Stewart Falls sits as a hidden gem in the mountains of American Fork, Utah.

The allure of the national parks sometimes overpowers the local landscapes.  Stewart Falls will forever hold a place in my heart as my first hike in the Salt Lake region.  It was late Fall several years ago, and having just supplanted from the evergreen cities of California, I had no idea such color existed in the wild.  Even the trailhead amazed me, and I remember parts of that hike in vivid detail.  From the initial ascent to the Sundance clearing ablaze with color.  From the yellow aspen groves whose fallen leaves crunched beneath my feet to the open meadow with snow-capped peaks as a backdrop.  Finally from the first reveal of the upper level of the waterfall over the ridge to making the descent into the Stewart Falls bowl below. Though this photo was captured at a much later date (when I finally developed the endurance to haul all my gear), that initial memory does not escape me.