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Jackson SmithExplorer

Salt Lake City born and raised, frequenter of the Wasatch Mountains. backcountry skiing, trail running, mountain adventurer. Backcountry.com Gearhead. #ChaseYourGOAT

Explorer

01/25/17

The hike to Bridal Veil Falls is super easy and family friendly. Perfect short date hike as well.

The Grand Prismatic Spring is an absolute phenomena. Seeing it in person is a million times better than the pictures. Well worth it!

The trail that leads to Cecret Lake has a ton of beautiful wildflowers all over the landscape in the late spring and summer. Cecret Lake is also a perfect place to hang out for the day and have a picnic.

Explorer

01/25/17

There couldn't be a more awesome place to go for a short mountain walk with the family. Its super easy and even more beautiful.

The Brighton Lakes are a great place to hike up to and hang out at with a picnic with the fam. Kids can skip rocks across the lake and explore all around.

Twin Lakes pass offers an absolutely beautiful view of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Great place to watch the sun set or rise.

Reynolds Peak is a classic Wasatch backcountry ski. If you are going to ski it while there is any hint of avalanche danger, stay off the East Face. It is frequently wind loaded and is the sweet spot angle for and avalanche (38 degrees). Skiing off the northwest side of Reynolds Peak (Reynolds Glade) is the much safer option on an avalanche prone day because of the trees and low angle slope (26 degrees).

Maybird Gulch is a fantastic location to backpack into and camp over night. If you're feeling up to the task, summit the Pfeifferhorn in the morning for sunrise.

Dogwood is the perfect crag for rookie climbers. You can hike up to the top and set your anchor up without needing to lead climb up. Just beware, it can get super busy and you might not be able to get a spot.

The Mill D North trail to Desolation Lake is one of my favorite trails for trail running in the Wasatch. It has a couple natural springs along the way where you can fill up water. During the fall the colors are absolutely stunning!

Lisa Falls is a super simple short hike up which makes it perfect for families. Beware though, Ive been rattled at by a rattlesnake hiking on this trail. And I advise not climbing up the falls without safety equipment. I know a girl who fell 50 feet from one of the falls and had to be lifted out by helicopter.

This was an absolute blast of an adventure. We backpacked up to the basin and camped just below the toilet in a secluded section of pines. The hike there was breath taking. The views are amazing from the basin. The winds were super strong throughout the night, I was worried we would be blown off the mountain! The next morning we set off for the summit. The hike up was really easy and short and the view at the top is amazing. Definitely going back to do this one again.

Ive made this hike at both sunrise and sunset before and it was absolutely breathtaking both times. Pretty steep hike if you come from the west trail. Ive also been rattled at by a rattlesnake at the top among the crags, so watch out for rattlesnakes!!! They are there!

I actually just wrote a story about the time I ski mountaineered the summit of the Pfeifferhorn. Check out my profile if you want to read it. I was able to ski mountaineer the Pfeifferhorn last winter with my mountaineering class at the UofU. It was the greatest trip of my life. We toured to Maybird Gulch, built snow shelters and spent the night there. The next morning we woke up at 5am and toured up the main face. When it got too steep, we stuck our skis in the side of the mountain and put on our crampons and whipped out our mountaineers ice axe and went for the summit. The view at the peak is unbelievable and the skiing on the main face is amazing.

Explorer

09/22/16

My favorite short hike in the Wasatch. The distance is short, but it is pretty steep at first, but eventually flattens out. Fall is just getting into full swing and this is one of my go to hikes in the fall. You get to hike through dense aspens and nothing beats aspen leaves in the fall. If you can be at the top when the sun is setting, you'll be in for a treat. The colors are so vibrant during this time of day.