Mount Olympus

There are several really nice hiking trails on the face of the Wasatch Mountains, just east of Salt Lake City, Utah. One of my favorites is at about 5400 South, just east of I-215 on Wasatch Blvd. It is the trail head for Mount Olympus. This morning I hiked up about 1 1/2 miles. Up and back it took me about 1 hour. The temperature was about 35 F and the sky was mostly cloudy. It is such a beautiful view of the Salt Lake Valley from the face of Mount Olympus. Last year on September 9Th, I hiked Mt. Olympus to the summit. In September the many oak, aspen other leaves are in bright fall colors. Fall is my favorite time to make this hike. The trail head is at about 5000 feet elevation and the peak is at about 9000 feet elevation. It took me 2 hours and 25 minutes to reach the top and another 1 hour and 20 minutes to get back down. I used 2 bottles of water, 1 bottle of Gatorade, a banana and a power bar. This was about right for me. The distance round trip is about 7 1/2 miles. The last part is steep, rocky and a bit scary to hike, but it was worth it to me. Just below this steep part is a nice saddle to have a snack, visit with friends and just enjoy the beauties of the area.