Trip Report: 11,749′ Mt. Timpanogos, UT

Miles Clark | | Post Tag for Trip ReportTrip Report
From left to right:  Roberts Horn, East Peak, The Shoulder, Mt. Timpanogos summit. image: snowbrains

11,749′ Mt. Timpanogos, UT is the most beautiful place I’ve been in the Rocky Mountains.

Yesterday, September 16th, 2020, I hiked to the top of Mt. Timpanogos from the Aspen Grove trailhead near Sundance Ski Area.

The bottom is lush and inviting.

The top is moonlike and intimidating.

Mt. Timpanogos, UT Details:

  • Summit:  11,749′
  • Car:  6,900′
  • Vertical From Car:  4,849′
  • Distance:  14-miles round trip
  • Time From Car to Summit:  3 hrs 45 mins (walking)
  • Time From Summit to Car:  2 hrs 30 mins (jogging)
  • Car to Car Time:  6 hrs 30 mins
  • Recommended Equipment:  good hiking or running shoes
Waterfall & Roberts Horn on the hike in. image: snowbrains

I left the car at 10 am.

It was hot.

Sweat poured off my temples.

The entire day I only wore board shorts and a T-shirt.

I brought next to nothing in my pack:  2 liters of water, a few energy bars, a micro puff jacket.

Summit ridge, Bomber Peak, and Timp Basin. image: snowbrains

Red leaves and Fall colors were already taking hold down low.

I hiked to the top, taking one 5-minute break near 10,000′ to guzzle water and inhale food.

The hike up took me 3 hours & 45 minutes, covering 7 miles and 4,849-vertical-feet.

The trail is perfectly manicured for 96% of the hike with only one loose rock section just before you get on the summit ridge.

Looking south from the summit. image: snowbrains

Many trail runners run this trail.

There is still a large snow patch where you could link up about ten turns on the “Timpanogos Glacier” above the Emerald Lake Shelter.

The summit ridge has a few scrambly sections, but they’re easy.

The views from the summit are impressive.

Waterfall on the hike in. image: snowbrains

The striated rock of the summit and the surrounding summits are like nowhere else I’ve been.

I enjoyed the top and the bizarre structure there for 20 minutes before beginning down.

On the downward romp, I was inspired by the trail runners I saw on the way up and decided to try jogging it.

It felt good, so I jogged all the way down with a few mini-breaks for water.

Summit Structure on Mt. Timpanogos. image: snowbrains

I saw what I thought to be a small, white horse near the Emerald Lake Shelter that turned out to be a huge mountain goat.

It took me 2 hours and 30 minutes to get back to the car from the summit.

My legs were so dirty from all the trail dust…

Roberts Horn. image: snowbrains

On the way home, I stopped and swam in Deer Creek Reservoir (which I’d been eyeing all day from on high) and swam for 15-minutes enjoying the feeling of weightlessness and cleaning the dirt off my legs, arms, and face.

I noticed the high altitudes of Timpanogos having come out from the California coast only 2-days before this hike.

Timpanogos is a beast of a mountain that’s worth every step.

Photo Tour in Chronological Order:

Mt. Timpanogos from Deer Creek Reservoir on the drive in. image: snowbrains
Timp from the drive in. image: snowbrains
Fall colors at the start of the hike. image: snowbrains
Roberts Horn, a waterfall, and Fall color. image: snowbrains
Waterfall & Roberts Horn. image: snowbrains
Waterfall on the hike in. image: snowbrains
Roberts Horn. image: snowbrains
Up high in the meadows. image: snowbrains
Roberts Horn. image: snowbrains
Emerald Lake Shelter & summit of Timp. image: snowbrains
Emerald Lake Shelter & summit of Timp. image: snowbrains
Timpanogos Basin. image: snowbrains
Mt. Timpanogos summit on the right. image: snowbrains
Mt. Timpanogos summit on the right. image: snowbrains
Summit ridge looking down. image: snowbrains
Orem, UT. image: snowbrains
Summit of TImp. image: snowbrains
Miles on top. image: kiki
Me, Kiki, & Martin on the summit. image: snowbrains
The Shoulder. image: snowbrains
South Timpanogos Peak & Orem, UT. image: snowbrains
The raucous, farting, summit ladies on top 😀 image: snowbrains
Summit. image: snowbrains
Bomber Peak and Timp Basin. image: snowbrains
Summit trail. image: snowbrains
South Timp Peak and Orem, UT. image: snowbrains
Summit Ridge, Bomber Peak, Timp Basin. image: snowbrains
Timp summit. image: snowbrains
Roberts Horn. image: snowbrains
The Shoulder, the patch where you can still ski about 10 linked turns, and the Emerald Lake Shelter
Inside the Emerald Lake Shelter. image: snowbrains
The Shoulder and a Mountain Goat. image: snowbrains
Roberts Horn. image: snowbrains
East Peak. image: snowbrains
Post-hike dirt levels = HIGH. image: snowbrains
Posted by Miles Clark |

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