Hiking Mahogany Mountain North 2025
Mahogany Mountain via Cedar Hills Golf Course Trailhead (2025)

Remembering previous attempts

I thought I’ve sworn off this mountain after my first disaster and second disaster, but Girl on a Hike documented a better route that’s been bothering me that I hadn’t tried it.

Notes about the trailhead

The trailhead that you might see on maps is no longer there. The county installed some concrete barriers a number of years ago and the small service road is no longer accessible from the road, though you might be able to park on the shoulder if you knew where the service road was.

Maybe?

Alas, the gravel parking area that Girl on a Hike described is now gated by Cedar Hills City. I just parked on the shoulder near the gate and it was fine.

No parking for you

Once inside the gate (walking), head north but stay left to pick up the old golf cart trail (no longer used). Follow this until you reach the 14th hole putting green and then go around the bend. The trail is on your left and is pretty obvious (you can see it in satellite images).

I didn’t know where I was going until I came back this way. Lots of stickers in the socks from this patch.
Unmaintained golf cart trail
The old trail merges with the new here; continue in the same direction around the 14th hole

The old trailhead which you can still see in some maps is blocked from road access by concrete barriers. There may be enough shoulder for a car or two.

No parking for you (still)
A view of the green at the 14th hole, the parking area, and Canyon Road

About the trail

This trail is best done earlier in the morning. The bottom 3/4 of a mile is pretty exposed to the sun later morning through sunset. Above 7000’ elevation so you get into a lot of juniper, mahogany and Gambel oak on the trail, then again around 7700’ elevation you get into conifers almost until about 8700’ elevation, and then you’re near the top.

The trail is clear, easy to follow (with one or two minor exceptions), and has a lot of beautiful views on the way up as well as at the top.

That said, this trail is steep, as Girl on a Hike mentions. 3770’ of elevation gain in 2 and a half miles (1.9 miles as the crow flies). Mean grade is around 36%, with some sections approaching 60%.

This trail is a toe-jammer and knee-buster on the downhill. I recommend the route Girl on a Hike mentions , going out on the Timpooneke trail and then down one of Grove or Battle Creek canyons rather than the in-and-out that I took—I was short on time and this is what I had to deal with.

I felt pretty good on the way up, just a bit winded sometimes in the steep sections. I felt pretty good on the way down too for about half a mile, and then the IT bands started to complain about it. I had to walk backward probably a total of a quarter mile off and on just to keep moving.

In the end, I was hoping for a hang glider to get down. I’ve never been in a hang glider but was ready to learn given the amount of ache I was having.

Now, please enjoy some photos.

Photos

Oddly, there’s a lot of Mountain Mahogany
Primrose
Mahogany Mountain (peak) far right
A little more on the nose
Sumac

This big limestone fin was kind of interesting.

Limestone cliffs
If I were a tree, I would grow at the top of this fin too
Just to the right of this dead tree is a big cavity in the limestone, visible from SR-92
Bending rocks at 70° angles
A row of tombstones
Indian Paintbrush

A li’l danger doodle. It might not be dangerous, but I avoid touching fuzzy things like this with bare hands:

Pano looking down into American Fork Canyon:

A rare section of slightly flat trail
Nothing remarkable, but the trail began to be nice and shady.

Check out these tree roots:

Desperate for water

Looking north toward Little Cottonwood Canyon ridgeline.

Lone Peak, Bighorn, maybe one of the Thunder mountains in snow

Even better shade. This section of the trail, while still steep, afforded a deeper shade than the mahoganies below.

Conifers!
You could hide in this
View of Mahogany Mountain (south peak)

Coming out of the conifers, you’re near the top of the north peak. North Timpanogos to the left.

I’m not sure what this cairn and flag represent. I felt honored to be there. It’s on the ridgeline some several hundred feet away from the peak.

A memorial?
North Timpanogos and North Mahogany Mountain

I found a little snow.

Still a bit of snow

This one’s for you, Mark:

The drop north into American Fork Canyon is somewhat dramatic.

The peak

A view of American Fork Canyon and nearby peaks:

A cairn at the top

Pano:

View of Timpanogos and Chris Flat area behind Mahogany Mountain:

Mount Timpanogos in June
Looking north to Little Cottonwood Canyon ridge
Looking north to Little Cottonwood Canyon ridge

The aspen stand in the middle of the picture is the top part of Heisett’s Hollow.

A final view of Mahogany Mountain (south peak).
Firecracker penstemon

A little hard to see, but there were some switchbacks. They’re just very short and very steep.

Switchbacks!

Some of the wildlife:

A lizard. The place was literally crawling with ’em
A view of that limestone fin from above

Open questions

Q. What’s with the little off-trail excursion at the 0.88 mile mark?

A. There was a tree I simply had to examine more closely. I left no trace.

Route and map

My GPX track (view on Footpath ).


Last modified on 2025-06-02