Trail Overview
This is a short spur off of Hickerson Park to Birch Creek trail that travels up to the top of Ute Mountain to an old fire lookout. This fire lookout allows public access to come up to the top of the tower and look around when there is an employee present. The trail is a well-maintained dirt road that is only one vehicle wide with pullouts to pass other vehicles. The trail stays in the trees throughout, even once you reach the peak, with a couple of small clearings that could be used for dispersed camping along the way. This trail is open to all vehicles and has no seasonal closure, but it may be impassable due to deep snow during the winter months.
History
The Ute Mountain Fire Tower was the first lookout tower in Utah to have above-ground sleeping quarters and still stands today as one of the last of its kind. Today, it stands as a historical site with an employee positioned there from Memorial Day through Labor Day who, conditions permitting, will invite you up into the fire tower to overlook the surrounding landscape and step inside and look at what the living quarters were like. The operational hours are 10 AM to 4 PM, and the forest service recommends calling ahead to check if the lookout is staffed when you are planning to visit.
