Bair Canyon

If you are in a high clearance vehicle you should be able to make it to the top of the parking lot near the water tower. If you are driving a low clearance vehicle, just park below the water tower along the road. You will be following Bair Creek for the majority of the hike and will be enveloped in different types of trees and bushes. The canyon is popular on the weekends. It is a very, very long hike towards the top of Francis Peak and not for everybody. The last mile or so of the trail are steep switchbacks but the end is rewarding. Many people just hike to the bridge or to the second creek crossing and come back down to the parking lot. There aren't any waterfalls in this canyon, but it is still a nice canyon to hike in. Next to the parking lot you will see a fence on the North side. There is usually a notice from the Forest Service about no fires so keep that in mind if you are camping. Once you leave the parking lot the trail immediately turns to the right (east) straight up through the canyon. You will basically be going east the entire time as the trail winds around through the canyon area. After a short climb past the first section of the mountain you will see a small campsite set up with a fire pit (even though fires are not allowed) this is the first campsite area in the Bair Canyon trail. As you're hiking, take notice of the large rocks and boulders along the trail. Many of them were cut by miners and they still show the holes where the miners would drill into the rocks. If you have a good eye you could even possibly see the old boiler hiding in the bushes. Keep going up this canyon and you will come to another small fire pit area where there is a metal box that contains water pipes. There is a trail that splits from the main path and heads right up next to the metal box (this trail leads to a great view of the canyon opening). Take the left trail and keep going until you come to a wood bridge. This is known as the "first crossing," meaning the first crossing of the creek. Before you reach the top you will have crossed the creek 2 more times for a total of 3 creek crossings. The first crossing is the only crossing which is aided by the bridge. The other crossings you will have to cross over on rocks. But we will get to that much later. After the bridge the trail will wind back around to the right going back to the east. The trail will split but stay on the right path to continue up the canyon. After this point the trail will keep getting narrower until the first campsite which is about another 5-10 minutes up from the first bridge. This is the largest in the Bair Canyon area and features a few flat areas for smaller tents and even has 2 firepits. This is a great place to spend the weekend. The creek is directly to your south and is accessible by climbing down a steep trail which leads directly to the creek. Just East of this camping site about 30 yards or so is a small stream called Snake Grass stream which is usually flowing much more in the spring than summer or fall and is also a great place to get water. Head east of the campsite and hike until you come to the 2nd crossing about 1/3 a mile up from the campsite. There is no bridge this time but simply find some stable rocks along the creek and cross to the other side (now hiking on the north side). You will now be among many tall evergreen trees. The trail on this side will wind around tall trees until it opens up into a small campsite about another 1/3 mile up from the second crossing. Just below the campsite the trail crosses the creek again, at the third and final crossing. You will not be crossing the Bair creek any longer until you return down the mountain. After the third creek crossing you will be going straight up the mountain until the ridge at the top. The trail is very steep and narrow in some spots and you will most likely be taking many breaks. After what seems like an eternity you will reach the "fern area" with lots of, well, ferns. After about another 15 minutes of hiking you will finally break free of most of the shrubs and bushes and the trail seems to disappear. The trail at this point is even narrower and sometimes hard to see yet eventually it leads into switchbacks until the mountain ridge. Once you hit the ridge you will come to the dirt road and see two piles of rocks signaling you have finally come to the end of the Bair Canyon trail. At the ridge you will see a clear path that leads to the left or right. If you take the right path, it will lead you next to the radar towers if you wish to go to the top of Francis Peak. The very top offers incredible views of multiple counties. On a clear day you can almost see into Nevada on the west side and on the east side you can see the Uinta Mountains. To return, you can either hike down the same way or hike down the Farmington Canyon gravel road (about 12 miles) to the bottom of Farmington canyon and have someone pick you up. If you return down the same path be sure to take your time as it is very steep and will be a killer on your knees.