Ultra Prominence Peak 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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Mount Peale, Utah, September 2015

September 22, 2015 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On September 2 I climbed Mount Peale in the La Sal Mountains east of Moab, Utah. Mount Peale is an “ultra prominence peak” with 6161 feet of prominence. With 12721 feet of elevation it is the highest point of the La Sal Mountains.

In early September I was driving to Durango, Colorado, through Utah to meet up with some friends there. We planned to hike into the Chicago Basin and summit a few Colorado Fourteeners together. But the weather forecasts kept deteriorating and we eventually decided to go our own ways.

At that point I was in Spanish Fork, Utah. I had maps and route information for several Utah prominence peaks with me and a week to work with. I had driven through Utah many times. But the only Utah peak I had previously visited was Kings Peak in the High Uinta Mountains. So I eagerly decided to spend the week hiking several Utah prominence peaks. In this way I could sample several Utah mountain ranges I had not yet visited.

Mount Tukuhnikivatz and Mount Peale on the forest road leading to La Sal Pass — Mount Tukuhnikivatz (left) and Mount Peale (right) on the forest road leading to La Sal Pass

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