Squaw Peak

HikeUtah

Squaw Peak

Summary

A popular, short, varied, year-round hike with in one of Utah County’s most popular outdoor spots. Start with Rock Canyon’s stunning cliffs, follow with a steep climb through a scrub forest of oak and maple, and end with a stunning view of Utah Valley and the Wasatch.

Duration:	3.5 – 5 hours
Difficulty:	Moderate
Distance:	7.3 miles
Elevation range:	5,080 – 7,874 feet
Elevation gain:	2,794 feet
Caretaker:	Uinta National Forest
Area:	Wasatch
Summit or goal coordinates:	40.271900= -111.616310=C2=B0
USGS Map	Bridal Veil Falls, UT
Nearest town:	Provo, UT

The stone fountain, 1 mile east from the parking lot.

The Hike

Distance	Description
0 miles	Go around the gate to the east of the parking lot and continue in that direction to the mouth of the canyon. This is Forest Service Trail 060.
0.4 miles	You are now at the entrance to the canyon, marked by a green gate.
1.1 miles	This is a spot with regular avalanches that happen in late winter. From here you will cross 3 more bridges.
1.6 miles	A small sign and a stone mark the turnoff to the Squaw Peak trail. Turn left and head north up First Left Fork Canyon. This is a steep section of the hike, mostly under tree cover.
2.8 miles	At the top of the canyon the trail breaks into a flat meadow and turns to the west. Follow this trail west, then south to the top.
3.65 miles	=46rom the top you can take in Utah Valley, Rock Canyon below, and Cascade and Provo Peak to the east.

Camping

Camping is allowed in Rock Canyon but fires are banned most of the year. The Rock Canyon Campground at the east end of the canyon has been closed for several years.

Precautions

After snowstorms, especially in late winter, steer clear of the avalanche location 1.1 miles east of the parking lot. If you climb the cliffs in the canyon, make sure you know what you’re doing — people fall or get stranded every year. The hike to the summit is safe, but the summit itself is perched at the top of 2,500 feet of cliffs and people have fallen from there to their deaths.

Tips

Watch for Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) at the mouth of the canyon.

About .2 miles after the turnoff to First Left Fork, watch for a volunteer apple tree on the left of the trail. It has been there for decades, and must have sprouted from a hiker’s discarded apple core.

Background

In January 2001 Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources introduced 22 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, captured in Alberta, Canada, into Rock Canyon (native Utah herds had been wiped out by the 1930s). That year they also placed 10 sheep in Grove Creek Canyon, near Pleasant Grove (the year prior, they took 25 sheep from southeast Utah and placed them in the same spot).

Wild turkeys also roam the area.

Rock Canyon is currently under threat; a company wants to use a mining claim to quarry the canyon’s colorful quartzite. Local citizens and government leaders are working together to find ways to keep the quarrying from happening. To find out more see preserverockcanyon.com.