In early September I spent a week hiking several Utah prominence peaks and sampling Utah mountain ranges I had not yet visited. I began by summitting Mount Peale in the La Sal Mountains near Moab. The next peak on my list was Abajo Peak in the Abajo Mountains located in the Manti-La Sal National Forest just west of Monticello, Utah.
South Peak (left) and Abajo Peak (right) from near Monticello, Utah
On the afternoon of September 2 I drove to Monticello, Utah, and checked in with the US Forest Service to verify that roadside camping was permitted and to check on the pronunciation of Abajo (Ah-BA-ho). Linda and I had last passed through Monticello in August 2012 on our way to Monte Verde National Park for bicycling but I don’t recollect paying much attention to nearby Abajo Peak at that time. Still, Abajo Peak has 4550 feet of prominence and 11360 feet of elevation and is one of the 100 most prominent peaks of the 48 Contiguous US States.
