My first attempt to climb Mount Timpanogos -- well, not really an attempt, I knew it was too late in the day to make the summit and back down, so I really just visited the Aspen Grove Trailhead and struck out for as long as I could get in the time allotted. As it turned out, I took a wrong turn, and while I had a wonderful trip and saw some beautiful sights, I was on the wrong side of the ridge to even come close to making Mount Timp. Still, had a great time, and since it was so late in the year I knew it would be next summer before I could hit these trails again.Some Mount Timpanogos facts: Although it is a 14-mile round-trip hike, with almost a mile of elevation gain, Timp's summit is one of the most-visited in the Rocky Mountains. There are two main trails to the top: the first starts at Aspen Grove with a trailhead elevation of 6,910 feet, and the second starts at the Timpooneke campground in American Fork Canyon at 7,370 feet. The two trails are nearly exactly the same length. Hikers on the trails climb through montane forest (montane is the highland area located just below the sub-alpine zone), sub-apline, and alpine zones. Both trails are marked by waterfalls, conifers, rocky slopes and ridges, moose and mountain goats, and a small lake, Emerald Lake, at 10,380 feet. A short diversion will lead hikers past a World War II bomber crash site.
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