Heughs Canyon South Route

Approach

From the Mount Olympus Trailhead at 5300 South Wasatch Boulevard, Drive approximately 1.2 mile South to Canyon Cove Drive and turn left. Continue on to Oak Canyon Dr. 3480 East and turn left. Find a place to park near Berghalde Ln.(Private Road) 6145 South. The hike starts walking up Berghalde Ln. which is private property so please respect landowners wishes and stay on the pavement to the end of the road. You will cross a chain strung at the end of the road and continue on a dirt trail that passes a few homes before accessing the Heughs Canyon Trail.

Route Description

This route starts at the base of Heughs Canyon about 4980' and ends at Mt. Olympus summit at 9026' .

Heughs Canyon is a steep, narrow and rocky canyon with rugged rocky features on both sides. Interesting hiking and climbing possibilities are endless here. To access Mt. Olympus you will hike approximately 2 miles on trail before cutting North and bushwacking to the saddle. This trail follows the stream fairly closely most of the way. The trail starts left of the stream for the first quarter mile or so then crosses to the right for a short distance and back to the left where it stays for a while. In this lower canyon area the trail is narrow and poison ivy (oak) is everywhere. If you are aware and recognize it you won't have a problem. You will find the trail travels away form the stream in a few sections and back close again. You will cross the stream to the right and left again before coming to a steep area that takes you to a large rock slide. There is a beautiful waterfall here that is most spectacular in early spring. The area opens up and you have a view of the valley below as well as some of the rocky features of the canyon.. This is approximately 1 mile from the start and a little over 1000' elevation gained.

Continue across the rock slide, you should see the trail here but it is faint. The trail stays on the left side most all the way up never straying more than 100' away. The trail will become very faint and practically nonexistant in places and will require you to look for the easiest route which in most cases will be the trail. The canyon has steep rock walls on the right side and at one point narrows to just a few feet across. There is a large rock that will require you climbing over to continue, it can be difficult depending on the time of year. If this becomes impossible due to very heavy runoff, you can back up and climb thru the cliffbands on the left. The trail becomes very pretty in this area with ferns and lush vegitation in the spring and early summer. Continue for a while and look for what appears to be a small drainage coming down on the left. This is at about 7300' and may have a very faint trail. If you see a trail it will fade and soon you will be climbing over rocks, over and under fallen trees and bushwacking for the next 1300' vertical or so. This takes you to the saddle South of the Olympus South Peak. From here it is an easy scramble to the summit. It is easiest to descend the Mount Olympus Trail and walk the 1.25 miles to retreive your car.

Essential Gear

Bring plenty of water or a filtering pump, headlight if you get a late start, a GPS and map is helpful, sturdy hiking or backpacking boots, sunscreen.

Miscellaneous Info

Rattlesnakes are plentiful here and can be difficult to spot in the upper areas of the canyon as much of the trail is obscured by waist or shoulder high vegatation. In the lower part of the canyon poison ivy is extremely plentiful from early Spring thru Fall.

Images

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