Cardiff Pass Trail - Little Cottonwood Canyon

Pictures and Story Sent In By DJ Nebula of SLC

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This hike is the end of the Cardiff Fork trail. It's on the Alta side, and is much shorter, only 1 mile to the pass from the trailhead. It starts behind the old Forest Service garage, and winds its way up a small road that turns unpaved.  After a curve to the right in the road, there is a fork to the left.  This takes you around above some cabins and starts up the hill to the foot trail.  This is a jeep track that eventually turns to a foot path that continues up the side of the hill.  As I continued up the ridge line south in Little Cottonwood Canyon, the Pfeifferhorn, White Baldy, Twin Peaks, Hidden Peak, Mt. Baldy, and Collins Gulch are all in view. The jeep track flattens out for a bit, then swings to the right, while the trail continues west up the hill. As I climbed up the hill, the elevation and UV index started to take its toll.

Here the incline gets a bit steeper, and the trail is turns into a foot track towards the pass.  As you crest a ridge you can see the trail split between a set of  pines, and a rock slide that has once come down the side of this mountain, but now sits quiet. The trail goes through some trees, up the right side of the slide, makes some small switchbacks and then before I knew it, I was on Cardiff Pass. There is a spike in the red rock that is engraved 1929. There is also a twin telephone pole up here, which now runs power instead of phone lines. All of the pass is red rock, with giant formations on each side. On the left looking up the Cardiff Fork ridgeline, you will see an observation house, and an antenna, probably for Ski Patrol or Avalanche control.

Looking down the Cardiff Fork, you can see all the way to the fork in the road, and across the canyon to the Mill D North drainage. It was a bit blustery wind wise on the pass, but calm just as soon as you stood down from the pass. I decided after a few pictures, and some snacks, to get a move on. As I began my decent down the pass, I looked to my right, and behold, Mountain Goats on the western slope. There were five adults, and one kid. They are amazing creatures, for they can traverse just about any terrain. I trail ran all the way down, with no problem getting out of the canyon well before dark. Great short hike for late spring, or early fall.

Trail Stats

Trail head begins at the old forest service garage.

Distance to Cardiff  Pass  - 1 miles

Elevation Gain  - 1360 vertical feet to 10,000 feet

Hiking Time - 1hrs 10 min - from trail head

Distance to  - 2 1/4 miles

Hiking Time - 1 hr 10 min from trail head.