Region
Highlights
- Mount Olympus is one of the most prominent and recognizable mountains viewable from practically every location in the Salt Lake Valley.
- Although not the tallest peak along the Wasatch front, its unusual form and location make it an extremely popular summit.
- One distinctive feature of the mountain are its twin peaks; the higher of the two is "Summit Peak" which rises 4,800 feet above the valley floor.
- Most climbers reach the summit via the 6.9 mile Mount Olympus Trail, which is a steep climb from the mountain base to the summit.
- Also a popular winter mountaineering route because the terrain is not as avalanche prone as many of the surrounding peaks.
- Hiding near the base of the mountain, unknown to many locals, lies Utah's 2nd deepest, and America's 13th deepest cave, known as Neffs Cave.
Routes
78 climbs • 6.7 mi • 4,171 ft gain • 4 hr 46 min
3 climbs • 7.4 mi • 4,132 ft gain • 6 hr 11 min
Latest climbs
"Today, hiked up Mt Olympus trail to the top. A bit of snow on the last third of the hike. It has been over four years since being up here.
Nice day with the clouds moving around." — dkimo • Apr 22, 2019
"First summit of 2018, and a return to a familiar spot I haven't climbed in years. Saussie and I hit the trail a little after 7:00 AM. Perfect day for the hike, with the sun topping out over the ridge after we had crossed the creek and headed into the trees. Usual slog from creek to the base of the peak, and I was surprised at how little snow there was on the trail. Not too busy on top. Returned to the car a little after 1:00 PM feeling about as old as I ever have coming off a mountain. Back and hip were killing me and knees felt like jelly. Striking it up to the fact that it was a challenging start to the year." — JimmyUtah • Apr 28, 2018
"Beautiful spring day. Hit snow as expected with maybe a mile to go til the summit but after putting on my microspikes the rest of the hike went quickly. Beautiful views from the top. My first hike since moving to Salt Lake City!" — troyfowler • Mar 30, 2018
"I had heard this was a harder hike and wanted to try it out. I don't know why I did it on Friday the 13th. It was hot and straight up, kind of a nightmare. No this was a beautiful area and I enjoyed the hike. Great views other than the smoke from the fires." — CacheMACS • Oct 13, 2017
"Started @ 7 AM. Summitted 12:30 PM as I spent some time resting and eating lunch on the saddle before the rock scramble. Spent one hour on the peak, as I cramped my quads on the rock scramble and had to do some diy physical therapy to release knot in the muscles. Reached the Mount Olympus Trailhead back on the Wasatch Blvd. by 5 PM." — ManoharVedantham • Sep 3, 2016
"Started at approximately 11am with Cole and Ashley. Somehow I talked Ash into getting out with me the night before. We set off on a great day with cool temps. Cole and Ash did very well until we got just beyond 'Blister Hill'. The altitude really hit Ash...not to mention that we were hiking up a very strenuous trail and she had not been out in over a year. Cole did great but as usual had to be prodded a little to keep moving. Ash and I both commented that we knew he was doing fine because he was a jabber jaw. If you're huffing and puffing it's typically hard to talk. Not Cole...he is full of great stories and comments. We had to slow it down quite a bit at around 7800' for Ash, but she was strong and didn't relent. There was no stopping her. She just kept moving. She made it to the saddle and was happy to pull up some dirt and relax while Cole and I scrambled the last 600' to the summit. Cole did awesome. There was probably close to 15 people on the summit. The temps are getting cooler and people know the snow is coming so they were out in full force. It was a most enjoyable trip for me. I love when I have Ash or the kids with me doing something that I love. I can't wait to get Ash..." — darinwilson • Oct 21, 2012
"Hiked this before General Conference on Saturday Morning. Started around 5, summited around 7 and were back to the car by 8 in time to rush to Temple Square to listen to conference outside. " — tomsenreed • Oct 6, 2012
"It snowed, and there was all of 10 feet of visibility from the peak. And my hiking buddy almost died on the way down. Not the best climb I've ever had. Going back when it's not a chore." — stuback • Jun 19, 2010
"Solo hike to the top of one of Utah's most recognizable peaks. VERY popular, so don't go if you're looking for solitude...but challenging enough, for all that, and very steep with great views of the Salt Lake Valley and the Wasatch Front." — seancampmsw • Jun 18, 2010
"My buddy from out of town and I started this climb at 2:30am and finished at 1:30pm. We free soloed up the massive west slab route, and then we traversed over the ridge to Mount Olympus and down the main trail. We were almost bitten by two rattlesnakes, and we saw five mountain goats. They are feakin' awesome, I have never seen one before. We decided to do this one on no sleep in the past 30 hours, and by the time we were finished we were dead tired." — Asaking • Jun 25, 2009