Mt.Tomasaki (12,239 ft) is a peak in the LaSal Mountains, and one of seven “12ers” in the range. The LaSal Mountains are the 2nd highest mountain range in Utah, behind the Uinta Mountains. Mt.Tomasaki is accessible by a trail half of the way from the Burro Pass TH, and then the second half is off trail but is easy hiking across the high alpine terrain. The trail itself is mostly exposed, with no water source. Start hiking early in the morning to beat the afternoon thunderstorms that occur almost daily in this mountain range. The best time to summit is Summer and Fall (typically late June to the first snowfall in October). Call the LaSal Ranger to make sure Geyser Pass is open before planning your hike here.

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1 Share the love!

2 About

3 Directions

4 Trail Info

4.1 Check out my video & Subscribe!

5 Trail Map

6 Recommended Gear

7 Nearby Hike

8 Save me on Pinterest!

8.1 Share the love!

About

 

While there are other routes you could take in the area, I was mainly interested in this route described so I could see Burro Pass. If you wanted a short distance you could hike basically straight up to hit the peak, but I was okay with a longer route to see the whole basin and the pass. What I didn’t realize was that the first mile of our route followed the Whole Enchilada bike route, and we saw TONS of bikers. There were so many bikers I kept Charlie on-leash the first mile just so they wouldn’t run him over or if we needed to move quickly out of the way. Keep this in mind if you hike here with your dog – I wish we would have started hiking much earlier like 6 or 7am just to beat the bike traffic.The hardest part about this hike and peak is the last 1/4 mile, which is the steepest and most rocky. The rocks are mostly stable, but keep an eye on your footing at all times. If your dogs isn’t used to hiking over boulders, bring dog booties as a backup to protect their paws.  

Directions

From Moab, head south on HWY 191, and turn right on Old Airport Road. At the “T” turn left. Follow signs for LaSal Scenic Loop Road. Turn right for Geyser Pass and drive 8 miles, then left at the brown sign for Burro Pass TH. Veer right at the next brown sign and continue following the signs. Park at the end of the dirt road just before the road makes a steep, rutted incline before reaching the official TH. Parking is off to the left in a pull out. A 4WD car is needed, especially the last 1.5 miles of driving. Photo below of the brown signs.

Here’s a driving map.

 

Trail Info

Distance: 5.5 miles RT

Elevation gain: 2,000 ft

Time: 3-5 hours

Dog friendly? Yes, off leash

Kid friendly? Ages 10+

Fees/Permits? None

Turn left at Geyser Pass for Forest Boundary.

Follow the signs for Burro Pass TH.

Our destination is in sight!

One more left turn, then drive up as far as you can. There is a pull out on the left side after these trees that is a good spot to park, as there is no parking right at the TH.

Ready to go! I didn’t realize we would be on the Whole Enchilada bike trail for the first mile.

Look at those Fall colors – beautiful!

And then it was bike, after bike, after bike…we probably saw 80 bikes in the first mile up until Burro Pass.

 

Made it to the pass. Once here, turn right and follow the trail sign for Mann’s Peak.

Leaving the bikes behind, finally! This was only a small handful of them too.

Making our way uphill again and through a short forested section.

Don’t pee on anything except rocks.

There were a few switchbacks as we kept following the trail. Tomasaki was in good sight again!

Looking back down towards Burro Pass (tucked in below the meadow).

Once you reach this cairn, if you want to skip Mann’s Peak like we did (since we already did it 2 years ago), just aim straight across to the saddle and leave the trail. If you also want to add in Mann’s Peak, I would recommend following the trail up to bag that, then follow the ridge down to meet the saddle.

Cutting across the boulder field. All of these rocks were very unstable.

 

Ahh, made it to the saddle and back on dirt. It was pretty windy here so we layered up.

 

One more look into the basin before heading up.

Next we made our way over to the unnamed peak, 11,947 ft. Such a cool view of Mt. Peale & Mt.Tuk from this side! Still on my list is the big rounded one in front, Mt.Mellenthin.

Dropping down from the unnamed peak almost to the Tomasaki saddle.

And now for the last climb – the steepest section.

I actually picked up a faint trail to the summit. A little hard to see, but it’s there.

Looking back – what a view! I love the LaSal’s so much! You can see Mann’s Peak and Mt.Waas from here.

Made it to the summit and first things first – serious face as I check in with my ZOLEO to let my partner know we made it safely. Charlie already snuggles in for his usual summit nap.

Time to explore around the summit!

Can’t forget about lunch! I love these “adult” lunchables.

Charlie climbs on my lap for more summit snuggles.

On the way down we decided to take the short-cut and just aim straight down back to the car. It was pretty steep but we found an okay gulley to follow down most of the way.

Just before we reached the trail again, there was one super steep section with really loose dirt and rock. I was really glad we didn’t go UP that way. I really liked the semi-loop we created.

Back to the car and the doggos were out! The sign of a good day!

 

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Trail Map

My track via Gaia GPS – the best tracking app! Get your app here for a discount.

 

Recommended Gear

Nearby Hike

Hiking to Mann’s Peak

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