Stewart Cascades

 

I went out today thinking this was called Stewart Falls, but the map, and all signage said Stewart Cascades, so that is what I am going to go with.

My original plan was to hit Cascade Springs, Then Stewart Cascades, and exit Provo Canyon. That kind of failed but we will get to that. To get to Stewart Cascades you take the Alpine/Highland exit and head up American Fork Canyon. There is a $6.00 day use fee at the mouth of the canyon.

You can make out the scar from the Quail Fire we had recently.

After misinterpreting the map we ended up at the Alpine Trailhead  rather than Cascade springs. Alright we will do this first. One of the things I noticed that I like is of all 3 trailheads we visited today, Unlike the Nebo Loop, all of them had a sign informing of how long the trail is.This is awesome because if you come into the canyon without already knowing, you can gauge if you have time to do it.

Caterpillar

Pretty wildflowers.

It is so green up here!

Fallen tree.

Butterflies

Valley below.

Am I really still in Utah? This looks like Oregon to me.

Pretty glen.

Thistle.

Pretty peaks.

Broken aspen.

First glimpse of the falls, and an additional waterfall that I don’t know if it is named or is considered part of Stewarts Cascades.

At this point there was a trail-marker that said Stewart Falls right, Sundance left. So I went right and met a boulder, and a cliff. This really cant be the end of the line can it? So I went down the Sundance trail.

Sure enough there was a better view of the falls. You know it is kind of funny, how much we were talking about how much the trail reminded us of Oregon, and here we are to the falls, and wouldn’t you know it, they are extremely similar to Multnoma Falls in Oregon. Pictured here:

 

   

And side by side. Just imagine a bridge and more greenery and it is a pretty close match.

We decided to try to find the 2nd waterfall, and we went up several side trails that seemed promising but they all either thinned out and got too steep or just stopped.

I have seen these flowers a lot lately, and I saw this burst of color on the top of one and thought I finally found one starting to bloom.

Imagine the horror when I discovered it to be a spider munching on a wasp! You know, I am or was a severe arachnophobic person, however I was much more intrigued than horrified by this scene.  The spider was shy, and every time I went to the other side of the flower to get a better shot, he crawled to the other side. Bastard! I have never, ever seen a spider like this in Utah. anybody know what it is?

Update June 2014: I have since learned this is a Flower Crab Spider, most likely specifically the Goldenrod Crab Spider. They are even more fascinating than I thought as they have the unique ability to change color from white to yellow in order to blend into the flower they are hiding in to effectively ambush prey. Which would explain why I have never seen them before. Really fascinating creatures actually.

The other waterfall looks really amazing, but the 3 or 4 trails we tried just were not getting us to it. Sigh.

A couple of people braver than I climbed up the ridge to the upper section. I discovered the waterfall due to a news story of someone falling here, so, I was not about to attempt that climb.

Our privacy with the falls was gone, as more and more people started showing up. So we turned back. Considering this was marked as a popular trail, I was thrilled to get some alone time, and even when we left there were only 8 or so people so not nearly as bad as some other trails we have done.

After returning home I discovered there is some overlook you can see the 2 terraces shown, as well as at least 2 more. Kind of upset I didn’t find that, but this of course gives me an excuse to return.

Pretty valley view.

I saw this plant near Bridal Veil Falls and now I see it here. I still don't know what it is but it is very cool!

Another shot of the peaks.

Large rockslide you have to hike through.

We kept hearing movement in the thick underbrush, movement that seemed larger than squirrels, and then we discovered a cute bunny!

Thistle!

Wild Snapdragon.

Towards the end of the trail I noticed a picnic area below, we had brought a lunch so it seemed this would be a great place to eat it. Here is the view from our picnic area, towards lower middle left you can make out the upturned tree we passed on the trail.

This was a short, easy, absolutely beautiful trail with tons of wildflowers, butterflies and even some wildlife. It was mostly flat, and even though it is said to be a popular trail we didn’t run into too many people and even got a moment with the waterfall to ourselves. I mean the only downside is how remote it is, but if your camping up here that’s not really a downside. I think it deserves a perfect 10 squirrels!