Broads Fork Twin Peaks

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

This is a very steep trail but extremely rewarding. It ends up at one of the most noticeable peaks from all over the Salt Lake Valley, and it definitely shows because the views from Twin Peaks are incredible.

The first part of the trail is a well-maintained trail that is less steep and crosses over a nice cascade. The last 2,500 feet of vertical gain are very steep and require a lot of scrambling over talus, but all of the struggle is worth it.

If you are not comfortable with off-trail wayfinding and scrambling, or you just want a shorter, easier option, turn around at the end of Broads Fork Trail #055.

If going in the early summer, an ice axe will be nice to have for the last sections.

There is really only a trail until you get to the end of the main valley bottom (about 9,400 feet of elevation) and after that it's just scrambling either on scree or snow, depending on the season. If going in the spring or early summer, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring an ice axe to get up the last couloir before getting to the summit.

From the trailhead, the Broads Fork Trail #055 ascends through a pretty forest as it goes toward the Broads Fork drainage. The trail at this point is well-maintained, although still steep in most sections. About a mile from the trailhead, the trail crosses a footbridge right by a very pretty cascade.

About another mile from the bridge, the trail comes out into the glacial valley with great views of O'Sullivan and Dromedary peaks, as well as a couple of beaver ponds (with a weird log crossing in there as well). The trail continues, although (at least in early summer) it gets faint and sometimes covered by snow at this point.

Eventually, at about 2.5 miles from the trailhead, the trail starts to get really steep as it starts to carve through the giant talus pile that sits at the head of this cirque, and the trail completely disappears at some points under the snow and talus. The objective is clear, though: get to the head of the cirque, at the saddle just below O'Sullivan Peak, so even without a trail it is easy to keep sight of where you need to go.

After getting to the saddle, the "trail" goes back behind the rocky ridge that leads to Twin Peaks and follows below the rocky ridge until reaching a steep couloir. It then goes up the couloir, where the real trail reappears for the last few hundred vertical feet to reach the top.

The views from the top of Twin Peaks are incredible in all directions. To the west is the Great Salt Lake and the Salt Lake Valley; to the north are other sections of the Wasatch Range like Ben Lomond and Ogden Peak; to the east are the rest of the peaks along the ridge that divides Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, and to the south are the amazing cirques and aretes of White Pine Canyon, Red Pine Canyon, Maybird Gulch, as well as the Pfeifferhorn. The views are absolutely breathtaking, especially in the early summer when snow still lingers in the higher parts of the Wasatch Range.

Keep an eye open for beaver dams and ponds and plenty of wildflowers in early summer.