Not Everybody Loves Raymond

A couple weeks ago Annie and I set out to hike Mount Raymond. Well, our first thought was Timpanogos, but as it got closer and more obligations set in both before and after the hike we knew our time would be more limited than we would like so we opted for a shorter (though maybe not much easier) hike up Butler Fork to Mount Raymond.

The trail starts at a smallish commonly overlooked parking lot just before the dogleg in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It's on the North side of the road and there are usually enough parking places for everyone hiking the trail. From time to time you'll see cars parked on the other side of the road, but not very often.

The Butler Fork trail, like most other trails in the Wasatch Mountains, starts out steep and gets steeper. There is a section in the first half mile of the trail that really makes you question your sanity, but it also lets you know why they've never bothered to build a bigger parking lot.

The trail goes about a mile (I can't remember exact distances and I'm too lazy to go get my GPS) and splits. The left fork continues up toward Mount Raymond (the Mill A Basin, specifically), and the right goes up toward Dog Lake. I've taken both trails. They're both steep but beautiful.

There are many (I lost count) switchbacks another half mile up the trail that seem to go on and on. At the last switchback there's a trail that goes south toward Circle All Peak. We didn't go that way this time, but I describe it pretty well in one of last year's posts.

After the switchbacks end the trail stays on top of a ridge running North and South. It's nearly flat and there are incredible views in both directions. This is the first glimpse you get of the Mill A Basin to the West with  Mount Raymond looming over it. When I hiked this trail last year I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to see more of Mill A (I went East instead of West from here). It was nice to get the chance to see it close up and with all the Fall colors.

At the North end of the ridge the trail ends at a junction with the Desolation trail running East and West. To get to Mount Raymond (or Gobblers Knob) go West. East will take you to Dog Lake and eventually to Desolation Lake.

The steepness of the first part of the trail had taken its toll on us and we were pretty worn out at this point and started making backup plans. I knew that the trail would lead us to a saddle between Mount Raymond and Gobblers Knob, and that we'd probably have great views there and enough of a sense of accomplishment that we could go home feeling good about ourselves, so we set our goal to make it to the saddle and save the peak for another day.

The views were amazing as we traversed the basin and switched back up onto the saddle. We sat down for a few minutes and had some food. After resting for a bit we decided to push on and at least see what the trail was like a bit farther up so we'd know what to expect for next time.

We didn't make it too far before the steepness and rockiness were too much to keep the hiking fun, so we turned around and headed back. If I recall correctly, we hike about 7.5 miles and climbed about 3000 feet. It was a grueling day but I'm glad we were able to hike together. Maybe we'll be able to finish our hike to the peak next year.