Overview: Moderately strenuous hike popular for both BYU Athletes and Coeds. If you want to escape the crowd continue up past the Y for some beautiful scenery that most people don't see!

Trail Head: Take the I-15 to the University Avenue Exit in Provo UT. Take University Ave to 800 N. This will change to 820 N, but keep following it towards Y Mountain, and veer right up the foothill until you reach the trailhead.

• Coordinates: 40°14'41.24"N 111°37'37.89"W
  
  

• Distance: 2.4 Miles
  
• Difficulty: 3.5
  
• Hike Time: 4-6 hours
  
• Trail Condition: Well-maintained steep trail up to the Y, well-maintained and steep after the Y to the summit, but can be covered with brush during very wet years.
  
• Season: Spring through Late Autumn
  

Detailed Description: The first part of the hike up to the Y is very steep with about 13 switchbacks and a well-maintained, trail. If you can make it to the Y, that's when the trail gets interesting. The trail continues to the south from the top of the Y, and curves around the east face of the mountain through Slide Canyon, gaining elevation the whole time. The scenery will gradually change from a relatively dry, grassy mountainside with the occasional scrub oak, to a luscious scrub oak forest in the canyon. After that, the trail opens up a bit to a green meadow before the trail forks allowing you to choose to hike up to the east or west peak. If you choose the west peak, the trail steepens and the brush becomes much more dense, almost jungle-like, with some heavy patches of stinging nettle (be careful!). After passing through some gorgeous fields of wildflowers, you'll reach the west summit.

From the east side of Y Mount, you will get some pretty good scenic views of the mountains to the east, the most prominent of which is Provo Peak.

Additional information: There is a possibility to see many forms of wildlife. Early morning, and dusk are the best times to see deer and moose, and there's always a possibility of seeing a cougar or a bear! Cougars aren't that common, and if there is one around, chances are it will run away before you even knew it was there. My brother and I actually encountered a black bear our first time hiking Y Mountain! Fortunately, it was more scared of us than we were of it, and it ran away pretty quickly.

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