This loop hike includes two peaks, Red Butte and Mt Wire. It also shares a trailhead with the living room trail, which I completed late in 2020. Winter and I completed this hike during April, however I highly recommend going a bit later in the season as this trial is known for wildflowers once the snow clears. All trails has this hike listed as moderate with a distance of 4.2 miles and 2,1000 ft of elevation gain. When I completed the hike with Winter in April we tracked it at closer to 5 miles.
Red Butte
The Red Butte peak is about 1.5 miles into the hike and sits at 6600 feet in elevation. The hike to this point is steady elevation gain. It would be easy to miss the turn off from the main trail to this less trafficked trail. Luckily I was definitely not the first person that day to hike up to Red Butte. There was a lot of slush and mud others had disturbed. Before the trail splits the hike is really exposed on the ridgeline. Once you make the split there is more cover for the next ~ 0.7 miles up to Red Butte. The views looking east from Red Butte into the public lands were pretty epic – and only got better as the hike continued.
Mt Wire
After Winter and I made it to Red Butte, we continued up the less trafficked trail to Mt Wire. This added another 500 ft of elevation gain, taking us up to 7110 feet, over the next half mile. We took our time and enjoyed the views on the way of both the city and the wilderness behind the mountains. The top of Mt Wire features a large red radio tower – hence its name.
Mt Wire Peak
From the Mt Wire peak there are two options to get down from the mountain. The first – which I do not recommend from personal experience – is down the ridge of Mt Wire and ends close to the trailhead. The second option goes a bit wider to the south but has a less steep hike down. Winter and I chose the ridge line hike down, which was extremely steep. But we made it without incident – even with the muddy and slick conditions.
Before you go
This is a popular trail head that leads to multiple very popular hiking trails, including the living room hike and a section of the bonneville shoreline trail. The good news is there is plenty of parking available along the road. This trail is heavily trafficked for the first mile or so, and then you can enjoy the solitude of only seeing one or two other groups. Overall a great hike and a great day spent on the trails.
Enjoying all of Winter and my adventures? Check out more hiking and trips we have taken on our archives page! More hikes from across Utah are also featured here!