April 30 - Stewart Falls (Aspen Grove)

Heading out to hike somewhere new today. I've always wanted to head up to the base of Mt Timpanogos (Aspen Grove) and today is the day! I'm heading there to hike to Stewart Falls and hopefully, the 1st waterfalls on the Aspen Grove trail to Mt Timp.

I leave around 8am and choose to avoid I-15 and go the back way past Park City/Heber City. It's a bit longer but there'll be lots less traffic. And hey, the hot air balloons were flying this morning.

Easy drive and before long I'm making the right hand turn on the road to Aspen Grove. Nice winding drive and so nice to see Mt Timp up close - I only ever see Timp from the Sunset and Germania Passes and that's 5, 10, 15 miles away.

I arrive around 9am and there are only a couple cars. I park near a car with a lady oil painting Mt Timp from the parking lot. She asks me where I was hiking - it was not the last time I talk to her today.

I gear up and start up to Stewart Falls in the sun and 45 degree temps.

There's snow on the trail at the start and then a snow packed/icy little 15-20 hill. I try going up without putting on my microspikes but stop 1/2 up and put them on - way to slippery for me! Once on, it's an easy uphill.

The trail heads thru a thick pine forest. There are lots of patches of bare ground but still more icy patches. After about 1/2 mile, the microspikes are off. It's about the time it transitions from pine to aspen.

Lots of tiny brown moths flying around and I see 2 Mourning Cloaks.

I'm hiking on the backside of Timp and there are other snowy peaks ahead of me.

At one point, I pass a small patch of Spring Beauties. And guess what, there's a little moth nectaring on one of the flowers!!

Soon I'm pass over some rock slides and there CA Tortoiseshells are zipping around them.

And I run into a backcountry skier who got his run in and was walking back to the trailhead. He said the snow was still good up high. A lot of work for that one run!

At the point where I can start hearing the Falls, I spot a Brown Elfin! 

Finally, I can see the Falls and head downhill to get to the bottom. Lots of Mourning Cloaks near the water and a few CA Tortoiseshells.

The Falls is not flowing as I imagined. Perhaps, I'm too early because there's still a lot of snow up high. Or perhaps I missed it because most of the snow down low is gone. But it's still cool!


Time to head back.

On the way back, I catch up with a Satyr Comma.

And when I'm back in the pine forest, a Stellar's Jay.

With the microspikes back on, I head down that icy hill with ease. 

Feeling great!

I get back to my car and the lady is still there with her oil painting. She asks how the trail was which was really nice.

Time for part 2 -- the 1st Falls on the Aspen Grove trail.

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