In early September I spent a week hiking several Utah prominence peaks and sampling Utah mountain ranges I had not yet visited. This exploration included Mount Peale in the La Sal Mountains near Moab, Abajo Peak in the Abajo Mountains near Monticello, Mount Ellen in the remote Henry Mountains, and Mount Nebo in the Southern Wasatch. The last prominence peak I visited in this exploration of Utah was Deseret Peak in the Stansbury Mountains just south of the Great Salt Lake. Deseret Peak has 5812 feet of prominence and 11031 feet of elevation making it the highest peak in the Stansburys and the fourth most prominent peak in Utah.
The Stansbury Mountains from near Grantsville, Utah. Deseret Peak is left of center on the horizon.
I had planned to visit Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch, but I understood I would have little chance to find a campsite near the trailhead I planned to use for “Timp” due to Labor Day crowds. So I passed on Timp and headed west.
I drove up the South Willow Canyon to the Loop Campground at the end of the road and was fortunate to find a parking spot near the trailhead.
Looking down into Mill Fork from Deseret Peak summi
I followed the Mill Fork/Deseret Peak trail to the summit. There were many other hikers on the trail and summit, some in large groups, reinforcing my decision to postpone Timp for another time. My ascent route led up Mill Fork and its headwall, then traversed up to the summit to the right of the view above.
The view north from the summit of Deseret Peak, including a view of the northern Stansbury Mountains and the Great Salt Lake.
The weather was ideal and I enjoyed the views from the summit before feeling compelled to leave with increasing church crowds filling the summit. I had considered completing a loop by descending the Pockets Fork – Dry Lake Fork descent route. The trail in the left of the photo above is the start of that descent route.
Looking down into Dry Lake Fork and the South Willow Canyon beyond from Deseret Peak summit
With the increasing crowds and the realization I likely would not return to the area for many years if ever, I decided to take the the Pockets Fork – Dry Lake Fork trail back to the trailhead for more solitude and scenery.
A view of the north face of Deseret Peak from my descent route.
The descent route was slightly longer but descended quickly before dropping into Pockets Fork. In the photo above the route went directly down the steep forested slope in the center of the photo left of the rocky chute. The route meandered a bit as it descended through Dry Lake Fork but I saw few people until the trail joined the Mill Fork trail shortly before the trailhead.
This hike completed my exploration of Utah prominence peaks and mountain ranges for this year. This exploration was a very successful, interesting, and fun experience. As I left the trailhead and drove west into Nevada and back towards home I thought about the many other peaks and mountain ranges I have yet to sample in the Basin and Range Region of the Western USA.
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