With cold weather fast approaching I'm trying hard to finish my list for this hiking season (although for economic reasons I've had to cross off Southern Utah -- Bryce, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Moab -- until next year). So yesterday I headed out to one of the peaks that have been on my list for a while -- Santaquin Peak. About 50 miles south of Salt Lake City (near Payson and Provo) Santaquin peak is a very dramatic conical peak in the Uinta National Forest with views of Provo, Utah Lake, the Mount Nebo wilderness (Mount Nebo is the tallest peak in Northern Utah). The whole round trip is just under 12 miles with over 3,000 feet in elevation gain from the trailhead (7300 feet) to the summit (10,685 feet).The first mile of the trail is gorgeous, passing through groves of Aspen, Maple, and Pine, all in full fall color. The next 2.5 miles is pretty rough, as you work your way up a ridgeline with a 35-45 degree slope and almost NO SWITCHBACKS (hello?!?); not to mention uninteresting views (or maybe I'm just getting jaded). I'm in reasonable enough shape that the way up wasn't that difficult, but I knew it was going to be hell on my knees on the way down. After you finally cross the ridge and get on the back side of Loafer Canyon (the last two miles of the hike) the views get fantastic and I quickly forgot about the drudgery of the previous 2.5 miles). In places there was a good bit of snow from two recent snowfalls at the higher elevations, and while it was pretty cold and windy on top (my little thermometer said 46 degrees), trust me I was working hard enough to stay warm. :)
The summit of Santaquin Peak is really cool -- like a few of the summits I've been on (but by no means all) they keep a metal box on top with a hiker's log and some emergency supplies (blankets, matches, water). There was also a flagpole there, but no flag -- I imagine with the harsh winds no flag could survive for long. The views were amazing -- even though the video function on my camera is terrible, I did do a 360 degree video, which I'll share with you. I signed the hiker log, and headed down.
As I feared, the 2.5 miles 45 degree angle portion of the trail had my knees screaming in protest, so it'll take me a couple of days to recover, but it was worth it. The "payoff" on this trail was great, but honestly it took too long to get to what I refer to as the "awe moments"; those places where you just stand in wonder and it feels like God is looking over your shoulder whispering "pretty cool, huh?". So probably not a repeat, but definitely worth doing once.
Hope you enjoy the pics!
Educational Moment: Mount Nebo is the southernmost and highest mountain in the Wasatch Range of Utah. Named after the biblical Mount Nebo overlooking Israel (which is said to be the place of Moses' death), it is the centerpiece of the Mount Nebo Wilderness, inside the Uinta National Forest. Mount Nebo is crowned by three peaks, with the northern peak reaching 11,928 ft. Parts of the mountain are covered in snow from mid-October until July. It is a popular, although strenuous, destination for hikers from the nearby town of Nephi and Salt Lake City. The Mount Nebo Scenic Byway departs I-15 at Payson and climbs to over 9,000 feet before rejoining the interstate at Nephi. The route features panoramic views of Mount Nebo and the Utah Valley and Utah Lake far below. There are numerous trailheads along the route for the hiking enthusiast including a short walk to the "Devils Kitchen", an area which has been described as a "mini Bryce Canyon".
No comments:
Post a Comment