Greens Pond Hike

/ 16 November 2016 / 0 Comments

Hi! I am Brooke from the.barefoot.fam. My family and I are major outdoor enthusiasts who love searching for new places to explore. We are also semi-hippies to love to go barefoot wherever possible!

Snowbasin is our go-to place whenever we need a quick escape. There are so many trails to enjoy there, both long and short, difficult and kid friendly. One of our all time faves is Green Pond. This hike has an upper section and a lower section (also known as Wheeler Creek), both are well marked and traveled. These trails are great year round for hiking, mtn biking, and snowshoeing. Alltrails.com says this trail is accessible March-October but we have hiked there in the winter as well. The snow gets really packed down from all the snowshoers and other hikers so we just wear plain old snow boots and do just fine!

The views are amazing year round, though I will say the summertime is definitely more....green? Honestly, I'd only do the upper trail after the mud dries and flowers start to bloom. That trail is gorgeous in the spring/summer/early fall. Not so much in the winter. The upper trail meets up with a few others and can lead all the way to the Snowbasin resort, although I've never taken it that far. We always play too long at the pond. I wouldn't suggest getting in the water, however. My son once caught a leech. It was only stuck for about 2 seconds but it sure freaked him out! You can also start at the resort and do a 5.3 mile loop. With the trail joining up with so many other trails, you could really make this hike as long or as short as you'd like! Hiking from the lower trailhead (off the highway) will give you a very slight uphill hike, with a downhill return. Hiking from the resort will be just the opposite, although the elevation change is very minimal. Both trails have some ups, downs and flat stretches.

The lower trail has great year-round views of the valley to the east and that gorgeous Snowbasin mountain to the west. We love this trail, particularly because with the meadows and bridges along the way there are lots of places to stop and snack or play. Just under a 1/2 mile down you'll find a small pond with a beaver dam. Depending on the time of year, the pond can be pretty shallow. I wouldn't play in this water either. We have hiked quickly and covered a few miles or taken our time to play and explore. This trail can take you roughly 2 miles northeast to the Old Snowbasin Road if you go left at the fork, around .3 miles into the hike. If you go right (the way I'm going to be sharing) you still reach Old Snowbasin road in about 3 miles. Mountain bikers turn this into a loop, I believe, about 7 miles round trip. Again, not a major change in elevation, about 600 ft.

I've posted several pictures below to map our little adventure from the lower trail last week. I will also include a link to the map on Snowbasin's website. You can see how many great trails there are and the level of difficulty.

Some other things to know before you go:
*We have spotted several deer and even a moose near here. Be aware that there are wildlife. We take bear spray, just in case of...something other than a bear? I haven't heard of anyone spotting a bear...yet...wink, wink.
*There are bathrooms at the resort, about 1.7 miles past the trailhead.
*Dogs are allowed on these trails! Just make sure to clean up after your pet.
*This hike has partial shade so sunscreen is a good idea.
*You don't necessarily need hiking shoes here, we've actually gone barefoot. I would just recommend shoes with decent traction and boots in the winter months.
*These two trails are very popular and are pretty busy in the early evenings.
*Bring water :)

To get to this hike, take either 12th street for Ogden Canyon (coming from the north) or 84 East (from the south). Take hwy 176 (aka Trappers Loop) for Snowbasin. From there you'll go west on Snowbasin Road for roughly a mile and a half and you'll see the parking lot on the east side of the road.