Yes, there is a “sword in the stone” on a steep and narrow ridge in Utah.
I took this video from the top of the ridge where the sword in the stone is located. The 360 degree view was absolutely amazing!
The first part of the hike went through some aspens which provided nice shade for the trip back down. It became steep in a couple of spots with some long switchbacks before getting to Silver Lake, which has towering mountain peaks rising up on several sides. I started early and watching the early morning kissing the mountain peaks was amazing!
The scenery along the trail to Silver Lake was fantastic, with awesome ridges, mountain peaks and waterfalls along the way.
Continuing to the Silver Lake Glance, which is a bit higher up, the trail got steeper. Looking back down the trail the view got even more amazing with Mt. Timpanogos in the background. Silver Lake disappeared from view after going over a ridge and the smaller lake is not far above that point.
At the top of the trail was a the small lake called Silver Lake Glance. It had lush grass growing around part of it and mountain peaks towering above. It was fun and easy to explore a bit around this little lake and the view was awesome.
From Silver Lake Glance the ridge where the sword was located was a quick, downhill hike to the bottom of a rigde I was about to climb. Starting up the ridge was a bit steep, but not that bad. However, things got very interesting very quickly. Picking a route was difficult. I am not a rock climber and don’t have much scrambling experience so I took the rest of the climb very slowly and thoughtfully, studying all options before moving on.
Part of the path I took to the top of the ridge was loose dirt and rock with some tree branches and solid rocks for hand-holds along the way. Getting to the top was very challenging, but finally getting my first glimpse of the sword was brought a big grin to my face!
There were two ways I could have taken back down the ridge. The one to the north looked king of sketchy, so I retraced my steps and headed down the way I had come up.
My hike to the sword in the stone took over 5.5 hours, covered over 7.5 miles and more than 2,700 vertical feet. The scramble added a lot of time simply because it was so challenging.
My hike and scramble to the sword in the stone was a tough one, but it made this Old Hiking Dude (aka Sam Chapman) feel like a little kid again!
By the way, if you want to se another fun hike with a good scramble, check out my hike up Mt. Nebo!
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