I packed up Winter and my day pack, drove 20 minutes from my apartment to check out the 2.3 mile, out and back, approximately 1,000 foot elevation gain Living Room Lookout Trail. It turned out to be a quick snowy afternoon hike on a *normally* heavily trafficked trail behind the University of Utah. The couch of rocks at the top give the locally iconic trail its name. The trail map is available on All Trails!
The Hike
The trail head was really easy to locate, even in the snow. The day Winter and I hiked micro-spikes were not necessary, but when hiking during snow season I always pack them just in case. With the snow came wind on this exposed trail. So needless to say, I was happy I decided to bundle up before leaving the car.
We heeded the advice from All Trails reviews, making sure to follow the map closely for the first quarter of mile. There are plenty of trails in the area that could add distance to your hike if you take a wrong turn. And there are no signs for the Living Room Lookout Trail.
The easy start is deceiving as the trail quickly turns into an up-mountain grind. For this Texas gal used to hiking on flat trails in low elevation, I appreciated the leg burner. We ran into 2 other groups on our hike, which made for an enjoyable hike on the typically high-traffic trail. One of the advantages of hiking in an off-peak season – less crowded trails. The gorgeous views of the valley start about halfway up the trail. The remainder of the hike is along the ridgeline, so the views don’t stop.
In total the trail took us about 1 hour 15 minutes to finish. A great, short afternoon hike.
Check out more of Winter and my adventures in Utah! OR head over to the archive to read all about our adventures in Texas and other states.
Nice!! Sure I was there… hopefully we can hike it when I come up…
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[…] 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 […]
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