A Slice of Switzerland in Utah
In early June 2024, we found two places in Utah that reminded us so much of our time in Switzerland. Those places were Sundance Resort and Lake Blanche. Both are located in the mountains just north Provo.
Sundance is where the well known Sundance Film Festival is held. While taking the road to enter the resort, things started to get green and lush with trees and grass growing up to mountain peaks in all directions. There was still snow on some of the peaks this time in June which added another layer to the scenery. We parked our truck in one of the upper lots (Lot C) and took a shuttle down to the lodge area. There's a ski shop here where you can buy lift tickets to ride up the mountain.
We first took the lift up to Stewart Falls trail. This is a beautiful hike that follows along the mountain, through trees and green vegetation. The area had some high runoff while we were there so we had to wade through a couple of streams to get to them.
The falls are massive and you can get soaked by getting too close from the spray. This is where most people are congregated and it appeared that they took the trail up the mountain rather than down like we did. Take your time hiking this trail with beauty everywhere you look.
After reaching the bottom, we decided to eat lunch on site at the Foundry Grill. The food and atmosphere were nice and it was a good place to pitstop before taking the lift back up all the way to the top to Bearclaw Cabin. There are stunning vista views all the way up including the prominent peak of Mt. Timpanogos. Make sure to soak it all in!
Once you reach the top you'll find yourself at the cabin. There's not too much to the cabin itself though they do sell food and beverages. With plenty of seating, you can spend time relaxing here looking out towards Provo as your hiking reward. It wasn't in operation while we were there but there's a zip line near the cabin with an over 2,100 vertical drop!
A couple days after our visit to Sundance, we decided to hike up to Lake Blanche with the striking backdrop of Sundial Peak. The trail itself was busy, narrow, and boring for the most part (and we went on a Wednesday!) until you reach the lake.
Then wow! The area here is incredible! We ate our lunch by the lake then spent another hour or so wandering around various paths of beauty. These mountain lakes were very reminiscent of Swiss ones and, to me, Sundial Peak resembles the great Mt. Eiger in the Bernese Alps.
In our opinion, if you want to get a sense of how it feels to be in Switzerland, check these spots out. If you can only pick one area of Utah to explore this is the area we'd suggest!
