Route: Wasatch BFT (UT)

Submitted by skiloomis@gmail.com on Tue, 10/11/2022 - 08:59am
Location
Utah, US
Distance
100 mi
Vertical Gain
28,300 ft
Description

The Wasatch Back to Front to Timp.

This traverse through the heart of the Wasatch includes many of its most iconic trails and peaks as well as technical scrambling and alpine terrain. The route begins in City Park and then promptly hits the Armstrong to Pinecone ascent to the top of the Wasatch Back. From Guardsman's Pass, it's down the Crest Trail and into Mill Creek for 20 some miles. A long climb up Desolation Trail brings runners to the top of Mill B north, which descends abruptly into Big Cottonwood. Next is a 5000 foot climb up Broads Fork to the iconic Cottonwood Ridge Traverse - made famous by the WURL.  After Sunrise Peak, Dromedary, Monte Cristo, Mount Superior and Cardiff Pass, the route drops to Little Cottonwood Canyon Road across from Alta. Next is Twin Lakes pass, a Brighton loop and back up to Catherine's Pass, then head south on Ridge Trail 157 for a long haul to Timpooneeke Trailhead. The final push is up to the summit of Mount Timpanogos and a final 5000 foot descent to Aspen Grove Trailhead above Sundance Resort.

GPS mapping puts this route at about 97 miles and 27,5000 feet of vertical. While establishing this route, my watch read 101 miles and 28,300 vertical. It's likely that the ridge sections add more distance and gain than a GPS mapping picks up on, putting the true distance at right around 100 miles. 

Here is the only known completion of this route: https://www.strava.com/activities/7941420383/overview

And the first attempt: https://www.strava.com/activities/4090279361/overview

GPS Track