This peak does not have an official name on the Forest Service topo map. However, it is the highest peak bordering the city of Layton, Utah. Layton peak is in the northern Wasatch mountains. Thurston and Francis peaks are to the south, and Weber Canyon is to the north.

This trail is 4.07 miles to the top of Layton Peak (9618�) Elevation gain 3,644� to the peak. Time for hiking is approximately 4 hrs to the summit. Although the trail is very steep and has few switchbacks, the views are outstanding. The route does pass by one spring at 0.71 miles, but after the fire of 2006 the cut off trail to the spring is difficult to locate. Take all your water.

There are two routes to the summit: Great Western Trail and �Community Trail�. The community trail is not sanctioned by the Forest Service; and Forest Service employees have given warnings to locals who voluntarily maintain this trail. The community trail is a much more direct, short, and (as of 2007) very easy to follow all the way to the top.

Getting There

Location: Layton Utah Fernwood Trail head

From Route 89 in Layton Utah, turn west onto Cherry Lane between mile markers 402-403. Make an immediate left onto Valley View Drive (heading north). In 0.5 miles, turn right (west) onto Fernwood Drive. Follow Fernwood for another 0.5 miles and make a right at the T intersection. You will pass a tremendous �Castle� home on your left, and then enter the Forest Service trailhead area. In early morning, the gate may be locked. Street parking is permitted.

Red Tape

No permits are required. Parking in the forest service parking area is prohibited after 10 PM.

Camping

No overnight camping at the trail head. Best campsites in the area are west on Antelope Island State Park, approximately 10 miles away. There is seasonal water available at the trail head (the Forest Service turns it on during the warmer months).

Trail directions

From the parking lot, walk around the brown metal gate and begin heading up/west. Turn left (north) onto the Bonneville Shoreline trail.

Great Western Trail
Continue north on the Bonneville Shoreline trail for approximately 2 miles. There will be a fork in the trail, and a wooden sign indicating �Great Western Trail�. You want to stay right on the Great Western trail. You will join �community trail� on a false peak affectionately named �Chin Scraper�. This will be on the ridge line, and you can easily find your way to the top of Layton Peak.

Community Trail (recommended)
A few steps after joining the Bonneville Shoreline trail, turn right (west) onto an unmarked trail. N 41.05.265 W 111.54.077 This area had a huge brush fire in the summer of 2006. On your right, you will pass the remains of a burned out chlorine pump station.

The trail has been bulldozed for the first 1/4 mile. It then crosses a pipe containing the stream and turns 90 degrees to the left. This next short bit may be overgrown beside the creek. At 0.31 miles, the trail will cross the small creek then begin heading upwards.

At 0.71 miles, a faint trail goes right. This spur dead ends to an old cabin that was built in the 1970�s. The cabin is precarious; one wall has crumbled. Be careful exploring. However, there are two good springs (as of 2007) surrounding the cabin that you can refill water bottles.

Continue following the obvious trail to the summit.

N 41.05.649 W 111.51.918 You will see a cairn. Follow this trail straight up. The sagebrush has been trimmed back to form a trail. The route is up-- then veers left toward the cliff. There is a cut trail through the weeds and three cairns where the trail intersects the cliff line. If you miss the trail and bushwhack, it doesn�t matter. As long as you keep heading upwards�the area is wide open and easy to navigate.

The route starts on the left cliff side, and then traverses right & up using the rock band. Keep looking for where the weeds have been clipped for the trail.

Once you summit this first false peak named �Chin Scraper�, you�ll see two big cairn markings. (As of July 2007 one cairn is a delicately balanced 4 foot high arch). These mark the confluence of two trail: Community Trail and the Great Western Trail. N 41.05.568 W 111.51.601

You will now find out that the high point you've been viewing the entire duration of climbing is Chin Scraper -- and there is an entire mountain behind (and taller) than this false summit.

Both trails continue on the ridgeline, curving south than east. There is no dirt �trail�, but the route is obvious. Stay toward the ridgeline, and aim for the highest point.

Layton peak is 4.07 miles from the trailhead 9,681 elevation. From the top you can look west toward the city of Morgan. Few people in the Salt Lake metro area have gazed west over the mountains. The �back side� of the Wasatch Mountains at this location is very remote and unspoiled.

After savoring the summit, it is possible to hike along the ridge line north or south. Approximately 2 miles south on the Great Western Trail, there is a spring that someone has improved with PVC pipe.

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