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Swan Peak, 18 August, 2024
Eleven hikers drove up Logan Canyon to Swan Flat Road, headed north 3 ½ miles on a very muddy road and passed numerous campers along the way to the Swan Peak trailhead. The trail descends through sagebrush into a creek bed (usually dry in the summer) and then heads uphill about 150 feet to a fork. The “official” trail, as shown on topographic maps, continues straight up the slope at a grade of nearly 25%. We took the less-developed, less-strenuous trail that headed diagonally up the slope to the right, into a large aspen grove. At about mile 0.7 the trail leaves the aspen trees and enters another sagebrush community with views of several notable peaks in the Bear River Range, including Beirdneau Peak, Mount Jardine, Mount Elmer, Naomi Peak, and others. The trail then went through open grassland, mountain mahogany, and mixed conifer/aspen vegetation until we reached the east side of the peak. We ate lunch near the top of the peak while enjoying a panoramic view of Bear Lake and the Bear Lake Valley.
On our way back to the trailhead, we took a branch trail to Swan Peak Pond, which is surrounded by conifers and aspen. We were fortunate to see several tiger salamanders swimming in the pond. The only other major wildlife siting was a golden eagle near the trailhead. Sheep had recently grazed the area, so few wildflowers were in bloom. We did see common yarrow along most of the trail, and red elderberry near the pond.
Trip Summary:
- Participants: Dave W., Jane, Dave P., Kathy, Ralph, Kamren, Brent L., Teresa, Brent J., Laurel, and Chris (leader).
- Drove 28 miles from Logan to Swan Flat Road turnoff, then 3.4 miles north to the trailhead.
- Started hiking about 9:20; had lunch near the peak from 11:15-11:45; back to the trailhead by 1:15; and back to Logan by 2:10.
- Clear skies,
nice temperatures, and a slight breeze.
- About 3½ miles round trip with ~800 feet of ascent.
Thanks
to Chris for the narrative and photos, Ralph for
photos and Dave W for photos and GPS data
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| The beginning
of our hike |
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| We followed the old trail that starts
here |
The way is marked with old blazes on
aspen trees |
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| We passed
through an aspen grove and emerged onto open
terrain |
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| Looking west to peaks along the main ridge of the Bear River Range | |||
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| We could identify peaks from Beirdneau Peak on the south to Doubletop Mountain to the north | |||
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| Our lunch spot on Swan Peak provided a panoramic view of Bear Lake to the east | |||
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| Swan Peak Pond, with neotenic tiger salamanders (aka paedomorphs), https://wildaboututah.org/tiger-salamander/ | |||
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Our GPS track shows about 3.3 miles
and over
800 feet of ascent.
You can look at our route using Google Earth
or download our GPS
file.
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