The Wasatch is the heart and soul and backbone of Salt Lake City.
The rugged range forms the backdrop for our city—we see it every day. These mountains are our fortress and our playground—they define our home, our lifestyle and our conscience. Know them by their names.
Named: Ben Lomond, north of Ogden, was named after the mountain Ben Lomond in the Scottish Highlands because early settler Mary Wilson Montgomery thought the mountain range resembled the Munro, Scottish “mountains,” which are a meh 3,000 feet above sea level. Our Ben Lomond is 9,716 feet high.
About: They say the Paramount Pictures logo, known as Majestic Mountain, was modeled after Ben Lomond. Supposedly William W. Hodkinson, the founder of Paramount and a native of the Ogden area, drew the pyramid-shaped peak on a napkin during a meeting in 1914. The napkin is lost so we’ll just go with it.
Conquer: Four different trailheads to the north, south, and east of Ben Lomond’s base, lead to the summit. The standard route ascends gradually from the North Ogden Divide trailhead. The most popular route starts from Willard Basin to the north. This is the shortest and easiest way to climb the mountain but requires a long drive on dirt roads south of Mantua. This route goes to the top of Willard Peak and then traverses the ridge over Ben Lomond. You’ll be able to bag two peaks in one day!
Mt. Olympus = 9,026 feet
Named: Mount Olympus, because every range has a Mt. Olympus, right?
About: Mount Olympus’ elevation is only 9,026 feet above sea level, but its profile dominates the Salt Lake City skyline and captured the early settlers’ imagination, who, perhaps lacking actual imagination, named it Olympus after the mythical home of the ancient Greek gods—Zeus and the gang. Because of its imposing presence on the Wasatch and its easy-to-access trailhead along Wasatch Boulevard it is perhaps the most-climbed peak in the range, and, we think, a litmus test for new Salt Lakers. We won’t believe you really live here until you’ve scaled its heights. Think of it as hazing.
Conquer: This strenuous (really) and heavily trafficked hike is a 6.3-mile out-and-back featuring a river and and constant views of the valley below as you ascend. And you can bring your dog. But be warned, the trail is mostly exposed, hot and dry (avoid during peak summer) and the final ascent is as unrelenting as the will of Zeus.
Twins Peak (Boards Fork Side) = 11,330 feet
Named: Twin Peaks (Broads Fork side) There are actually two sets of Twin Peaks in the Wasatch. These arethe “Broads Fork” Twin Peaks, overlooking the Salt Lake Valley.
About: “Broads Fork” Twin Peaks are 11,330 feet tall, the second highest in Salt Lake County. Standing atop either you can see the other.
Conquer:The trail to the top is a 10.5-mile-out-and-back beginning near Salt Lake City in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It’s not an easy hike but the views are worth it, especially for birders from June to September.
Lone Peak or Pfeifferhorn = 11,253 feet / 11,325 feet
Named: Lone Peak or Pfeifferhorn Lone Peak and recorded as “Little Matterhorn” on USGS maps. Pfeifferhorn’s name comes from Chuck Pfeiffer, a local climber who was leader of the Wasatch Club.
About: East of Salt Lake City and visible from North Salt Lake to Provo. It rises sharply from the valley floor to its peak over 11,000 feet, making it a hard climb to the summit, but easily accessible.
Conquer: The steep granite cirque provides climbs ranging from Class-3 scrambles to difficult 5.10s under the Yosemite Decimal System. Its access, proximity to alpine lakes and short (but steep) trail make it a popular hike year-round. The easiest route involves moderately steep hiking and a short scramble. It offers panoramic views from the summit and sometimes mountain goats can be seen above upper Red Pine Lake below.
Mt. Timpanogos = 11,752 feet
Named: Mount Timpanogos, a word supposedly from the Timpanogots tribe which translates as “rock” (tumpi-) and “water mouth” or “canyon” (pano.) Localsjust call her “Timp.” Because the mountain’s profile looks (vaguely) like a reclining woman, legends abound about the tragic death of an Indian maiden and a star-crossed brave, yada, yada, yada. (See page 82 for the tale.)
