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.

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.

From Monticello I followed the access road which became the Abajo summit road. The road lead upward through sage fields, then aspen and spruce forests. As I drove I watched for a pleasant campsite for the evening. I passed some possibilities in the forest, but I thought the summit ridge might provide more scenic views.

I continued higher and found a parking spot off the road on the ridge between South Peak and Abajo Peak. The spot was behind a berm that provided protection from the wind gusts. That evening I enjoyed relaxing in my camp chair while viewing the great views of eastern Utah. I cooked and ate dinner and enjoyed a good IPA.

The evening was windy and the ground poor for anchoring my tent. So I squeezed into the back of my jeep for the night. During the night several pickups passed. The following morning I found two ATVs parked next to my jeep.

After breakfast, September 3, I made a short road hike to the summit. Along the way I meet several hunters scouting for wildlife in anticipation of hunting season. I enjoyed the views of Eastern Utah. I looked north towards the La Sal Mountains where I had been the previous day. It was satisfying to have finally visited the La Sals and hiked Mount Peale after so many years of anticipation.

On my descent back to my jeep I savored the views west towards the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The Henry Mountains were also somewhere out to the west. My next goal was to visit that range to hike Mount Ellen. The Henry Mountains are remote; I planned to visit the BLM Office in Hanksville to learn as much as I could before heading in to them.