Hike in Utah – Visit Stewart Falls for a Summer Escape

The best day hike in Utah has a waterfall and is within an hour’s drive of Salt Lake City during the summer. Located at Sundance Resort, Stewart Falls is best during the summer and has fresh air, pine trees, beautiful flowers, and you can escape the city heat. Read on for more tips for your hike!

Enjoy the Summer View on a Chairlift Before Starting the Hike

Sundance Resort only allows access to this summer hike by chairlift, so you must purchase a lift ticket. Before you start worrying about hundreds of dollars, understand that scenic lift rides are around $20 per person. I recommend purchasing your tickets online in advance as there is a limited amount of tickets available each day. During the summer of 2020, guests were required to wear face masks while loading and unloading the lift and maintain social distancing. There were helpful markers in the lift line, hand sanitizer, and workers also wore masks. I felt very safe at this resort.

Pack Your Summer Essentials for This Utah Mountain Hike

You may not need as many items for a day hike, but you should consider several items for your hike. My essentials are water, sunscreen, rain jacket, snacks, and a map. This would be your minimum, please see my post on the outdoors for more info. For this hike, I recommend pants over shorts (there were a lot of waist-high plants) and the rain jacket as during my hike the weather changed about 5 times. Mountain weather is constantly changing, so keep an eye on the sky and understand that the lift may temporarily close until the storm passes.

Quick Tips for This Hike in the Utah Mountains

When you unload from your scenic chair ride, continue walking towards Rays Summit, where you will find the loop for Stewart Falls. There are a few connecting loops and trails along the way, but there are signs on the trail to guide you. This is a very popular hike, so there will be many people to ask along the way. Remember to stay on the trail and understand that you may see some wildlife. If you do see animals, leave them alone, and be respectful. You don’t need that selfie.

Enjoy!