Welcome to the trail!
Green Pond is a perennial favorite tyke hike. Its easy distance, picturesque destination, mud, water and, if you’re really lucky, large wildlife (think moose!) all make for a delightful little adventure with the kids.
How to get there
Drive toward Snowbasin Resort. After turning off Trapper’s Loop (Highway 167) onto Snowbasin Road (Highway 226), you’ll drive for about 1.3 miles. A large parking area will be on your right. Park here, or along the wide shoulder on either side of the road if the ~12 spaces are filled. The hike to the pond starts on the west side of the road across the street from the parking area. There are no restrooms located at this trailhead (but the Learning Center at the base of Snowbasin Resort 2 miles up the road, is open daily from 7 am to 5 pm if you really need to go).
Trail at a glance
Total distance: 0.75 miles one way (1.5 miles round trip out and back)
Elevation gain: ~180 feet
Destination: muddy, mossy pond surrounded by evergreens, with a picnic table in the shade
Tyke perks: water, mud, beaver lodge, butterflies, bridges
Notable flora: trees (maple, oak, aspen), wildflowers (aster, larkspur, mules ear, fern, salsify, geranium, goldenrod), sagebrush
Fascinating fauna: moose (I’ve still never seen one, but I hear they’re not uncommon), butterflies, woodpeckers, ducks (we saw six babies swimming with their momma recently!), beavers (maybe? it sure looked like a beaver lodge out in the pond!)
Watch out for: bikes (I can almost guarantee you’ll see at least one anytime you’re on this trail!), flies, sun, (there is some shade, but you’ll definitely want your sunscreen for the sunny sections), trail closures (just like at Powder Mountain, Snowbasin often has biking and other private events that require trails to be closed - you can check for updates and closures before you hike on Twitter @SnowbasinResort or @BasinBuzz)
While you’re hiking
You’ll start your hike near the trailhead signs across the street from the parking lot. Right off the bat you’ll cross some man-laid rocky stretches and a handful of wooden bridges/boardwalks. (These would clearly be useful during early season hikes when the snow is still melting, but this year, in our extreme drought in the middle of summer, they were just crossing over dry ground.)
After about a third of a mile, you’ll come to a shady spot where water actually is flowing under the trail. It’s a good spot to catch your breath and take a sip of water if you need it.
Keep walking, and in another tenth of a mile, you may notice a somewhat visible trail off to the left. Just stay on the main trail here as it turns right. At the half mile mark you’ll come to another stream crossing at a sharp curve in the trail. The ferns lining the trail in this section make it feel extra lush!
At mile 0.7, right where the trail makes a hard right turn, look for a metal cut-out sign to your left that says “Picnic Area”. Turn left, following the sign, on the smaller trail that climbs up a small hill through the sagebrush. In a few hundred feet you’ll spot the pond through the scrub oak trees. A picnic table is nestled in the shade and makes a great little picnic spot (or a good prop for a tripod to capture a group shot at the pond).
When you’ve had your fill exploring around the sides of the pond (the ground gets too marshy on the far side to make a complete loop around it) or watching the ducks (and/or moose - cross those fingers!), just head back the way you came to your car.
Don’t forget the fun playground 2 miles up the road near the main parking lots at the base (and bonus - it’s close to those bathrooms I mentioned above!).
Happy hikers (and a bit of housekeeping)
I’ll be taking a little break for the next two weeks, so you won’t see any new hikes in your inbox or on the site for a little while. But I will be back to finish out the summer with a handful of new trails to share with you and your tykes! Hang tight, and happy trails!
