Page Type:
|
Route |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
40.53950°N / 111.6681°W |
Route Type:
|
Scramble |
|
Time Required:
|
A long day |
|
Difficulty:
|
Class 3 |
|
Approach
From the mouth of American Fork Canyon (set odometer at the junction where SR 146 and SR 92 meet), drive up the canyon for 5.2 miles. Take a left to the North Fork Road. Follow this road to mile 7.4 at the Tibble Fork Reservior. Continue on the road to mile 8.6. This is where the Silver Lake Flat Road begins on the right and just after the Granite Flat Campground. Take this road. The road is farily steep and has sharp switchbacks, but any car can make it to the trailhead in summer. Follow the road to its end. Note that there is no overnight camping allowed on any part of the road and that the only overnight parking allowed is for those who are backpacking into the Lone Peak Wilderness.Overview
This is a very spectacular and scenic route. The trail is heavily used to Silver Lake, but beyond this lake, the there is no trail and the route offers solitude.Round trip distance is about 7.8 miles with about 3620 feet elevation gain.
Route Description
From the trailhead, follow the heavily-used and well marked trail which reaches Silver Lake after 1.7 miles. This is a very scenic lake with a huge rock buttress rising above the lake. There are good views of Mount Timpanogos as well and the Timp "Glacier" is visible.The next objective is Silver Glance Lake. There is now (2014) a hiker made trail to the lake. The trail is pretty well marked with cairns, but you may lose it in a few places.
Notice the stream coming down from the lake. The best way to Silver Glance Lake is to follow the minor spur on the right (east side of the stream) and up to the lake. The hiker made trail splits off from the main trail just a few feet before the main trail reaches Silver Lake.
The route is steep and the trail is faded in a few places, but isn't too difficult. Silver Glance Lake is about a mile from Silver Lake. From near Silver Glance Lake, the views to the south and Mount Timpanogos are even better, and Red Baldy is visible. Notice the pass to the NW of Silver Glance Lake. This is your objective. There is a cliff to skirt, but the route is very obvious and highly visible from Silver Glance Lake. The pass is one spectacular place, with White Pine Lake glistening below and to the north and Silver Glance Lake to the south.
From the pass, scramble up the ridge for 0.6 miles to the northeast and to the summit of Red Baldy. There are a few sections of Class 3 scrambling, and a knife edge of sorts near the summit, but the peak is easier than some others in the region, such as White Baldy.
Enjoy the nice views from the summit!
 |  |