Salt Lake City on the Cheap

FREE Wasatch Wildflower Festival Hikes

POSTED BY
Jenny Willden

wildflowersJuly 22 & 23 – Big Cottonwood Canyon
July 29 & 30 – Little Cottonwood Canyon

See beautiful wildflowers on easy 45-minute walks or 2-3-hour challenging hikes with Wasatch Wildflower Guides who take you on free hikes July 22-23 in Big Cottonwood Canyon and July 29-30 in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Most hikes are slower for wildflower viewing, but some are longer in distance.  Choose from kids’, beginners, intermediates, and advanced hikes.

If a hike requires a chairlift, you’ll get discounted chairlift access during the festival. Wear stable hiking shoes and bring water, snacks, sunscreen, and a hat.

See the full hike schedule from the Wasatch Wildflower Festival below, and visit their site for more information.

Wasatch Wildflower Festival 2017 Schedule

Saturday, July 22nd – 9 AM to 2 PM

 

Brighton Resort

Meeting place: Brighton Resort – Alpine Resort Lodge (behind main resort building), Alpine Rose Deck

Walks depart as groups fill and will return to the registration area by 2 PM. 

  • Kids Walks:
    • Designed with kids in mind, featuring fun wildflower activities along the route!
    • Duration: Less than 1 hour.  Kids must be accompanied by their adult guardian.
    • Last walk departs at 1 PM.
  • Beginner Walks:
    • Silver Lake boardwalk and lower mountain trails.
    • Duration: 1 to  1 ½ hours.
    • Last walk departs at 12:30 PM.
  • Intermediate Walks:
    • Beginning on lower mountain trails and winding up the ski hill trails, including the Lake Mary and Lake Solitude trails.
    • Duration: 1 ½ to 2 hours.
    • Last walk departs at 12 PM.
  • Advanced Walks:
    • Walk will progress toward upper lakes (accessibility permitting), including Twin Lakes and Lake Mary/Martha.
    • Duration 1 ½ to 2 hours.
    • Last walk departs at 12 PM.
  • Additional activities/entertainment:
    • Kids art station (coloring pages, paint a wildflower t shirt).
    • Live music by Partygrass Trio from 12 PM – 2 PM.
    • Food is available across the parking lot at the Milly Chalet restaurant.

Sunday, July 23rd – 10 AM to 3 PM

Solitude Mountain Resort

Meeting place: Solitude Mountain Resort – Entry 2, Solitude Village, near Stone Haus

Walks depart as groups fill and will return to the registration area by 3 PM.  Walks with chairlifts require discounted $6 lift charge.

  • Kids Walks:
    • Along Lower Mountain Route on gentle terrain.
    • Duration: 45 minutes. Kids must be accompanied by an adult guardian.
    • Last walk departs at 2 PM.
  • Beginner Walks: 
    • Along Lower Mountain base trails.
    • Duration: 1 hour.
    • Last walk departs at 2 PM.
  • Intermediate Walks with lift:
    • Ride up the Sunrise lift with a hike to Lake Solitude (includes lift ride back down).
    • Duration: 2 to 2 ½ hours.
    • $6 lift ticket required (resort donates back to CCF).
    • Trail to Lake Solitude is moderate, with one short, but steep, section near the lake.
    • Last walks departs at 1 PM.
  • Intermediate to Advanced Walks with lift:
    • Begin with a ride up Sunrise Lift, with a winding hike back down the mountainside.
    • Duration: 2 to 3 ½ hours.
    • $6 lift ticket required (resort donates back to CCF).
    • This hike is not strenuous, but it should be noted that the hike down is quite long in duration.
    • Last walk departs at 12 PM.
  • Additional activities/entertainment:
    • Kids art station (coloring/painting pages, paint a wildflower t shirt).
    • T-shirt tie dyeing station.
    • Face painting.
    • Live music by Juniper Tree from 4 PM – 6 PM.
    • Food is available at the Stone Haus, where festival goers can enjoy a discounted $2 ice cream.
    • Opportunity drawing prizes including: pairs of ski passes, a package with a one night stay at the Inn at Solitude including two days of lift tickets for two and more.
  • Lodging discounts:
    • Enjoy Pioneer Day weekend in the cool mountain air.
    • 10% discount on a one night stay on all lodging
    • 20% discount on a two night stay on all lodging (includes 2 complimentary lift tickets).
    • 25% discount on four or more nights on all lodging

Saturday, July 29th – 9 AM to 2 PM

Alta Ski Area

Meeting place: Alta Ski Area, Albion Base entry, parking lot behind the Albion Grill

Walks depart as groups fill and will return to registration area by 2 PM.

  • Kids Walks:
    • Walks along the base designed with kids in mind, with fun and interactive wildflower activities along the way!  Discover what wildflowers need to grow and thrive.  We’ll look for wildflowers and wildlife of the Albion Basin.
    • Duration: Less than 1 hour.  Kids must be accompanied by an adult guardian.
    • Last walk 1 PM.
  • Beginner Walks:
    • Walk takes place streamside along the gentle terrain of the base area through willows, wetlands, and meadows on the Lower Albion Meadows Trail.
    • Duration: About 1 hour.
    • Last walk 1 PM.
  • Intermediate Walks:
    • Albion Meadows Trail at a gentle grade.  This walk offers a wonderful variety of flower viewing habitats including meadows, shaded spruce-fir stands, nears streams, and sunny, rocky slopes.
    • Duration: About 1 ½ hours.
    • Last walk departs at 12 PM.
  • Advanced Walks:
    • Twin Lakes Pass trail.  Trail is very steep and rocky in sections.
    • North-facing slopes allow for wildflower viewing through a variety of habitats.
    • Duration: About 1 ½ hours.
    • Last walk departs at 12 PM.
  • Additional activities/entertainment:
    • Kids art station 9 AM – 12 PM.
    • Live music by Lerraine & Natty from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
    • Food is available at the Albion Grill.

Sunday July 30th –  10 AM to 3 PM

Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort

Snowbird Center Plaza Deck, Entry 2

All walks depart as groups fill.  Walks requiring the tram ride depart between 10 AM and 1 PM (see below).  Groups will return to the registration area by 3 PM.  There will be a $10 tram charge for walks using the tram.

  • Kids Walks:
    • Along Barrier Free Trail with fun wildflower activities along the way!
    • Duration: 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Kids must be accompanied by an adult guardian.
    • Does not involve tram.
    • Last walk departs by 2 PM.
  • Beginner Walks:
    • Tram ride ($10) with gentle walk at top.  Participants ride the tram back down.
    • Duration: 1 ½ to 2 hours.
    • Last walk leaves by 1 PM.
  • Intermediate Walks:
    • Tram ride ($10) to the top, followed by a hike into Mineral Basin and a ride down Peruvian Chair.
    • Duration: 2 to 3 hours.
    • Last walk departs by 12 PM.
  • Advanced Walks:
    • Tram ride ($10) to the top, followed by a hike down the mountain. Hike is all down hill, but it is several miles in length with some steep sections and loose footing.
    • Duration: 3 to 4 hours.
    • Last walk departs by 11 AM.
  • Wasatch Adaptive Sports Hikes (ADA compliant trail):
    • Barrier Free Trail.
    • Does not involve tram.
    • Duration: 1 to 1 ½ hours.
    • Last walk departs at 1:30 PM.
  • Additional activities/entertainment:
    • Kids art station (coloring pages, paint a wildflower t shirt).
    • Live music by Hywired from 12 PM – 3 PM.
    • Food is available at multiple locations on the deck and inside the resort.

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