Right after the crossing, look for a sign marking a crossroads. Left goes to Deseret Peak, right to South Willow Lake. Once you get past the first mile or so and you cross the creek, you get away from all the wood carvings. From there, the trail begins to switchback, continuing uphill into Douglas fir and other conifers. Close to the top of a saddle, trees begin to get more sparse and the view of the Great Salt Lake and the desert which surrounds it begins to open up.
Hikers find themselves in a cirque-like natural amphitheater with steep cliffs.
The trail leads up through rocks, wildflowers and tall grass to a saddle. At that point, hikers can go south and then west to Bear Fork or north to Deseret Peak. The walk to the summit is normally an easy traverse, but in some years snow lingers longer than usual, forcing hikers to improvise a bit in an effort to rejoin the trail on the west side of the peak. A small man-made rock wind shelter is located near the summit, but there is no other visible sign that hikers are on top of Tooele County other than the views of the Great Salt Lake, Mt. Nebo on the Wasatch Front, and the Bonneville Salt Flats. Hikers can turn back and take the same route down.