The weather has finally turned nice and warm, the snow line is receding, so a hike up into Bell Canyon is possible now. Of course the hike to lower Bell Reservoir is open most of the year, as it's only a couple hundred feet above the valley. And it's a nice destination in and of itself, if you want a small hike to a nice place for a picnic or some fishing. It's maybe 20 minutes from the parking lot to the reservoir so just about anyone can get there via a steep sandy trail.
But we didn't stop there, continuing onward and upward into Bell Canyon. The trail follows a nice rushing stream, cold from snowmelt in a narrow canyon. The cliffs gradually close in as the trail climbs steeply up the middle. It's somewhat like using a stair master with some great scenery...the stairs just keep coming. Upper Bell Canyon reservoir is almost 4000 feet above the lower reservoir. I'd like to say we made it there, but it wasn't in the plans. I guess we got almost halfway up, enough for a good workout but not enough to kill us.
Regardless, the sun was warm and the trees had that spring green color, so it was a nice day to be out for a walk. With the snow still hanging on the hills it was beautiful to be up in the Wasatch range. I suspect that the upper reservoir would still have been shrouded in snow and perhaps even still frozen...it's tucked into the canyon and a long ways up there. Perhaps I'll make it up there later in the summer when it's broiling down in the valley?
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