This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Directions • The inexplicably-named "Little Mountain Summit" trailhead actually occupies a small saddle atop Emigration Canyon, overlooking Little Dell Reservoir. It is on the north side of the road 7.4 miles east of the mouth of the canyon in Salt Lake City or 1.5 miles west from State Road 65 in Mountain Dell, near exit 134 of Interstate 80 in Parley's Canyon. A large parking lot is on the south side of the road.

Hike • Whether you should finish this hike depends on how badly you want to officially "bag" Little Mountain as it appears on maps. There are lots of other lovely stopping points on this rolling, four-season trail.

At the trailhead, pass by the gate and watershed sign to climb a steep but short hill. From there, trail makes mostly-gentle ups and downs for 1.7 miles northeast, to a clearing with nice views of the mountains south of Interstate 80 and an overlook into a minor drainage of Killyon Canyon.

You can turn back here, or you can leave the main trail and continue on a footpath 0.2 mile east up to the ridge.

From the footpath, you can head south 0.1 mile to a cairn and views, or you can go north up the ridge.

At 2.1 miles, you'll be on a saddle to a sub-peak. You can take a footpath a couple hundred feet north to that sub-peak, which is actually slightly higher than Little Mountain, and has clearer views. This is a good stopping point, but I wanted to find Little Mountain.

From the minor peak, I took deer trails on the ridge and bushwhacked down to the left to a more defined footpath. This continues north to another saddle at 2.4 miles. From here, you have to pick your way up another 0.1 mile to the top of Little Mountain.

After Little Mountain, go back to the footpath and take it back south as it goes slightly below the ridge, bypassing the bushwhacking and the sub-peak. Follow it back up to the ridge and return the way you came.

— Erin Alberty

Twitter: @erinalberty DestinationLoop

Hiking time3 hours

Round trip miles5.1

Elevation gain800 feet

DifficultyModerate

Trailhead restroomsYes

Dogs allowedNo

Bikes allowedYes, for first 1.7 mile

FeesNone