I thought Mount Superior & Monte Cristo was going to be a relatively easy hike as compared to the other Wasatch Eleveners. Though short, only 5 miles, the hike involved quite a bit of scrambling and route finding. The hike starts from the Alta "Town Building" just off on the north side of highway 210, the main road going up Little Cottonwood Canyon just across from the Alta Lodge.
Follow "Michigan City Rd" which quickly turns into a gravel road around a couple of switchback turns before turning left/north on to a jeep trail right across from the snow avalanche study area. Note the power lines running up to the northwest, you should end up reaching the pass at the sport where these lines cross the ridge into Big Cottonwood Canyon. Follow the jeep trail west-northwest as it wanders up the slope. There is a turn off of the jeep trail on to a single-track trail going west at a quick double switchback. This trail climbs up all the way to a power pole at the pass where you can see down into Mill D South Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon. This section accounts for a little less than half of the distance and a little more than half of the elevation gain.
The rest of the hike follows the ridge west over and around various peaks. The first unnamed peak has some antennas and a small metal box shaped structure. There are trails that contour around this peak on both the north and south sides. The south side is longer but has a nice view of the canyon. I suggest trying one on the way out and one on the way back. There is also a side trail that runs up to the top of this unnamed peak from the north side if you feel like you have any extra energy you wan to burn it off.
In places there is a nice trail along the ridge and others the trail seems to disappear out of thin air. In general, the trail follows mostly on the south side of the ridge. My best advice is keep looking ahead and don't be shy about backing up if the direction you're head starts looking too radical.
The stretch from the antenna peak to Mount Superior is most of the real work. When you reach the summit of Mount Superior you will be rewarded with a great view of Monte Cristo to the west. The traverse over to Monte Cristo is fairly easy.
GPS Tracks: kml gpx
Google Maps: Terrain
1 comment:
Mike, your walks are inspiring, I'm a biker, not a hiker, but your site has been both informative on a trail level and inspiring to see what you are doing with your life.
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