About:Timp is the second highest in the Wasatch, peaking at 11,720 feet. The north end of the mountain is home to Timpanogos Cave National Monument with ranger-guided cave tours daily. During the warmer months, at Timpanogos Glacier, a rocky lump found on that may have patches of snow all year, you can hear water running under the rocks and Emerald Lake, at the bottom of the cirque, often turns blue indicating that the glacier is probably still moving.
Conquer: The 14-mile (23 km) round-trip hike to the summit, with almost 5,300 feet of elevation gain is one of the most frequently visited in the Wasatch and a collegial rite of passage for BYU students.
Mt. Nebo = 11,929 feet
Named: Mount Nebo, after one of the saddest stories in The Bible which says that at the end of his life, Moses stood on Mount Nebo in Jordan and looked into the Promised Land the Lord said he would never enter. Some early Bible-obsessed settler thought this peak of the Wasatch looked like the mountain in Jordan. Had he ever been to Jordan to make a real comparison? We don’t know. Maybe he was just having a bad day.
About: The southernmost and highest mountain in the Wasatch Range of Utah and way taller than its Biblical counterpart, Mt. Nebo is 11,933 feet high. (The one in Jordan where the Bible says Moses died measures only 2,330 feet above sea level.)
Conquer: Mt. Nebo has two summits; the north peak is the highest. Several trails from east and west lead to the top, another approaches from the northeast and a bench trail runs along the east side. They’re popular, but strenuous trails, and dangerous for horses. An old hand once supposedly said, “There’s dead horses in every canyon on that mountain!” You can just take the Scenic Byway up to 9,000 feet then take the short hike to “Devil’s Kitchen,” a hoodoo-filled area like you see in southern Utah.
Even in the exploration boom of the 1800s, nobody dared to explore the terrain flowing through the Green and the Colorado Rivers.
That is, nobody until Major John W. Powell said the 19th Century equivalent of “Hey man, hold my beer while I try this.”
Read more about his dangerous expedition at the link in our bio!
Photo of Powell’s expedition courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division...
Whose mouth is watering? 🙋♀️😋
@granarybakehouse_slc is a small, immaculate and intimate 9th and 9th bakery with some of the best laminated pastry in town. (That means golden flakes that get all over your car because you can’t wait until you get home to take a bite.)🥖🥐🧈
Read more about Granary Bakehouse at the link in our bio! ❤️...
A brand new issue of Salt Lake magazine is coming your way!
We can't wait to share these stories with you. This issue includes our annual Blue Plate Awards celebrating those surviving and thriving in the restaurant biz. Plus, we take a road trip to Wyoming and ask why the only Utah passenger on the Titanic didn’t survive her journey.
A note from our editor Jeremy Pugh, including beautiful tributes to Mary Brown Malouf from our friends in the community, is online now. Read more at the link in our bio ❤️
Subscribers: Look for this issue in your mailbox soon. The magazine will be on newsstands March 1! 📬...
Today, we are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2021 Blue Plate Awards! 🎉
These prizes honor the growers, food evangelists, grocers, servers, bakers, chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs who do more than put good food on the table—they make our community a better place to live. This year, just surviving as a local business deserves an award, but each of our Blue Plate winners did more than that. They made us grateful for every person involved in the essential act of feeding us. 🍽
At the link in our bio, we have the full list of winners, a celebration of feats of COVID creativity and a tribute to restaurants we lost this year. If you’re hungry for more, pick up a copy on newsstands March 1! Plus, check out our Instagram for spotlights on some of the Blue Plate winners.
