hamster on skis
Certified Ski Diva
I'm planning a three-generations road trip (taking along my parents and my kids) from Salt Lake City to Phoenix (through Moab, Grand Canyon, and Sedona). The first stop is Alta/Snowbird (to see the Wasatch mountains before heading to desert -- especially as we skied there so many times but never visited in the summer).
I would really appreciate some advice from divas on some easy short hikes and meadows walks around Alta/Snowbird to do in early September. Ideally, we'd like to spend a couple of hours walking and enjoying the views -- we won't have too much time and don't need any special destination, but would like to experience open meadows and mountain views. (A scenic drive or taking pictures from the parking lot won't be enough though).
My kids are old enough (10 and 12) and experienced hikers, Grandpa is very fit for his age and can definitely do easy/moderate hikes. My mom can walk on a flat dirt path or nature preserve trail for 1-2 miles, but she can only handle very minimal elevation gain and definitely cannot do anything that qualifies as hiking. I looked at the summer hiking map on Alta's website, it looks like the Cecret lake trail would be great for everyone but my mom won't be able to make it, it looks a bit steep approaching the lake. But the first part of the trail seems fairly flat, correct? (Maybe she can hang around there while others go the lake.) It might also be enough to walk some other short paths in Albion basin, maybe just go to Alf's, etc. Any short path would do as long as it's in the meadows, not completely in the woods, and has views. Are there any trails or anything in particular that I should be aware of? Or is everything really too hard for a non-hiker? (From skiing I remember that there's a pretty flat area, but of course the terrain feels pretty different on skis.) I'm looking at the map here: https://media.alta.com/resources/Maps/Alta-Summer-brochure_Web_2018.pdf
Perhaps the most important question: how bad is the parking situation in Albion basin? Would I be able to park on a Friday morning (Sept 7), say if I get there around 9am? If not, what time would get me a spot?
My first idea was to go to Snowbird, taking the tram up, walking on the ridge a bit and then to Peruvian, and taking the Peruvian down. I don't even mind paying the tram tickets ($$$!) but the tram doesn't open until 11, and we'd like to start much earlier. Also would like to avoid all those roller coaster or whatever other entertainment Snowbird has. We are more interested in seeing the mountains than seeing a resort...so it looks like Alta would be much nicer. Or should I just bite the bullet and plan for the Snowbird tram?
I would really appreciate some advice from divas on some easy short hikes and meadows walks around Alta/Snowbird to do in early September. Ideally, we'd like to spend a couple of hours walking and enjoying the views -- we won't have too much time and don't need any special destination, but would like to experience open meadows and mountain views. (A scenic drive or taking pictures from the parking lot won't be enough though).
My kids are old enough (10 and 12) and experienced hikers, Grandpa is very fit for his age and can definitely do easy/moderate hikes. My mom can walk on a flat dirt path or nature preserve trail for 1-2 miles, but she can only handle very minimal elevation gain and definitely cannot do anything that qualifies as hiking. I looked at the summer hiking map on Alta's website, it looks like the Cecret lake trail would be great for everyone but my mom won't be able to make it, it looks a bit steep approaching the lake. But the first part of the trail seems fairly flat, correct? (Maybe she can hang around there while others go the lake.) It might also be enough to walk some other short paths in Albion basin, maybe just go to Alf's, etc. Any short path would do as long as it's in the meadows, not completely in the woods, and has views. Are there any trails or anything in particular that I should be aware of? Or is everything really too hard for a non-hiker? (From skiing I remember that there's a pretty flat area, but of course the terrain feels pretty different on skis.) I'm looking at the map here: https://media.alta.com/resources/Maps/Alta-Summer-brochure_Web_2018.pdf
Perhaps the most important question: how bad is the parking situation in Albion basin? Would I be able to park on a Friday morning (Sept 7), say if I get there around 9am? If not, what time would get me a spot?
My first idea was to go to Snowbird, taking the tram up, walking on the ridge a bit and then to Peruvian, and taking the Peruvian down. I don't even mind paying the tram tickets ($$$!) but the tram doesn't open until 11, and we'd like to start much earlier. Also would like to avoid all those roller coaster or whatever other entertainment Snowbird has. We are more interested in seeing the mountains than seeing a resort...so it looks like Alta would be much nicer. Or should I just bite the bullet and plan for the Snowbird tram?