Reddit reviews Hiking The Wasatch

The Hiking the Wasatch book has a companion map that is pretty good for the area. I usually go to the State Map Store on N Temple just before Redwood Road. An awesome resource for all the surrounding states. They have a huge selection of 7.5 minute quads if you really want details. Good luck.

Hiking the Wasatch has been an indispensable guide for me.

My favorite local hike, step for step, is Mt. Raymond. It's long and meandering rather than straight up, you get to climb on the rocks near the peak, and you don't see a single ski lift. Just nature. In the next couple of weeks, the fall color should be great. I love Mt. Raymond from Butler Fork (Big Cottonwood Canyon) or Bowman Fork (Millcreek Canyon).

Lake Blanch (BCC) and The Pfeifferhorn (Little Cottonwood Canyon) are staggeringly beautiful. Silver Fork up to the ridgeline (BCC) and White Pine Lake (LCC) are pretty impressive, too.

For short hikes, I'd suggest Catherine Pass and Cecret Lake in Albion Basin (LCC); Doughnut Falls in BCC; Silver Lake in American Fork; Stewarts Falls near Sundance; Alexander Basin in Millcreek; and Killyon Canyon in Emigration for a little stroll after class.

For backpacking, I've mostly gone to the Uintas. If I were backpacking here, I'd probably do something in the mountains between American Fork & Little Cottonwood. Someday I'll finally do the beloved Timpanogos. Maybe an easy overnight on the mountains between Millcreek & Big Cottonwood Canyon. The meadow atop Neff's Canyon would be a nice camping spot, I think.

The sunny, town-adjacent hikes you dislike are quite nice in the fall and spring. I did Mt. Olympus one October, and it was a great day. The foothills have a haunting beauty during the "dead" months. They also have little surprises. The old cars, the Living Room, Jack's Mountain Mailboxes, the Pencil Peak fort. Explore the hills that are closest to you, and you will find your own secrets.