Hiking: A Budget-Friendly Activity
Why spend money when you can go hiking?
One thing I really love about Utah is the mountains. Before I moved to Utah, I was never really into hiking or anything nature related because I wasn’t really exposed to that in Japan. But once I discovered how much I enjoyed spending time outdoors, things changed.
Hiking is a great hobby to have for anyone, especially for those who may be on a tight budget (like most college students). The reason why I enjoy hiking so much is because it’s free. Who doesn’t love free things, right? I’m honestly down for anything that’s free and maybe that’s why I enjoy hiking so much. But in all honesty, there’s more to it than just that. Hiking allows you to see more of your local surroundings and (at least for me) makes me appreciate nature even more. Plus, I get to spend time with the people I love AND it’s nature’s form of therapy that never fails to make me feel better.
Here are some trails near me that I recommend everyone should try out at least once:
Limekiln Gulch
Most people in Salt Lake City would recommend going to the Living Room for a nice, short hike but there’s a better one. For a hike in Salt Lake County that has an incredible view of the city and isn’t so busy, I really recommend the Limekiln Gulch hike in the Avenues. When my brother and I went, it only took us about 20 minutes to get to the top. I created a panorama of the view from the Avenues hike so if you would like, you could check that out here (but it’s a lot better to check it out in person).
Mt. Timpanogos
Over the summer, a friend of mine and I hiked Mount Timpanogos. Even though I did some research on this trail and read online that it would take about four hours to get to the top, it took my friend and I six hours… so 12 hours in total to complete the hike from start to finish. We began our hike right around midnight and didn’t return to our car until noon… So the lesson? Be extra, extra prepared for longer hikes like this because it may take longer than expected. You should also look into how many different trails there are for a hike because there’s actually more than one trail to Timp that both my friend and I weren’t aware of. If you don’t want to take the longer route like what my friend and I did, I suggest taking the Timpooneke trail, not the Aspen Grove one because from what the other hikers told us, that one’s not as strenuous.
In all honesty, even though it took a lot longer than expected to get to the summit and my friend and I were both extremely exhausted, it was worth it because of the sunrise. Throughout our hike, my friend and I were worried that we wouldn’t make it to the top of the mountain for the sunrise, BUT we did it! I honestly can’t explain how accomplished I felt after reaching the summit. It seemed to be a never-ending mental challenge during the entire hike but once we made it, we were so relieved and excited to enjoy the lights of the city fade into the early sunlight.
*** One thing to note for this hike: you will see mountain goats. ***
Squaw Peak
For a shorter hike in Utah County, I recommend Squaw Peak. Even though this is a shorter trail that takes about 90 minutes to get to the top, it is still a pretty strenuous hike. There are some really steep parts that you have to climb but your quads and glutes will be thanking you later.
Stewart Falls
This is probably one of the most popular hikes in Utah County. It’s an easy hike that will take you less than an hour to get to the falls. The entire hike will most likely be closer to two and a half hours to complete, depending on how long you stroll around the falls.
Bridal Veil Falls
This is the shortest hike that I’ve been on in Utah County so far. Bridal Veil Falls takes about 10–15 minutes from the bottom of the falls to the top. It’s a pretty easy hike so I would highly recommend going here if you’ve been cooped up in your house and you want to just get out.
Safety Tips
The Bottom Line
Being on a tight budget doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun; you don’t have to spend money to have a good time. There are plenty of activities that you could do (especially outdoors) to have a money-free, frugal weekend. If you’re a beginner hiker, I recommend checking out this site that lists out some really good hiking blogs.
Experimenting with the concept of having a money-free weekend is a great way to challenge yourself to live more frugally and to discover a whole lot of free things to do. For some more money-free weekend ideas, check out Frugal Seeds’ article, “10 Things To Do On A Money-Free Weekend.”
