Utah Hike of the Week: The Living Room — Salt Lake City
| May 26, 2017, 3:42 p.m.
| Updated: Sep. 12, 2017, 10:51 p.m.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Hikers relax May 9, 2017 on the rock seats propped up in the Living Room, a popular hiking destination above Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Blossoms smother serviceberry shrubs May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Arrowleaf balsamroot blooms May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Sweetvetch blossoms cluster May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Sweetvetch blossoms cluster May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Pink phlox bloom cheerfully May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
The adorable stickseed flower bounces in an afternoon breeze May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Hikers pass a pink flowering shrub May 9, 2017 near the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City. The shrub appears to be a honeysuckle that is not native to Utah.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Death Camas 1-3 - Although the bulb has been known to poison animals and people, the flowers emit a gorgeous, seemingly-iridescent sheen in the afternoon sun of May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Hikers relax May 9, 2017 on the rock seats propped up in the Living Room, a popular hiking destination above Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
The adorable stickseed flower bounces in an afternoon breeze May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Arrowleaf balsamroot blooms May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Sweetvetch blossoms cluster May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Bluebells ring in the warmer weather as they bloom May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
A chokecherry shrub bursts into bloom May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Pink phlox bloom cheerfully May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
A sweet pea blossom rests gracefully in the shade May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Larkspur blooms and fades quickly. This one remains blueish purple May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Blossoms smother serviceberry shrubs May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Astragalus, or milkvetch, blooms May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Blossoms smother serviceberry shrubs May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune
Bluebells ring in the warmer weather as they bloom May 9, 2017 along the Living Room trail in Salt Lake City.
The Living Room is one of the most popular hikes in Salt Lake City, and this is not its first appearance as The Tribune's Hike of the Week. But the routes have changed over the years, and May is such a lovely time to get into the Wasatch foothills. There were loads of flowers when I visited, with many more buds to open. There is no bad time to take in the view from the overlook where flat rocks have been arranged into sofas and armchairs. Sunset is beautiful but may be crowded.
Directions •From Foothill Drive near the University of Utah, take Wakara Way northeast to Colorow Drive, the final intersecting road before the Natural History Museum and Red Butte Garden. Turn southeast on Colorow Drive and park along the road. The trailhead is about 0.3 mile from Wakara.
Hike • From the trailhead, take the well-worn footpaths about 0.15 mile to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. About 20 yards to the southeast, a well-worn trail rises uphill. When I visited, there was a large sign with the number 174 marking the turn. Take the trail east up the hill; it will merge with another trail about a tenth of a mile up and continue uphill. Stay on this main trail as it winds east and north; the trail is clear. About 1.1 mile from the trailhead, take a sharp turn southwest; the Living Room is about a tenth of a mile ahead, at the end of the trail. Feel free to put your feet up on the furniture and enjoy the view.
Digital map available at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LNLyCmC4YKyoaQN3-ocShpjhn8c&usp=sharing.
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