Take a path well traveled at Mahogany Knoll Trail in Nephi
There are many views of the moutains and valleys along the Mahogany Knoll Trail in Nephi Canyon. Ph: Jessica Eyre/Utah Adventurer
Grace Eyre looks at a wildflower as she walks along the Mahogany Knoll Trail in Nephi Canyon with her grandpa, Don Eyre. Ph: Jessica Eyre/Utah Adventurer
Don Eyre walks with his grandson Caleb Eyre along the Mahogany Knoll Trail in Nephi Canyon. Ph: Jessica Eyre/Utah Adventurer
There are many views of the moutains and valleys along the Mahogany Knoll Trail in Nephi Canyon. Ph: Jessica Eyre/Utah Adventurer
Over Mother’s Day weekend, we headed up Nephi Canyon for an adventure that has all the qualities of a great hike for kids: a stream in which to throw rocks, a clearly marked path that isn’t too steep, and the ability to simply turn around and go back to the car if little legs get too tired.
The trail we hiked is called Mahogany Knoll.
There is a small parking area and the trail is right there. The trail leads to an old salt mine, and it’s pretty clear the role that salt plays in this area.
From the trail head, you walk down to Salt Creek, which runs through the canyon and down through the city of Nephi. Why is it called Salt Creek? Take a look at the rocks that line the shore, and they are covered in salt crystals. In some spots, the salt has amassed into a big natural salt lick.
Grace didn’t quite believe us that it was salt, so we told her to taste it: With no hesitation, she knelt down and licked the salt.
“Mmmm!” she said. (I’m guessing she wished she had some hard-boiled eggs to sprinkle it on).
We had to cross the creek, which is a good 18 inches deep in the middle and cold! We carried the kids across, and thankfully it was hot enough that our shoes dried out pretty quickly.
We bush-whacked through a field of sage brush for a while trying to find the trail. Once you cross the creek, head downstream a ways — south of the parking area — and you’ll see the trail. It’s a dirt path that butts right up to the rocks of the creek shoreline and heads up a hill to the plateau of sage.
One little wrinkle in our adventure: While trudging through the sage brush, we spotted a lizard. We stared at it for a minute, while Caleb, 4, geared up to try and catch it.
When the lizard got away (an easy escape from clumsy 4-year-old hands) Caleb jumped and turned to keep going, immediately tripping on a branch of sage, and getting a deep scrape from wrist to elbow.
He was fine until he saw the blood, and then he had to ride on his dad’s shoulders for the rest of the way up.
Word to the wise: Sage brush can be a bit tricky.
Once we found the trail, it was smooth sailing. The meadows were gorgeous, just starting to show off wildflowers and flowing grasses. We sang hiking songs like “She’ll be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain” which helped keep the kids moving and their minds off their tired legs. And all the butterflies of all different colors were a terrific showcasing of Mother Nature.
The salt mine is a few miles up the trail, but on this Saturday in May, we didn’t quite make it that far. We’ll try again this summer.
There isn’t any shade on this hike, so be sure to wear sunscreen and protective clothing, and bring plenty of water. Also, be prepared to be wet when crossing the creek. There are a couple of options to cross on fallen logs, but they are uneven and it feels a little unstable. We opted to just ford the creek. We were fine carrying 40-pound kids, just be prepared to get your shoes wet and even the bottoms of shorts.
If you go
Mahogany Knoll Trail
Where: Heading south, take the second Nephi exit off I-15, and head east up the canyon. When you come to a fork in the road, take the left fork to Bear Canyon. The Mahogany Knoll Trail is at the parking area at the beginning of the loop road.