Clayton's Peak... Early Morning Hike

Hiking

A couple of weeks ago, I joined a friend of mine from the gym on an early morning hike above Brighton Ski Resort. I don't often find myself awake before the sun comes up. Work usually is the only reason I am up before the sun. This occasion was different in that I wanted to get up and get Cooper (my dog) some exercise.

So I drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon at 5 am and met Greg and his dog, Ruby. I really didn't know what I was in for, in the sense that Greg told me we were going to walk the dogs. I expected a short jaunt to a lake and back. What I expected was in no way what happened.

We headed right off the bat to the summit of what is known as Peak 10,420. I had no idea what that was, but I have since learned that it is popular among the skiers. (I need to ski more...) We then headed from 10,420 to Lackawaxen Lake just below Clayton's Peak (Mount Majestic) to let the dogs do some swimming. We scrambled up the east slope to the ridge and made our way to Clayton's Peak.

As we were hiking, I kept thinking to myself, "I can't believe I have never been up here before!" I've lived in Utah all my life and I have spent time on several summits in the Wasatch Range, but few summits have had the view that Clayton's Peak offered. Mount Timpanogos is by far one of the most beautiful mountains in Utah, and when on top of Clayton's Peak you see Timp towering above the other peaks. It was a view that I just couldn't get over. We spent a good 20 minutes on the summit, ate some food, took in the view, and then started to make our way down to the cars.

Utah is one amazing place that offers so much. I learned that much of the land around Lackawaxen lake is owned by Talisker, a Canadian company that owns the land that Park City Mountain Resort, Canyon's Resort are on, and other areas around Park City. I am sure that we were most likely trespassing and weren't supposed to be there with dogs. It would be a total shame for that area to be destroyed by development if it ever happened.

I would say that this loop of hiking is one of the best loops of slightly higher elevation hiking that you can do within a very short drive. Just an absolutely beautiful location and deserves to be taken care of. Enjoy the photos of my hike below.