Earlier this week I went for a long hike up in the mountains east of Kaysville, Utah. The goal of the hike was to get to one of the Smith Creek Lakes (there are three of them in a chain) and bust out my $16 budget packraft for a quick little paddle.
Here’s a video of the adventure, or you can just look at the pictures below:
(Click here if you can’t see the video.)
Map and Stats:
- Round trip distance: ~12 miles
- Total elevation gain: ~5,400 feet
Pics
View up the canyon from the trailhead
In Bair Canyon
A little waterfall in Bair Canyon
Looking out at the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island
Francis Peak
Francis Peak
Looking back to the lake again. The second half of the trail was super steep.
The trail near the top
The first of the Smith Creek Lakes
Francis Peak and snow
Smith Creek Lake
The raft and the lake
On the lake
Budget packrafting at its finest
Bair Canyon on the way down
A big beehive near the trailhead