Snowbird tram hike

[Alex]

I am taking my out of town family guests up to Snowbird tomorrow and we were thinking of going up on the tram and then hiking down. How long does the hike take for a regular person? Is it strenious?

[TreeHugger]

It's actually longer then you might think, probably about 5 miles. We did it once and kept thinking, "Man, this is taking forever!" It's a very nice hike down, not strenuous unless you have bad knees.

One thing we like to do is take people up the tram and then do the relatively short hike to the top of Mt. Baldy. It's only steep in one spot, really, and that's short and not bad, but the views up there are unbelieveable! A real treat for out of towners.

[stefan]

it's about a 8-10 min up, then however long down, depending on your speed and however long you spend on the peak ... and whatever route you take down. we're talking about 1000m vertical so it could take a couple of hours or longer.

here are some trails for snowbird and alta, including some times/distances/descents ...

snowbird-alta hiking/biking trail map

hope this helps

[Alex]

Thanks guys, I might take you up on the Mt Baldy offer. I have never done it myself. Is it easy to tell which trail to take to the Mt Baldy? I am not sure I understood, how long is it (time/distance) to the peak from the tram drop off?

I wouldn't need to bring lunch with me up there would I?

[stefan]

Thanks guys, I might take you up on the Mt Baldy offer. I have never done it myself. Is it easy to tell which trail to take to the Mt Baldy? I am not sure I understood, how long is it (time/distance) to the peak from the tram drop off?

I wouldn't need to bring lunch with me up there would I?

it's not far at all, you can try to estimate it from the map i linked you to (approx 0.75-1 mile) ... the elevation gain is minimal, and the trail is not hard to find. that map shows many routes.

you could eat lunch before you go, and bring a small snack in case you decide to stay longer. bringing lunch simply means if you decide to stay longer you'll be happier. the trails out here are relatively short so you could hike things quickly, or you could choose to meander along different trails or spend more time in pretty areas, like the peaks.

[Alex]

Sounds great, so do you take your guests up the Mt and then just ride the tram down or do you still hike down too?

Sorry to be so nit picky, we have limited time to be up there, so I want to maximize the fun factor for everyone.

[stefan]

Sounds great, so do you take your guests up the Mt and then just ride the tram down or do you still hike down too?

Sorry to be so nit picky, we have limited time to be up there, so I want to maximize the fun factor for everyone.

well, to be honest with you, i don't ride the tram. i have done it in the past, so i know what it's like, i am a hiker anyway but i have problems with snowbird's developments plans, and about 9 years ago i decided to boycott them (almost) completely. if the elevation is too much for guests, then i usually take them to albion basin (above alta) or to lake mary/catherine up in brighton, as they are at the tops of the canyons and require less elevation gain from the roads.

but the draw of the tram is immediate access to hidden peak with it's spectacular views. so i think it make sense for you to do this. though some people prefer not to hike down as there is a lot of impact on one's knees descending. but you know your group and i am sure you know what hiking in the wasatch is like ... it's steep in general, but the vertical is not unmanageable.

[TreeHugger]

If you're short on time, I would recommend taking the tram up, hiking to the top of Baldy (the trail starts right off the tram to your left, very easy to find and follow) and taking the tram down. Your guests will get the most bang for their buck, the top of Baldy truly is a sight to see - mountains, mountains, mountains in every direction. The easiest peaked bagged around with all the views.

It can be pretty windy up there, so keep that in mind, you may want to have a nice picnic at the top of the tram and a snack up top, as Stefan suggested.

Have fun!

http://www.utahoutdooractivities.com/hiddenpeak.html

http://www.micksmtn.20m.com/baldy.html

[Alex]

You guys are great, thanks to both of you. We are off to the tram :)

[Alex]

Well that was a total blast, thanks so much guys! We had to run up the mountain to make the tram because of the airport pickup being earlier than schedule. The run up the cliff almost killed us all, but we sure had the laughs on the tram on the way down. Absolutely amazing views from up there, I will have to post a few pics.

Thanks again, good to know uutah.com is around when you think "outdoors" :)

[TreeHugger]

Ah, that's GREAT! I''m so glad you enjoyed it!! How 'bout them views, ay?

Very cool!

[stefan]

great kazak, i too am happy everything went well. it seems that karen knew exactly what would work best for you, nice

it's definitely nice in the summer, but i personally love it most in the winter, espeically skiing down from the peak in any of the directions, with white rocky peaks all around ... ahh yes alta is a very special place. in case you didn't know alta had the second chairlift in north america (after sun valley) in collins gulch just below the peak on the alta side. alta also has been deemed the birth place of the techniques of modern powder skiing and avalanche/snow science ... i am soooo glad the mining went bust