Mt. Timpanogos | 4,580' Elevation Gain

To the tip top of Timp

Mt. Timpanogos is considered one of Utah’s hiking staples for a good reason. The mountain’s legendary summit attracts peak baggers from all over the state. I personally avoid more popular trails in the Wasatch during the Summer. With so many canyons and peaks, I never see a reason to join the herd. Mt. Timpanogos is a destination I always make an exception for.

Timpooneke Trailhead

Last Summer my brother was in town and he’d set aside a day for us to bag Mt. Timpanogos. We set off from the Timpooneke trailhead (click link for pin) around 6AM and started climbing the 4k feet of elevation ahead of us. The trail itself is well maintained and easy to follow.

On The Trail | Mt. Timpanogos

A couple of miles in we suddenly heard a loud galloping sound that literally began vibrating the trail beneath our feet. As the commotion grew more intense we instinctually moved over to the side. This new vantage point gave us a perfect view of three moose not 30ft from us. The mini earthquake had obviously come from the heavy hooves of these large animals.

One of the moose swaggered toward us as we backed away. Once the large bull was satisfied with our placement it trotted off. Who knew there was so much toxic-moose-culinity in the Utah Wilderness? Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun.

To the Summit | Mt. Timpanogos

We continued up above the tree line toward the summit. Once you get passed the cirque the trail gets much steeper. Wild flowers and views make this section up to the saddle my favorite part of the trail.

Not Baaaaad for a View

some of the local peak baggers joined us at the very top – Mountain Goats are actually a regular sighting in the Mt. Timpanogos wilderness. They are pretty conditioned to seeing us humans so they’re not as shy as you might think. Depending on the situation they can be aggressive so it’s always best to keep some distance.

Hike Review | Mt. Timpanogos

A is for effort… But in this case, A is for “Animal.” Moose and plenty of Mountain Goats made for an adventurous hike (the canyon was also filled with the echoes of coyote howls on the way down). But without the wildlife encounters this hike would still have gotten a great rating from us. My main Tip For Timp is this: Come and Hike it.

James Kent

Rogue White & Blue owner

I’m not going to do the whole third person bio thing – As a patriotic outdoorsman, I love America and it’s wild places. I grew up in Oregon and moved to Utah in 2009 to get my bachelors degrees in Psychology. I’m an infantryman in the Army National Guard and like to backpack. When I’m not creating American made products for my small business you’ll find me weaving through a canyon or scrambling up a ridge line.

Thanks for reading!

James

Join us on our mission to bring patriotism to the outdoors. Check out our apparel that combines the founding fathers & mother nature by clicking here.