Alpine Pond Trail

Delightful loop trail to pond, flowers, magnificent view of Cedar Breaks No matter how conditioned or experienced of a hiker you are, I've got to call this one a mod-strenuous; if only due to the high elevation (over 10,500') and proximity to the unguarded edge of the Cedar Breaks, with it's 2,500 ft. drop. Although Bryce, Zion & the Grand Canyon are better known than Cedar Breaks, this is the center of where it all happened! The Hurricane Fault created the Grand Staircase, and is what the "Break" refers to. This wonderful little trail is a micro-view of what the area has to offer. This self-guided (buy guide at either trailhead) hike takes you past volcanic (rhyolitic tuff) rocks & rubble, a sinkhole, the pond (look for water insects, marmots, deer, elk, their tracks -- listen to hear the spring that feeds the pond), alpine forest (spruce, fir, pine, aspen, Bristlecones -- observe ravages of the bark beetle), wildflowers (lupine, mountain bluebell, paintbrush, yellow bush, penstemon), amphitheatre (unique unobstructed views), meadows!