Wildflowers in the spring make for a really popular hike, and there are so many places to find wildflowers in the mountains and foothills of Utah. We found a great short hike that offers wildflowers at the right time of year, as well as sweeping views of the north end of Utah Valley. The Vista Ridge hike located in the foothills above Alpine is short and easy enough for little feet. At just under 3 miles roundtrip, this hike is rated Easy.
Trail Location
The trailhead for Vista Ridge Trail is located in Alpine at the Vista Ridge trailhead. There are restrooms and quite a few parking places. The exact address is 1833 Fort Canyon Rd, Alpine, UT.
Trail Info
Start the trail at the far end of the parking lot next to the restrooms. This trail gently climbs over much of the distance, but it isn’t steep or difficult. It winds to the northeast up toward the top of the ridge. Though there are a lot of houses, including new construction in this area, it feels fairly isolated due to the thickness of oak brush. We hiked this trail in the morning, and there was some shade over the first half of the hike.
The hike climbs to the ridge, and we hardly saw anyone along the way. Luckily we did see a few beautiful birds, and heard their songs as we hiked along. There was a spotted towhee, and a really pretty lazuli bunting singing his song as loudly as he could.
At about 0.9 miles, the trail splits. The right fork is the way to Vista Ridge. The left fork heads to Three Falls, which is a trail we love. There is a sign to help you stay on the correct trail. After turning right, you’ll follow the trail along the ridge to the first viewpoint. This looks back toward the southeast over Alpine.
Then the Vista Ridge Trail splits again, but both forks go to the same spot. The right trail climbs to the top of a knoll that gives a beautiful view of the entire valley. However, it is quite steep, though short. The left fork is just as rewarding, as it circles the knoll and allows you to look over the valley from the far side. Though you aren’t as high, it is just as beautiful. We recommend staying to the left at this junction.
Turn Around Spot
Soon the trail starts to drop again. We could see that the trail just dropped a little back toward a neighborhood, so we turned around. This was at about the 1.4 mile mark. We went back to the beginning by the same route, making this hike 2.8 miles roundtrip.
The Vista Ridge Trail in Alpine is covered with wildflowers in the Spring. We hiked this trail the first week of June and the flowers were on the tail end. But we loved how close we were to the mountains, and the easiness of the trail. We will definitely hike this one again.