This year’s Blue Plate Awards are the first without our beloved Executive Editor Mary Brown Malouf. We dedicate them to her, our town’s biggest food fan, critic and champion. xoxomm 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @ricobrandut for Staying in Beansness
Last summer, it seemed that Rico would be another victim of rapid gentrification in Salt Lake. Luckily, Rico was able to find a new home in Poplar Grove and now plans to add even more employees. It’s a last-minute happy ending for a community leader who literally wears his mission on his sleeve, courtesy a tattoo in bright red block letters: “pay it forward.” 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award Winner: @spicekitchenincubator for Keeping the Spice Flowing
This year Spice Kitchen Incubator, already an essential resource for refugees, became, well, even more essential. 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @thestore_utah for Special Deliveries
As grocery delivery becomes the new norm, The Store offers a personal touch that only an independent grocer can provide. Last March, high-risk and elderly customers began calling in their grocery lists over the phone, and The Store’s general managers personally delivered food to their homes. 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @cucinaslc for Preserving Neighborhood Connection
Cucina’s outdoor spaces became a place where the neighborhood could gather safely. Owner Dean Pierose offered free coffee in the mornings and encouraged his regulars to linger and commiserate together, preserving a semblance of society during a socially distanced time. 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @oquirrhslc for Betting the Bottom Dollar
When COVID-19 hit Salt Lake City, Oquirrh co-owners Andrew and Angelena Fullers' dream was seriously damaged. But the Fullers keep trying to follow the rules. 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @hearth_and_hill for Opening Doors
As the pandemic ravages independent restaurants, Hearth and Hill has reaffirmed its commitment to small businesses in Park City and used its large dining room as an informal gathering space for the city. 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @fisherbrewing for Creative Canning
This year, Fisher found ways to utilize their beer, taproom space and canning capabilities for good. They created special lines of limited edition beers in custom cans to help raise funds for local businesses struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. 💙...
@oquirrhslc is the kind of restaurant Salt Lake was slowly becoming famous for—chef-run, definitively local, deserving of awards and stars.
Now, a year into the pandemic, co-owners Andrew and Angelena Fuller are doing everything they can to keep Oquirrh alive. There are no days off, and they are serving all kinds of to-go orders to stay afloat, from burgers to charcuterie boards. 🍽
Independent restaurants like Oquirrh need our help! Tonight, order takeout from Oquirrh—or your favorite neighborhood spot—and support these essential members of our community. ❤️...
A wind storm #tbt for your feed today. 🌬️🛹
2020 was a long, long, loooong year, so we asked local photographers to share what the new normal looked like through their eyes. The link is in our bio!...
“Ballet dancers are all about achieving a continuous ‘line’ from the tops of our heads to the tips of our toes,” says @balletwest1 First Soloist Katlyn Addison. “Most of my life, I didn’t even think about how the pinkish tights and shoes sort of cut me in half visually, but the first time I saw a black woman like me wearing tights that matched her skin, I thought, ‘Wow, that really works for her instead of against her.’”
Check the link in bio for full story....
Melissa Diaz, owner and baker at @sweet_vinyl_bakeshop, calls herself a “baketender.” And that’s because, in addition to the usual sugar, flour, vanilla, etc., her cupcakes are flavored with beer and liquor from local brewers and distillers. So, Imperial Stout cupcakes, champagne cupcakes, bourbon maple chocolate cupcakes… you get the point. 🧁🍺
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Check the link in bio for full story....
“We’ve had to make some very tough decisions regarding staffing and operations to get through difficult times, but we’ve leaned ontechnology to help us adapt,” Nick Gradinger, co-founder of @vesselkitchen explains. “We transformed our business to facilitate seamless online ordering and curbside pickup. It’s helped create a safer environment for our customers while still delivering the quality of food and level of service they’ve grown to expect from Vessel.”⠀
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Read the full story through the link in bio....
Mother nature gifted us with some fresh snow over the weekend! ❄️ More snow in the forecast later this week means it's time to strap into those snowboard boots. ⠀
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📸 Photos courtesy of: @snowbasinresort⠀
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Check the link in bio for @snowbasinresort lift tickets, upcoming events and more! ⠀
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Just hours after being sworn in, President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for a review of the boundaries for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. The monuments—designated by Barack Obama in 2016 and Bill Clinton in 1996—were reduced by roughly 2 million acres by former president Donald Trump, and the executive order is seen as move towards restoring the original boundaries.
Read the full story through the link in bio.
📸Bears Ears National Monument: Courtesy of Utah Office of Tourism...
If you've never been to @dokidessert, I can assure you- you're missing out. ⠀
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Doki Doki is one of Salt Lake City’s most authentic Japanese bakeries. And the authenticity shows through their delicately handcrafted pastries and cakes. Plus- fluffy pancakes, can it get any better? ⠀
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Check the link in bio for a fun little write up! ⠀
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