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+ 151

Mount Wire Loop

Hiking Trail

Details
3.93 mi
2,175 ft
Quick suburban hike to a low summit.

Mount Wire, aka Big Beacon, is a prominent foothill on the Wasatch Front. From the summit, you can look down directly onto downtown and enjoy views of the skyline.

The route mapped here makes a loop of Mount Wire, tagging Red Butte along the way. It ascends Red Butte via the Living Room trail, and then descends straight off the top of Mount Wire. While you can make a more direct ascent of the mountain, turning this hike into a loop means that you’ll enjoy new scenery around every corner!

The trails up and down Mount Wire can be steep and rocky, but this is a relatively non-technical climb, and a good way to build fitness.

Spring is hands-down the best time to bag Mount Wire. "Generally, the spring flowers are in full splendor from mid-May to mid-June,” according to [RoadTripRyan]( "If you happen to time it right, the hillsides are a veritable carpet of color,” he continues.

MrWasatch concurs on []( by saying, "while Mt. Wire is a relatively low elevation peak, it is an outstanding spring hike of over 2,000 vertical feet with incredible views in every direction, rampant wildflowers, and wildlife that includes the occasional rattlesnake or mountain lion. In most years the peak can be hiked free of snow in April, and is an excellent 'tune up' for the bigger mountains."

If you want to add on a little extra challenge and about 25 more feet of vertical, there’s an old airway beacon tower on top of the mountain that you can climb.

Sources:


Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Mt. Wire1.91 mi1,939 ft19.1%
SLC Living Room Trail from Base to Y - Right Side0.56 mi463 ft15.4%
Bonneville Shoreline Trail Climb0.23 mi138 ft11.2%
SLC Living Room Trail from 1st Y to 2nd Y0.32 mi289 ft17.0%
Overlook to Wire1.33 mi1,365 ft19.4%
Red Butte to Wire0.49 mi551 ft21.1%
SW wire descent 1.20 mi-1,703 ft-26.8%