Hike Photo-blogging: Lewis Peak, Wasatch-Cache National Forest

My son and I did this hike on July 19, 2003.

Lewis Peak is an 8,031-foot mountain overlooking the city of Ogden. The trail to it is a great one for hiking, but there are alot of mountain bikers that use it as well. The best access is from the parking lot at North Ogden Pass. You only have about a 2,000-foot climb from the parking lot, and then it levels out on top. Here's Captain Holly at the trailhead.

The trail mostly follows the crest of the mountains. When we went there were wildflowers blooming everywhere, as is typical for July in Utah's mountains.

There were also rattlesnakes; this is the first of two that we encountered during that hike. He was just sitting there in the bushes right next to the trail and a mountain biker had rode past just seconds before and never saw him. My son encountered the other when he sat on a pile of rocks and knocked one loose, causing the snake -- who was hiding under the pile -- to buzz. I don't think I've ever moved faster in my life when I reached out and grabbed him to pull him back.

The view from the top is wonderful. You can see Ogden and much of the Great Salt Lake.

The large mountain directly to the north is Ben Lomond, which will be featured in a later post.

The trail is fairly popular but that's understandable: Lewis Peak is one of my favorite hikes and I suspect alot of people agree. It's relatively easy terrain but you get a great view when you reach the peak.