If you’re looking for an epic peak to bag near Salt Lake City, The Pfeifferhorn should be at the top of your list. It is a triangular shaped peak located in the Lone Peak Wilderness Area of the Wasatch Mountains.
The route to this peak boasts alpine lakes, stacked mountain views, and an exciting knife edge scramble. Best suited for the intermediate to advanced hikers, Pfeifferhorn is a challenging day hike with very high reward.
In this guide I’m going to share with you the best time to hike The Pfeifferhorn, trail details, and more. Are you up for this challenge?!
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Pfeifferhorn Hike Stats
- Hiking Distance | 11.2 miles RT
- Difficulty | Difficult
- Elevation Gain | 3,717 feet
- Total Time | 6-7 hours
- Permits/Fees | $10 fee for 3 days or National Parks Pass
- Trailhead | White Pine Trailhead
- Dog Friendly | No dogs allowed in Little Cottonwood Canyon due to watershed laws.
Below is a map of the route to The Pfeifferhorn.
Your hike will begin at the White Pine Trailhead where you’ll hop onto the White Pine Trail for a short distance. Eventually you will veer off to the Red Pine Trail and follow that to Red Pine Lake, then continue along the unmaintained Pfeifferhorn Trail.
I do highly suggest having this map downloaded so you can stay on trail during your hike! One way to do this is with a GPS system or app like Gaia GPS.
You can download my Pfeifferhorn hike route and gain access to my library of all tracked hikes. Once downloaded, you can load it into your trusty device for ease of mind!
Getting To White Pine Trailhead
White Pine Trailhead is located in Little Cottonwood Canyon in Sandy, Utah just outside of Salt Lake City. Access is paved and very easy to find. If you type it into Google Maps you’ll be lead right to the parking lot!
The parking lot itself is not very large, so arriving early for this day hike is imperative.
Certain hikes within Little Cottonwood Canyon now have fees. The Pfeifferhorn has a $10 fee for 3 days, or you can use your National Parks Pass if you have one. Just leave it on the dashboard of your vehicle.
Best Time To Hike The Pfeifferhorn
The Pfeifferhorn sits at an elevation of 11,326 feet which means the weather can be drastically different at the peak than below at the trailhead. It can be colder, windier, receive rainfall, ice over, and definitely become snow packed.
The best time to summit this peak is late summer through late fall. Usually the snow and ice will be melted my mid-late summer, but even then you want to be careful of thunderstorms when above tree line. Never hike above tree line if there is a storm coming in!
When there is snow on the peaks there will be avalanche risk so always check current conditions before leaving. Please don’t even attempt the cross the knife edge portion of this hike when snow packed or even iced over. People still do it (and I think they’re crazy), so if you are uncertain on the ice conditions, at least bring crampons with you.
When I hiked Pfeifferhorn it was late fall and absolutely perfect out. It was a bit windy, but overall the temperatures were prime hiking temps and there were some fall colors left at the beginning.
The Pfeifferhorn Hike
To begin your hike you’ll embark on the White Pine Trail from White Pine Trailhead and cross Little Cottonwood Creek. Once on the other side of the creek there will be a trail intersection. Keep right on White Pine Trail.
Overall the trail begins with a gradual gain in elevation and is rocky, which doesn’t change one bit the entire rest of the way. Except of course for some much steeper parts.
The next trail intersection is with Red Pine Trail, which you’ll want to keep right to hop on. If you continue left to stay on White Pine Trail it will take you White Pine Lake, a complete opposite direction. But, there is also a small spur trail right at this intersection that you can take to an impressive waterfall- Gloria Falls.
Many people add in Gloria Falls since it is only a short distance more, but I had just visited it the day prior to my Pfeifferhorn hike. So, I skipped past the falls and continued hiking up the elevation to Red Pine Lake.
Again, the elevation gain is gradual up until Red Pine Lake. If you traveled from out of town like I did, the change in elevation may mess with your breathing some. I flew in from Phoenix so the air was much thinner for me and affected my asthma. But, it didn’t get really bad until after Red Pine Lake, and you’ll see why!
The small alpine lake is gorgeous. It is a great spot to pause for a quick snack to refuel before you have to really put in the work.
There is a trail on the left side of the lake that you’ll take- the unmaintained Pfeifferhorn Trail. From here on out things are very steep, rocky, and a little difficult to stay on trail, but dare I say ‘fun’?!
At this point you’ll begin climbing out from under the tree line and the views along the way will amaze you.
There is a false peak which hurt my soul once I realized it because at that point I was wondering when the pain was going to end. But, once we rounded the false peak, the views got even better, so I gained a surge of adrenaline again. Especially once I saw the knife edge we had to scramble across, pictured above.
The knife edge isn’t as scary or difficult as it may look. The boulders are large and if you stay higher when scrambling versus lower, it helps. Just go slow and watch your footing. But, still, I wouldn’t want to attempt this with ice or snow on it.
Things become extremely steep and loose once you near the top. This was more nerve wrecking to me than the knife edge. It was difficult to move fast and keep good footing because the ground beneath me kept giving way.
Eventually, after a lot of effort, you’ll make it to the top of The Pfiefferhorn! And every bit of effort will feel worth it.
It is a craggy peak surrounded by 360 degree mountain views. I couldn’t get over how beautiful the area is, even with all of the dead trees, ready for winter.
I didn’t spend much time at the peak for it was very windy and we wanted to get down before dark. We quickly snapped our pictures and scurried back down the mountains.
Gear For Your Hike:
The hike to Pfeifferhorn is long and exposed once above tree line. It is also very remote with the possibility of no one else being around. Please pack appropriately!
- Durable hiking boots or trail runners paired with high wool socks.
- Hiking pants or leggings that won’t rip or get snagged on rocks.
- Quality hiking pack that has plenty of room for all your supplies.
- 2-3L water reservoir so you can stay hydrated on the go!
- Sun hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen to protect your skin from the brutal summer sun.
- Pack the 10 essentials: Navigation, headlamp, emergency supplies, etc.
- Garmin InReach Mini 2 to keep in touch incase of emergencies.
- Plenty of electrolytes to help keep you hydrated. I always fill up my blender bottle with some before leaving my house!
- Don’t forget your hiking poles if you’re used to using them.
- Protein and salty snacks
- Layers- it can be chilly and windy at the top!
Other Hikes Nearby:
Recap: The Pfeifferhorn
I visited Salt Lake City for a week during the fall of 2024 and Pfeifferhorn was my favorite hike out of the handful I accomplished during that time!
I’m always looking for a new challenging hike to kick my butt into shape while provide the type of views I do not get in Phoenix. Pfeifferhorn accomplished this many times over. Would I hike it again? Absolutely. I’d love to return and hike it when everything is still green.
If Pfeifferhorn is now on your bucket-list I hope you have wonderful time hiking it and love it as much as I do!