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Quick Details:
Length: 3.6 Out and Back or you can do 5.6 mile balloon, or a somewhat shorter loop if you start at the top.
Trail Type: Out and back. Balloon and loop options.
Difficulty: DR3. Pretty easy, gradual climb.
Elevation Gain: About 600 feet.
Restroom: There are pit toilets at the top, nothing at the bottom.
Dogs? Yes, leashed.
To Get Here:
Drive up Ogden Canyon. Just before you reach Pineview Reservoir you will see a sign for Wheeler Creek on the right. You can also opt for the scenic route and go up Weber Canyon and towards Ogden Canyon, but that does mean you have to turn left in the small side road.
Heading up Ogden Canyon (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)).
There are some neat rock formations in this canyon too (PSP).
Packed parking lot. Right now, this would normally be enough for us to find a different trail. But, it is plenty wide so we thought we’d be okay. We actually didn’t run into a lot of people anyway.
The Trail:
Trail system map.
The trail is an old dirt road so it is nice and wide. It even looks like it might have been recently groomed.
I love the cliffs in this canyon.
Looking back out of the canyon.
That old spillway was there last time, but that road down to it is new. Guess they are doing some work on it?
Looks like there might have been a rock slide here. That or leftover debris from the construction?
At least, this late in the day we were in the shadow of the mountain for most of the way.
Lovely greenery.
Some nice cascades below.
This is the thinnest part of the trail as the creek is slowly eroding the soil away. But it’s still plenty wide.
Pretty canyon.
Just loving how green everything is getting. May truly is the best month for hiking.
Another little waterfall.
.
If you decide to do the loop, you will circumnavigate that peak.
Where the creek goes under the old road and switches to the other side.
More forest.
The lovely canyon.
Little closer to that peak.
Short section that you are a little ways up above the creek. I am terrified of heights and it doesn’t really bother me here because the trail is super wide.
More forest.
The bridge across the creek that will take you to Ice Box Canyon.
The trail split for Ice Box Canyon is about a mile up. That trail is quite a bit more thin, so we decided not to do it today and just stayed on the main trail. Sad to see the trail sign has been damaged since the last time we were up here.
Looks like there might have been a recent rock fall here too.
The unnamed peak between the trails.
Pretty butterfly. I think this might be a southern rocky mountain orange tip.
Pretty canyon. And we are in the sun for a minute.
Little waterfall. Last time we hiked up here the east fork was dry. I remembered thinking that would be a nice waterfall if there was water in the creek. Looks like I was right.
Another shot.
Looking down canyon.
East Fork Wheeler Creek. If your curious, the main fork, and middle fork join just before going down ice box. Of course, this fork joins the main creek at the trail split below. I just realized east fork comes out of Green Pond. And looking at the map, this trail continues up to that trailhead as well.
More forest.
The creek below.
Pretty forest.
More canyon.
The creek below.
Almost to the top of the canyon.
Forest.
More creek.
At the top. Just wait for the view.
The valley up at the top is really pretty.
Super pretty.
Rolling green hills.
The mountains above Snowbasin peeking out from behind the hills.
Monument to Art Nord.
There is a trail split here, that I think connects to the loop, but I always use the next one.
Which isn’t that much further up. Follow that down into the trees and cross the footbridge and that will loop towards Ice Box Canyon.
It really is pretty up here.
Nearing the Art Nord TH (left). You can see the next little canyon that the east fork comes from. The map says a trail continues along up there.
More of the pretty valley.
Information kiosk at the Art Nord TH. There are also some restrooms at the far end of the parking lot.
The signs are pretty faded and hard to read.
Another map up here. Yes, trail does continue to follow east fork up to the Green Pond TH. Looks like it is a little bit longer than what we just did.
Lovely view of the valley up here.
We decided to take the trail down into the valley, because I knew it would connect back to the main trail down.
I can’t get over how pretty this valley is right now.
Into the forest.
If you want to do the loop into Ice Box Canyon, you will cross this little bridge. I assumed that was called the Art Nord Trail, since this is the Art Nord Trailhead, but now I am questioning that. Either way, it will lead to Ice Box Canyon.
I didn’t want to do that today, so we took the trail that looped up back to Wheeler Canyon.
Pretty and green.
Back on the main trail.
Heading back into Wheeler Canyon.
The creek.
Looking down canyon.
Again.
Neat rock with a window.
More pretty forest.
Back down to the little waterfall.
The lower peak.
More forest.
Getting close to the trail junction where East Fork joins the main Wheeler Creek.
More forest.
Rock slide.
Back down to the trail split.
The creek below.
Looking into Ice Box Canyon.
Down canyon.
Lovely forested section.
We found a short little side trail down towards the creek.
Which is quite lovely.
Nice forest down here.
The creek again.
I am not sure how far back this little trail goes, but I doubt it is very much further. We decided to head back.
Back on the main trail.
Back to the cliff area.
These rock formations remind me of the sedimentary pipes we saw in Kodachrome Basin State Park. Not exactly, and I am 100% certain they weren’t formed the same way, but still.
Fun cliffs.
More forest.
More cliffs.
Cliffs and forest.
The trail.
Narrower section.
These cliffs are fun.
Forest.
The narrow section again.
Erosion control measures.
The creek below.
Rock formations.
I really do love this canyon.
Some fun cascades.
More cliffs.
Another narrow section between cliffs.
The tightest section of the canyon.
With some great cliffs.
Looking down canyon again.
Back down to the old spillway.
Looking out of this canyon and across Ogden Canyon.
Nearing the trailhead.
Heading down Ogden Canyon (PSP through a very dirty windshield).
I loved that trail the first time I did it, but I particularly loved it today. The amazing cliffs, with fascinating formations combined with the amazing green forests. Ending at a stunning green valley. Small waterfalls, some wildflowers , and not too crowded. Plus, with the world the way it is right now, I appreciate a nice wider trail. 10 out of 10 squirrels today.
As for difficulty, this one has a few rocky sections, and is a bit of a climb, but overall, it is not too bad. DR3.
Dogs are allowed, leashed.
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