Utah Archives – GlassMountains Trip Reports

Deseret Peak, Utah, September 2015

September 24, 2015 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

In early September I spent a week hiking several Utah prominence peaks and sampling Utah mountain ranges I had not yet visited. After climbing Mount Nebo I had planned to visit Mount Timpanogos also in the Wasatch. But Labor Day crowds would give me little chance to find a campsite near the trailhead I planned to use. Instead, I headed west for Deseret Peak in the Stansbury Mountains south of the Great Salt Lake. Deseret Peak is an “ultra prominence peak” with 5812 feet of prominence. With 11031 feet of elevation it the highest peak in the Stansbury Mountains.

The Stansbury Mountains from near Grantsville, Utah. Deseret Peak is left of center on the horizon.

On September 7 I drove southwest up the South Willow Canyon to the road’s end at the Loop Campground. I was fortunate to find a parking spot near the trailhead.

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Mount Nebo, Utah, September 2015

September 24, 2015 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

In early September I spent a week hiking several Utah prominence peaks and sampling Utah mountain ranges I had not yet visited. After hiking Mount Ellen I headed for Mount Nebo in the Wasatch Range of Utah. Mount Nebo is an “ultra prominence peak” with 5488 feet of prominence. With 11,928 feet of elevation it is the highest peak in the Wasatch Range of Utah.

Mount Nebo from the Nebo Scenic Byway. Mount Nebo is just left of center in sunlight.

On September 5 I drove into the Wasatch Range along the Nebo Scenic Byway from the south. There were many campers in campgrounds. Dispersed campsites along the Byway and the Nebo Bench Trailhead parking lot was nearly full. It was a windy afternoon and evening with forecasts of stronger winds overnight. I eventually found a primitive but scenic campsite on a ridge about two miles from the Nebo Bench Trailhead. Here I spent the afternoon relaxing in the shelter of my jeep.

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Mount Ellen, Utah, September 2015

September 24, 2015 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

In early September I spent a week hiking several Utah prominence peaks and sampling Utah mountain ranges I had not yet visited. After hiking Abajo Peak I headed for Mount Ellen in the remote Henry Mountains south of Hanksville, Utah. Mount Ellen is an “ultra prominence peak” with 5842 feet of prominence. With 11522 feet of elevation it is the highest peak in the Henry Mountains.

I approached the Henry Mountains with some apprehension. I was not concerned about the summit route – I expected it to be a quite straightforward ridge walk. Instead, I was concerned with the remoteness of the range, the long drive on dirt and rock roads, and the possible isolation from help if I had mechanical issues.

I had good driving directions with me. After topping off fuel, I stopped at the BLM Office in Hanksville to learn more about the route and road conditions. The BLM staff assured me that the western approach road was in good shape and the easiest on tires. I left word with Linda that if I did not check back in with her in two days that she might call the BLM office to request they check on me.

A view of the Henry Mountains from the western approach road a few miles east of Sandy Ranch Junction

I found the western approach road and began the drive in. The trailhead at Bull Creek Pass lies in the notch on the ridge near the center of the above photo. Mount Ellen, the high point of the Henry Mountains, is the broad summit left of that notch. The pointy peak to the left of Mount Ellen is Mount Ellen Peak. The trailhead lies 24 road miles from the highway. That afternoon I was driving in 19 miles to the McMillan Spring Campground to find a campsite.

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Abajo Peak, Utah, September 2015

September 23, 2015 by Paul McClellan 1 Comment

In early September I spent a week hiking several Utah prominence peaks and sampling Utah mountain ranges I had not yet visited. After climbing Mount Peale in the Lal Sal Mountains I headed for Abajo Peak. Abajo Peak has 11360 feet of elevation and is the highpoint of the Abajo Mountains just west of Monticello, Utah. With 4550 feet of prominence Abajo Peak is 82nd most prominent peak of the 48 Contiguous US States.

South Peak and Abajo Peak from near Monticello, Utah — South Peak (left) and Abajo Peak (right) from near Monticello, Utah

On the afternoon of September 2 I checked in with the Manti-La Sal National Forest Service in Monticello. Here I verified that roadside camping was permitted on he drive up Abajo Peak. I also learned the local pronunciation of Abajo (Ah-BA-ho).

Linda and I had last passed through Monticello in August 2012 on our way to Monte Verde National Park. But I did not recollect paying much attention to nearby Abajo Peak at that time.

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