The Honeycombs Cliffs are a popular spot for backcountry skiers to find fresh lines when the resorts are tracked out. The cliffs tower over the boundary line between Solitude and Brighton ski resorts, and make a great summer destination as well. The high altitude starting point translates to moderate temperatures; when the valley is...
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Mount Everest towers over the Rongbuk Glacier at a jaw dropping 29,029 feet above see level, asserting itself as the highest mountain in the world. In the freezing core of Alaska, Denali rises to 20,320 feet, the highest in North America. Climbers hoping to scrape the sky by ascending these heights do so at...
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In many of the hiking and climbing articles here on UtahOutside.com, you may read about “Class.” Class is used to describe the level of difficulty encountered on any given trail or mountain. But what does “Class 2″ hiking really mean? I thought it was time for a breakdown, as many novice hikers and scramblers...
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Kings Peak is the tallest mountain in Utah, so climbing to the summit is a rite of passage for any hiker living in the state. All serious hikers around the country have one thing in common: an insatiable desire to climb the highest peak in the state they live in. Standing atop the king...
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Ultralight gear for backpackers comes in all forms. There’s titanium cookware, weightless tents, and even people cutting the handles off toothbrushes. Tarps, on the other hand, aren’t a very sexy item to fret over, yet it’s a piece of gear that is essential to anyone carrying a featherweight pack into remote areas. The Ultralite...
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So you want to bag a big peak, but the crowds in Big and Little Cottonwood are just too much. Or perhaps you want to get above 11,000′ but aren’t quite ready for the Class 3-4 scrambles that many Utah mountains require. What if I told you that there was a gorgeous summit just...
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When it comes to backpacking, some people are obsessive-compulsive about lightweight gear. Others (like me) don’t mind bending under the weight of a heavier pack for a more comfortable experience in the mountains. A lot of progress has been made in an effort to make outdoor gear both lightweight and comfortable. But when the choice between tents...
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The dilemma: you want to backpack somewhere close to home in a beautiful mountain setting, and have the place to yourself. Sounds like just the kind of tall order that most hikers dream up every weekend. The answer: Hidden Lake in the western Uintas. This serene alpine lake delivers on all three of those...
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One of the most iconic landscapes of desert paradise in Utah will be off limits to the public for a month due to construction. The Calf Creek Recreation Area, located in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, will close on July 6th for approximately 30 days. This closure will affect access to the popular Lower Calf...
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On long backpack trips, clean drinking water is vital. Nobody wants to carry heavy water from home in the pack, but water from streams and lakes can be infected with microscopic bacteria that will ruin the trip (and make you dig a bunch of holes in the woods.) There are several options available for...
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