The morning dawned cool—about 57° (F) when first I checked—and by the time Jack-my-dog and I had gone our usual distance, I thought, “Perfect conditions for a ridge hike.” So we kept on going. And it was a wonderful stroll.
This route (my favorite) ascends 1,200 feet or so up and along the ridge overlooking Millcreek Canyon to the south, where there’s a busy trailhead coming up the opposite side. This so-called “Pipeline Trail” (following the route of an old redwood pipeline) climbs up aptly named “Rattlesnake Gulch” before ending at a dramatic Lake Bonneville overlook. Our route either takes us up a shady north-side switchback to the overlook, or up shady Coyote Canyon to a trail that runs up and over the ridge to the overlook. Sometimes eagles soar up there.
Today we took the switchback. No particularly outstanding bird sightings—although at nearly the highest point, I got a nice pic of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird—but the hike itself did wonders for Jack and me.
Now I expect we’ll wait several days—then do it again.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 7:56 a.m., I hiked some 1,200 feet up a mountain.
1. House Finch*
2. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
4. Spotted Towhee
5. Rock Pigeon*
6. Black-chinned Hummingbird
7. Western Tanager
8. Black-capped Chickadee
9. House Wren
10. Broad-tailed Hummingbird**
11. Mourning Dove
12. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
13. Northern Flicker
14. Sparrow (sp)
Elsewhere
15. Eurasian Collared Dove
Mammals
Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
