road and is marked with Salt Lake Water Conservancy signs, the gate is green in color. The trail starts of as an old service road and is easily identified, but after the first few minutes, the trail has several options that can confuse you on which direction to head. When I hiked the trail it was fairly well marked at major confusion points with red marker tape, but never the less, just stay so you are heading up the main draw on a good trail and you have the right one. The trail goes from a service road to a jeep trail then to what looks to have been an ATV trail for the first 1/4 mile, then is is down to a single track trail that sees little use. I passed on couple the day I hiked the trail and I say no signs of many people having travels up the trail recently.
Speaking of views, don't forget to stop along the way to the summit and look behind you! The views of Big Cottonwood Canyon's ski areas is quite spectacular and worth taking a few pictures of. I hiked the trail in mid June and the wild flowers had just begun their blooming season with color every where. Take your camera and plenty of extra storage cards for the pictures you'll want to remember this hike with. The hike is a mixture of deep forest cover to areas of open sun exposed meadows. Sun screen is highly recommended. Bug spray is a MUST HAVE as well. The cooler areas under the tree cover are alive with the winged creatures of the forest. And speaking of creatures, if you're lucky and take time to walk along quietly, you may be rewarded with a view of one of the many species of animals that call this canyon home. Mule Deer, Elk, Moose are some of the larger inhabitants, Water in the canyon is intermittent in the stream bed depending on the time of year you hike Beartrap Fork, but don't drink it without treating it. Although many of the areas of the stream the water look clear and moving, there are many areas of stagnant water along its path and if you have to drink it filter it or boil it first. Speaking of water, this is a watershed area and please practice the appropriate handling of personal waste and remember no dogs are aloud in the Cottonwood Canyon's at any time. I mapped this trail out before going and the mapping software calculated the hiking distance as 2.14 miles, but upon reaching the top, I had traveled 2.81 miles. The hike took me about 2.5 hours to reach the summit. I spent about an hour on top before heading down and took my time getting down to take a few pictures. Total time on the trail was 7 hours round trip. When you reach the top you will be treated to some of the best views you could ask for. Desolation Lake lies directly below and can be reached with a few more hour hike time, but the view from the summit is a great place to take pictures. The trail at All in all, a great hike I would rate as intermediate effort for great reward!
More information: GPS Coordinates: Location of Gate:
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Beartrap Trail is not one of the more well known trails in the Big Cottonwood Canyon area. It can be a little hard to find the trail head and often people believe it is private property. It is a challenging trail that, as with most of the trail in the Cottonwood Canyons, is mostly an uphill grind most of the way to the top. But for those willing to trek up the Beartrap Trail, fantastic views abound and the view of Desolation Lake is incredible!
After the first quarter mile, the trail begins a constant, but steady climb to the summit with not to many areas that it offer flat hiking. Although not a grueling hike, it is challenging and not for the out of shape person. At the trail head you are at approximately 7,525 feet above sea level, but the time you trudge over the top, you will peak out at around 9,855 feet and know you earned the view!
but the forest is constantly moving with the sights and sounds of life.
the top of Beartrap Fork intercepts with the Great Western Trail which is a popular trail for mountain bikers and hikers alike. A short hike to the North of the summit and you will be treated to a grand view of the Park City area, to the West you might see the Southern end of the Salt Lake valley on a clear day. On a side note, while on the Great Western Trail on foot, watch for the bikers and give them the right of way!
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