Grandeur Peak (8,299 ft and pronounced like "grand-er") is the one of the high points in Millcreek Canyon, and offers fantastic views of the SLC Valley and into Parley's Canyon.
Notch Peak (9,658 ft) is in Utah's West Desert near the town of Delta, Utah. Notch Peak is part of the House Range mountains and Notch Peak Wilderness Study Area.
Lone Peak (11,251 ft) is one of the tallest peaks along the Wasatch Front, and hovers over Draper, Utah. You can't miss this peak - it is clearly visible from both Salt Lake & Utah Counties.
Today's blog post is from our guests Nick Carnahan and Alex Lawhun. They completed an 18 mile day hike along the Oquirrh Ridgeline - a rarely hiked and unknown route to many. What they encountered was more than they bargained for. Here is their story.
Little Water Peak (9,606 ft) sits at the upper, East ridge, dividing Millcreek Canyon from Big Cottonwood Canyon. Little Water Peak is seldom visited, yet it offers great views of the surrounding peaks and a good look down into Millcreek Canyon. The summit is just above Dog Lake to the North, and while Dog Lake will have tons of people in the Summer months, Little Water Peak will offer a bit of solitude. This summit is safe to access year round. It only takes roughly 30 minutes from Dog Lake to the summit, so put it on your list!
Thurston Peak (9,706 ft) straddles the Davis-Morgan county line, making it the tallest peak for both counties. Many people think that Francis Peak, with the big white golf ball domes on the summit, is the highest peak along the ridge, but it is Thurston Peak that claims the high point.
Hiking Utah's Ultra Prominence Peaks is not for the average hiker - many of these peaks require hiking off trail, very early morning starts (sometimes 3am), route finding, long days, crossing exposed ridge lines, extremely steep and rugged terrain, and sometimes a river crossing. In addition to these "fun" circumstances, I've also dealt with bad sun burns, running out of food, running out of water, reading the map wrong, forgetting socks, starting out too late in the day, ending after dark, getting annoyed by people I'm hiking with, and as the movies say, have experienced blood, sweat, and tears. So why do I keep doing it? What is the draw for people to complete Ultra Prominent Peaks?
Mt. Wolverine & the Wolverine Cirque above Brighton Ski Resort is a very popular backcountry skiing destination during winter. But hiking this route in Summer, is just as fun and very scenic, and for Peak Baggers, you can knock out up to six peaks in one day.
Mt. Peale (12,721 ft) and Mt. Tukuhnikivatz (12, 482 ft) are two prominent peaks in the LaSal Mountains right outside of Moab, UT. Mt. Peale is the highest point in the range, and 2nd tallest prominent mountain in Utah; Mt. Tukuhnikivatz (pronounced tuk-oon-ik-ah-vatz) is the peak you mainly see from the valley floor from Moab, and is a mountain well known in Edward Abbey's, Desert Solitaire. If you have ever lived in Utah, have passed through, or want to have some sense of what Moab and Arches National Park was like back in the day, reading Desert Solitaire is a must.
Cecret Lake (yes, that is the correct spelling) is a beautiful alpine lake that sits in the heart of Alta Ski Resort. This easy 1 mile walk is great for kids, taking photos of the amazing wildflowers in July, and possibly sighting a moose. But why stop at the lake, when you can continue just one more mile and summit Sugarloaf Peak? The elevation of Sugarloaf Peak is 11,051 ft, and can be summited in under an hour and half. Bring a light jacket though - it gets really windy and can be quite cold at the top. Keep in mind that the Albion Basin Road is only open from July 4th until the last week of September (or whenever the first snow hits).