Winter Hike to Mt. Olympus

Approach: You can access the well traveled Mount Olympus Trail the same as you would any other season. Park in the trailhead lot or along Wasatch Blvd. The trail starts on the south side of the parking lot.

Route Description: Even in the winter the Mount Olympus trail should be pretty straightforward to follow. The trail maintains a packed snow/ice surface even at lower elevations through most of the winter. Additional traction (such as Microspikes) will prove very valuable to moving quickly and safely and snowshoes may not be needed. The trail is steep and switchbacks numerous times as it travels up toward the top.

After 3 miles, you’ll reach “the saddle”. This is a great place to rest, grab a snack, and take in the views of numerous peaks to the southeast. Many people make this their high point and turn back from here. The route continues north from the saddle and climbs steeply over snow covered class 3 terrain. You shouldn’t “need” an ice axe or anything other than good foot traction, but be sure to move carefully and avoid taking an unnerving fall. If you're going to need flotation from snowshoes at all, this stretch of the route is where you'll be putting them on. If you don't have snowshoes or don't want to lug them up there, wait a couple days after a storm for the boot track to be stomped out. Keep following the boot track to the summit and descend the same way you came.

For the summer hike, check out Hike Mt. Olympus.