JUNE 2008
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| TWIN PEAKS FROM BROADS FORK |
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| BEAVER POND AT BROADS FORK |
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| FROM THE BRIDGE ACROSS BROADS FORK |
Broads Fork is steep but pleasant trail located in Big Cottonwood Canyon, which will take you all the way to the top of Twin Peaks if you go far enough. It is approximately ten miles round-trip to summit Twin Peaks, and about seven or eight miles to the meadow and beaver pond located just below the peaks. You will use the Mill B South Trailhead to access Broads Fork, which shares a parking lot with the Lake Blanche Trailhead. While Lake Blanche receives very large amounts of visitors during the summer, Broads Fork is much less crowded.
The trail is very shady, and passes through a fairly thick forest before crossing a creek, passing through a meadow, and taking you up a prolonged climb through some aspen trees before finally arriving at the beaver pond at the top of the basin. If you are feeling great, you can continue past the beaver pond and right on up to the top of Twin Peaks. I have done this before, but on my last trip was content to enjoy the mountain views sitting near the pond. It is a very stunning view. I was there last in June and the area above the pond was still blanketed in snow.
If you do decide to scale Twin Peaks, be sure you know which peak to scale. On my first attempt, I went to the right, towards the Salt Lake Valley to the peak I thought was the tallest. After arriving at it, I realized I wasn't at the highest point. I had to make a return trip to get to the highest point on another trip. From where I grew up in Midvale, Utah, Twin Peaks was the most prominent feature of the Wasatch Mountains, looking straight down on the city. So I had always had a desire to climb it. I remember being surprised to find out its name was Twin Peaks because only one of the peaks is visible from Midvale. The second peak, East Twin is located directly behind West Twin when you are looking up to it from the Salt Lake Valley.
The trail is very shady, and passes through a fairly thick forest before crossing a creek, passing through a meadow, and taking you up a prolonged climb through some aspen trees before finally arriving at the beaver pond at the top of the basin. If you are feeling great, you can continue past the beaver pond and right on up to the top of Twin Peaks. I have done this before, but on my last trip was content to enjoy the mountain views sitting near the pond. It is a very stunning view. I was there last in June and the area above the pond was still blanketed in snow.
If you do decide to scale Twin Peaks, be sure you know which peak to scale. On my first attempt, I went to the right, towards the Salt Lake Valley to the peak I thought was the tallest. After arriving at it, I realized I wasn't at the highest point. I had to make a return trip to get to the highest point on another trip. From where I grew up in Midvale, Utah, Twin Peaks was the most prominent feature of the Wasatch Mountains, looking straight down on the city. So I had always had a desire to climb it. I remember being surprised to find out its name was Twin Peaks because only one of the peaks is visible from Midvale. The second peak, East Twin is located directly behind West Twin when you are looking up to it from the Salt Lake Valley.