North Sevier Plateau, Utah

 ⦁ CREST ROAD - the Saul Meadow Rd runs east out of Annabella and goes to the crest then the crest road runs south to highway 62 just east of Kingston. Several major roads drop off the crest. The one down to Monroe was good enough for a car. Another goes down Pole Canyon and one down Dry Creek but it wasn't dry. It had a little stream and no sign of cattle even at the mouth. These roads are maintained but get bumpy due to embedded rocks. If 4wd is ever needed it would be easy. There's a cell signal most of the time. A Verizon tower may be on Monroe Peak. Posted 2021.

⦁ SIGNAL PEAK el 11226 - the trail is about 20 miles out of Annabella along the crest road at N38 37591, W111 59094 el 10150. A stream and room to camp is there and no cattle. The trail generally follows the topo and bends right onto the bald summit plateau and fades then there is a minor trail at N38 37470, W112 00804 that helps for the last tenth mile. 3 hours, 1200 gain. Posted 2021

⦁ MONROE PEAK el 11227 - a main road forks off the crest road and goes down Monroe Canyon to Monroe town. Before it drops off the rim there is a decent road going 3 miles to towers on the peak. The topo shows these roads. I could have drove a car up from Monroe. Posted 2021.

⦁ MARYSVALE NORTH SUMMIT el 10900+ is what I call the one next to Marysvale Peak. The crest road runs south past Manning Meadow Reservoir. Shady camps and a restroom are at the south end. A mile beyond that is FR156 forking right. In a third mile it turns into a smooth OHV trail and I went on another 2 miles to a clearing at N38 28841, 112 05819 el 10400. I walked to the end of that then went left thru trees to an elk trail at 28860, 05952 el 10550 then up to 28918, 06062 then another tenth mile to  the reg el 10900+, placed a year earlier. Short hike. Ebikes should work on the OHV trail. Posted 2021.

⦁ BEAN HILL, BIG TABLE - turn off the crest road at N38 2593, W112 02955 el 9200. The road soon turns into a decent ATV trail and ebikeable. Proceed to a fork at 24755, 04139 el 9700 and go left to a fence. To stay out of a burn area, I walked level around the right side of the peak to 24609, 03689 then on to a bald slope then up to the reg el 10055. Short hike, some light brush. I kept going on the ATV trail and stayed left at forks and it took me around Big Table then up to el 10050 where I had a short stroll to the reg at 24055, 04589 el 10086. Bad views but the ride up has good views. Posted 2021.

⦁ LANGDON MOUNTAIN el 10323 - turn off the crest road onto FR82 at N38 23225, W112 01798. Stay left at a fork to the end at a fence el 10000. It's easy 4wd and ebikeable. Walk along the right side of the fence to the reg and witness BM at 23467, 01175. Short hike. Posted 2021.

⦁ MALMSTEN PEAK el 9793 is at the south end of the range on Forshea Mountain.  The topo shows a road running south from the crest road along the east side of the peak. It's easy 4wd but closed at el 9500. I walked from there and soon went right on a  fork and when that bent left I walked a clearing to another clearing at N38 15186, W112 05152 then the BM is at 15235, 05212.  Short hike. I had 2 bars of Verizon there. Posted 2021.

⦁ PEAK 8582 is on  the west side of Forshea Mtn. The topo shows a road from the crest road running south of a dry lake for a bit over a mile to a fence el 7700. It's easy 4wd. A trail goes along the left side of the fence making it easy to get to the SE saddle el 8100 then up the ridge. I took a direct route down to the east and walked back on the road. Driving around to the NE side would be 200 feet higher but it's a crappy road. 2 hours, nearly 1000 gain, some light brush. I didn't see anything blocking a side trip to peak 8382. Cattle were thick here once but long gone now. Posted 2021.

⦁ PEAK 7381 is along the crest road half a mile north of highway 62. The whole route up the north ridge comes into view upon approaching it on the crest road. Posted 2021.

⦁ STEENS CANYON is at the south end of the range. I went up canyon and back on the west rim. It's the best hike I found in the range. I parked on highway 62 at mp 7.9 where two canyons come in from the north. The left one is Steens. I strolled up the creekbed past Dripping Spring, which had a drip, then checked out Blind Spring but found nothing there. I went on up to Blood Mine Spring at N38 13886, W112 05420 el 7700 and found a tiny flow. I made a U-turn there and took an east angle up to the west rim and hit an ATV trail next to peak 8257 at 13914, 05953. I walked it over that peak then left it and went down the rim to 13510, 06289 el 8000. I then came to a minor hill and went right of center over it then came to peak 7905 and went right of center over that then made a hard left to stay on the rim. I went down to a point at 11954, 06472 el 7400 where a path led down thru a cliff then had easy slopes down to 11725, 06023 where a decent route gets down to the creekbed. That took 5 hours, 11 minutes with around 2000 gain but it's all easy, especially the 1300 up the creekbed. No cattle and nearly zero brush. Good pj forest. PHONOLITE PEAK el 7915 is at the mouth of the canyon. A road goes up along the east side to get close to the north saddle but it's washed out. Maybe it gets fixed. Posted 2021.

