It’s a beautiful time to be in the Wasatch Range just east of Draper. In partnership with The Salt Lake Ranger District and the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance, we’re on the ground at “Jacob’s Ladder”, a high-traffic hiking trail and approach route for world-class climbing in the Lone Peak Cirque.
The purpose of this project is to stabilize and improve the sustainability of a portion of Jacob’s Ladder, a trail impacted by high use and erosion issues. The current trail alignment consists of soils including granitic sand with little vegetation. Coupled with unsustainable grades the trail has become highly eroded with multiple sections of trail forming trenches 2 - 6 ft deep.
The goal of this project is three-fold:
Mitigate erosion issues
Enhance the user experience
Expedite Search & Rescue Efforts
The re-route and new trail alignment will reduce the average grade of this section by 50% while reducing soil runoff into the watershed, supporting vegetation growth, and minimizing future maintenance requirements.
We’re incredibly excited to work on Jacob’s Ladder and improve the access for hiking and high alpine climbing for locals and visitors alike.