
Starting along the Great Western Trail, leading to the right ahead.

We ascended switchbacks. Shawn's failed attempt to commit to silly poses in every photo.

View back.

Ascending through forest/meadows.

The trail keeps just left of the ridge, avoiding the lump ahead.

A shot back, Little Dell Reservoir seen on the right.

Skirting the west side of a lump along the ridge.

View back at the ridgeline.

Big Mountain ahead. The trail skirts around its western slope.

An ATV trail leads to the summit.

Heading down the ATV trail and over to our loop to come, seen ahead right to left.

An ATV trail along the ridge crest.

Swallow Rocks ahead, our next peak.

View back as we continue to the base of Swallow Rocks.

We left the trail here and continued along the ridgeline, mostly clear of brush. Swallow Rocks summit seen left. You could avoid the peak by continuing along the trail on the left.

Some light brush on the way up to Swallow Rocks.

View back toward Big Mountain and the ridgeline we just hiked along.

Summit of Swallow Rocks, now heading west along the ridgeline.

Tame ridgeline descent from Swallow Rocks.

We rejoined the trail, a bit overgrown from summit foliage.

Continuing along the ridge to Lookout Peak. At some point the Great Western Trail heads away from the ridge, and we continued along the Brink Trail.

Lookout Peak ahead. We chose to ascend through the forest on the right rather than up the slope since the brush was thicker outside of the trees. You could also stick to the Brink Trail and instead ascend Lookout Peak from the southeast if bushwhacking isn't your thing.

Ascending the steep, brushy/forested slope.

Progress through the forest.

View back toward Swallow Rocks, center.

Lookout Peak ahead, two lumps of similar height.

Another short forested section leading to the saddle of the two humps.

Shawn managed to trip over multiple branches in one ridiculous display.

Ascending the slope to the saddle of Lookout Peak's twin summits.

View back the way we came.

Lookout Peak summit, view west.

View toward Lookout Peak's eastern summit.

Descending from Lookout Peak on a nice trail.

Continuing down the Lookout Peak Trail.

View back up toward Lookout Peak.

Nearing the junction with the Killyon Canyon Trail and the Birch Spring Trail. We took Birch Spring, which led east.

Along the Birch Spring Trail.

Birch Spring Trail leading down into Affleck Park, nice rock outcroppings above.

A bridge within Affleck Park.

Continuing north out of Affleck Park along the "Original Trail", the Donner Reed Party Trail and Mormon Pioneer Trail.

It's mostly forested, and parallels UT-SR 65 often.

Ascending back up to Big Mountain Summit, the trailhead.

The trail passes UT RS-65.

More ascent through the forest.

The start of the Great Western Trail, where we began earlier in the day, seen ahead.

View back as we near the trailhead, completing the loop.
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