⦁ MONROE CREEK TRAILS - these trails show on the topo and may all still exist because I saw new signs at trail junctions. I hiked up the Shingle Creek trail and down the Second Lefthand Fork trail. Main St in Monroe bends into Monroe Creek and goes thru a narrows where FR162 goes left up the First Lefthand Fork. It's easy 4wd and ebikeable to the end at a TH el 7600. The Shingle Creek TH is along the way at el 7000. I walked it to Washburn Reservoir el 9200 then across the dam and on to a fork at point 9738 that isn't on the topo. The right fork is a shortcut to the Second Lefthand Fork trail. I took that and it got fuzzy as I came to that trail. The correct trail goes down slope at N38 35449, W112 01532 el 9400. I walked it down to Monrovian Park. That took 5 hours with 2700 gain. I didn't have a shuttle so I had another hour of road walking back. I did this in shorts but was rubbing against scrub oak on the descent. These trails can get rocky. Shingle Creek was the only good water and easily jumpable. MONROE CREEK TRAIL - this one follows the creek from Monrovian Park for a mile and half. There are 2 DIY bridges then a third crossing with no bridge where the stream forks. I jumped that then hit brush right away and turned back. I spent 80 minutes. It's a nice gorge. An old topo shows this trail went on up creek and was the original Third Lefthand Fork trail. But the new topo shows it had to be detoured over an 800 foot high ridge. Forget that one. Posted 2021.

Pahvant Range, Utah

Beehive Peak is reportedly risky class 4.

The ATV trail on the north rim of Willow Creek Canyon

 

