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.

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.

The next morning, September 6, I parked at the Nebo Bench Trailhead. From there I followed the Nebo Bench Trail around North Peak and descended down towards Wolf Pass. Along this descent I got my first view of Mount Nebo from the trail.

In the above photo the route climbs up and over “Wolf Pass Peak” on the left, traverses behind that peak, then climbs up the North Ridge of Mount Nebo. The perspective was difficult to interpret. It seemed the Mount Nebo summit could be 3000 feet above me. But I took reassurance from the map data that indicated it was only about 1300 feet higher.

I climbed over Wolf Pass Peak and scrambled up the North Ridge of Mount Nebo. High on the North Ridge the route followed the ridge line. When it reached a rock band just below the summit it traversed up to the left. From there it was a short scramble over slabs and some loose rock to the summit.

The rock was fractured and loose in many places but the exposure was mild. There were several boot tracks to choose from but all seemed to reconnect quickly so route finding was straightforward.

The hike seemed more strenuous than I had expected. Perhaps it was because I was trying to keep a father and daughter in sight ahead of me. I lost them on the North Ridge. I had a nice visit with them when we met as they descended. They had returned earlier this summer from an attempt on Mount Everest. They had been evacuated from Camp 2 by helicopter after the earthquake there.

I enjoyed scrambling up the north ridge and the slabs to the summit. The views from the summit were impressive. Utah Lake and the Northern Wasatch were to the north, the city of Nephi was below me to the west, and the scenic ridges of the Nebo Scenic Byway were below me to the east. I began my descent and immediately began meeting other climbing groups on their way up the trail. I was glad to have gotten an early start that morning and enjoyed my climb nearly all to myself.