There aren’t many cities in the U.S. where you can hike a mountain right in downtown, but Salt Lake has several trails that originate on the urban periphery. One of the most historic, notable, and perfect-for-a-short-getaway is Ensign Peak. At an elevation of 5,416 feet, Ensign Peak is a molehill compared to the surrounding Wasatch. But if you’re looking for a quick lunchtime hike away from the downtown office, or need a perch to view the sunset over the Great Salt Lake, this 1-mile out-and-back is ideal.
The trailhead for Ensign Peak is located in the neighborhood above the Utah State Capitol Building. It begins at the Ensign Peak Nature Park on a paved, wide sidewalk that heads up into the hills. A rotunda filled with educational panels is a quick diversion where you can learn the history of the place. A short distance from the street, the pavement ends and the dirt begins. A side hike to the left leads to Vista Mound, which provides decent views of Ensign Peak above and the Salt Lake Valley below. But it does not compare to the view on the Ensign summit, so continue on.
Beyond the pavement, the trail stays wide as it climbs through scrub oak forests on a not-too-steep grade. Arrowed posts provide direction as narrow side trails do split off, but the main path is extremely obvious and easy to follow. Above the scrub oak, vegetation opens into meadows of grasses. The trail winds around to the back side of Ensign Peak and gets a little steeper and more rocky.
As you near the top, the trail comes to a sort of saddle on a small ridge. Go south and finish the final, short climb to the top where a stone monument marks the summit. Mormons consider this a special place as it’s the first mountain pioneers climbed after they entered the Salt Lake Valley. The peak has served as a temporary temple before the Salt Lake Temple was built, and Brigham Young, after climbing to the top, said, “Here is a proper place to raise an ensign to the nations,” hence the name.
At the summit, you are treated to a sweeping view of the Wasatch Mountains to the east, the buzzing metropolis of the Salt Lake Valley to the south, and the Oquirrh Mountains and Great Salt Lake to the west.
In total, the hike is only around 1 mile round trip with 400 vertical feet of elevation gain. This is a perfect hike for first-timer kids. In fact, it’s so easy that families, mothers with strollers and elderly folks are often seen making the trek. But Ensign Peak can pose issues during mid-summer days as the trail is exposed and the area gets very hot under the sun.
Getting There: To find the trailhead, start in downtown Salt Lake City and take State Street north to the capitol. Veer right onto East Capitol Boulevard. Drive up the hill and turn left onto North Sandrun Drive. Go one block to where the road splits at a LDS church. Take the right fork for 1/2 block to the trailhead at Ensign Peak Nature Park.