Kim & Jamie
Amy & Isa the Dog
Hike: Maple Canyon View Point Trail
Hikers: Kim, Amy, Jamie & Isa
Location: Wales, Maple Canyon
Begin: morning
Summit: 39 min
Elevation Summit: 8040 ft.
RT time: 1 hour, 40 min.
Distance: 1.1 miles one way
Weather: clear, sunny, crisp fall morning
Notes: Maple Canyon is on the west side of Sanpete Valley near Wales and is part of the Uinta Forest Service System, not to be confused with the Uintas which are northeast of SLC. People come from all over the world to climb in Maple Canyon. On the weekends you will hear more foriegn languages than english. Kind of cool that the small remote valley of Sanpete is host to so many dedicated climbers. We began our hike at the trailhead located at the top of the campground on the left, this is the start for the View Point trail which eventually loops back to the mouth of the canyon. We didn't do the loop but rather hiked to the View Point and doubled back.
The trail begins as a wandering single wide path through low shrubs and oak and then opens up to a canopy of towering pines gaurded on all sides by mounds of conglomerate rock. The contrast between the heavy greens of the pines, pale yellows of the rock, and bright reds of the turning leaves is stunning. The sounds of birds and small animals bounce off the canyon walls and mix with the chatter of our footsteps and heavy breathing. It is a steep climb. Towards the top of the canyon there are several stretches of steps recently built to help steady the erosion. At the top of the steps the pines disappear and the view expands out across the entire valley with a spectacular vista of what look like stacked waves of conglomerate rock mounds.