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• The main attraction in this range is the long canyons that drain toward Richfield. The rims and creekbeds are easy to walk. Some have century old logging roads. Posted 2021.
• CREST ROAD- a 4wd vehicle could easily run the crest from Willow Creek to Richfield as of August 2021. Take US 50 north from Salina for 8 miles to a big green sign at mp 151 where an improved road goes 3 and a half miles then the remaining mile to the mouth starts getting tricky for cars. Another good road starts at mp 149 and merges in. Some sunny camps are at the mouth but some shady ones start a mile up canyon. The stream was tiny in August but Pharo Canyon had a much better one for filtering. A high clearance road runs along the base for a mile to a trail at N39 59990, W112 04668 el 6750 that accesses that stream. The road up Willow Creek is wide high clearance for 6 miles to FR96 running along the crest. It goes north a dozen miles to a dead end at the Scipio Pass TH. Coffee Peak el 10005 is an easy hike along there but not a good view. Going south on FR96 it's a dozen miles or so to the road down to Richfield. These roads are ebikeable but bumpy. It's 33 miles from the mouth of Willow Creek to Richfied with no side trips. The last 10 miles smooths out but has some short sections of loose little rocks. I didn't see any good water along the road in late August. Cell phones work on the crest. White Pine Peak el 10215 must have a Verizon tower because I was getting 5 bars around there. Posted 2021.
• FILLMORE LOOP - an easy 4wd loop of just over 40 miles can be done out of Fillmore with some spectacular views into deep canyons. The Sandrock Ridge Rd goes from town to FR96 on the crest in about a dozen miles. It's steep but in good shape. FR96 goes north for 10 miles to  FR100 and that goes 20 miles back to town. That road bottoms out at the shady Pistol Rock picnic area along Chalk Creek. That was the only water I saw in late August 2021.
• PHARO CANYON has a shady trail to el 8000+. A high clearance road runs north for a mile from the mouth of Willow Creek to the mouth of Pharo el 6800. The trail stays on the left bank to a meadow with a good stream at N39 59487, W112 05598 el 7300. At 59490, 06388 el 7650 there is a short trail dropping to the stream. No point going beyond there as the  trail fades at el 8100. 1 to 2 hours, easy. No recent cattle. Posted 2021.
• RED CANYON has a nice little stream and falls near the mouth. Take US 50 north from Salina for 8 miles to a big green sign for Willow Creek at mp 151. Go west on a good graded road for 1.8 miles then go south on road #394. It's easy 4wd and ebikeable. Follow it for 4 and a half miles then go right on a short road to the mouth el 6900. A trail goes up canyon bank to bank but it's frequently easier using the creekbed. The stream shrinks to nothing but it's still a pleasant walk to N38 56789, W112 04405 el 7800 where cattle are stinking it up. But they can't come down canyon. 2 hours, 900 gain, easy. This would have more water in May. Posted August, 2021.
• PEAK 8080 is 2 and a half miles SE of Beehike Peak on the same ridge. A decent ATV trail goes to el 7650. I rode my 125 north along power lines on the west side of I-70 and merged with a good road that took me to Mud Spring. I went left there on trail #436 and followed the topo up to ponderosa pines then had a short hike to the summit. That's the only peak on that jagged ridge that I could see a way up. Posted 2021.
• NORTH CEDAR RIDGE CANYON is one of the long ones on the east side. I went up it and made a loop by taking the Trough Canyon fork then crossing back at the saddle on Nightgown Ridge between the two peaks el 8005. It's easy walking on the main canyon floors. Take highway 24 to mp 23.5 and turn on a paved road and go over I-70. Turn right on the first graded road going north. Cars make it 1.3 miles then it's high clearance for a half mile then the last quarter mile is an ATV trail on the far right bank. Stroll up canyon about a mile to the first cottonwood. 200 feet past that is a big log on the right bank where a trail helps out. It goes back into the creekbed then in another 250 feet a trail resumes on the right bank again. When that fizzles it's best to stay in the creekbed to a trail on the left bank at N38 53620, W112 02812 el 6400. It will cross to the right bank then back in the creekbed and in another quarter mile is where Trough Canyon comes in on the left at el 6500. I went up that then took a side canyon at 53990, 04692 el 7300. I went 400 feet up that then climbed up the right slope to get on the rim and walked into the saddle el 7650 between the two peaks 8005. I dropped down to a gully at 54152, 04429 el 7600 to get in the main drainage and went down it. Several minor drops got in the way. I bypassed all on the right until the last one just a few feet before North Cedar Ridge Canyon where I went left. A small stream was running and easy to step over and I just strolled on back out sometimes using more logger trails and one on the left bank that I came to pretty soon runs a long way. The stream disappeared at el 6800. That took 6 hours on the only strenuous gain is the 400 to climb over the rim. No brush and Trough has a good pine forest. Loggers were in there decades ago but I don't see how they got the logs out. If I'm backpacking, I would set up base camp along the stream and see if I could get up canyon and find an easy way into Trough and loop back. Posted 2021.
• SOUTH CEDAR RIDGE CANYON has a trail but half of it is just a rocky creekbed. A great one way hike can be done using the ATV trail on the north rim of Willow Creek Canyon then a foot trail drops in. Drive north out of Richfield on highway 118 to Farm Rd. Take that paved road to I-70 then over on a good dirt road that bends left to the mouth of the canyon. Leave a car or ebike there then go back over I-70 then right on Substation Rd and go 1.1 miles to a fork. Go right then left at the next fork and on another .8 to 1605 North. Take that road under I-70 then another .8 mile to a corral at a fork, but that's not the turn. Drive on another 50 feet then go right on easy 4wd for a fifth mile to a fork el 5700 where #622 goes right. Walk it to the peak at N38 51221, W112 06447 el 8000+. A foot trail does go west over the peak like the topo shows but doesn't drop down until 51183, 06921 el 7800. It switches down and gets hard to see. It switches left at 51272, 07007 and is easy to see the rest of the way down. The creek was dry there but started flowing at el 6850 and ran almost to the mouth. Strawberry Canyon was dry and just after that there is a tricky area but the trail is high on the left bank. 6 hours, 2300 gain up the ATV trail. I zigzagged along that trail in a nice forest and it was super easy. Backpackers could go up canyon and set up at the mouth of Strawberry and see if they can get up that fork then come down Newts Canyon. It seems to have a trail. Cars can do the 8 mile shuttle. Posted 2021.
• SOUTH CEDAR RIDGE CANYON SOUTH RIM - loggers worked the rim maybe a century ago and two of their roads can be used to connect a loop but they're bad ATV trails now. Trail #622 goes up the north rim of Willow Creek Canyon to el 8000 and the other goes to peak 7780. Drive north out of Richfield on highway 118 to mp 17.4 and turn on 2330 East. The underpass will come into view so drive under I-70 then another .8 mile to a corral at a fork, but that's not the turn. Drive on another 50 feet then go right on easy 4wd for a fifth mile to a fork el 5700 where #622 goes right. Walk it to the peak at N38 51221, W112 06447 el 8000+.  To walk the rim east, use a topo on a phone to walk it to peak 7789. Loggers worked the whole route. A pail hangs from a branch at 51347, 04548 then initials carved in a dead tree in the second to the last saddle before peak 7780. On the peak is a 10 foot wide fire pit at 51223, 03485. An ATV trail leads down from there to the road shown on the topo but that's just more bad ATV trail now. It goes down to the flats then it's a bit over a mile along the base back to the start. 6 hours with 2400 gain to the peak on the rim but not steep. The rim is gently rolling and easy to walk. No brush anywhere. Posted 2021.
• WILLOW CREEK CANYON has a trail and intermittent stream. I made a loop up the south rim over Table Mountain el 7351 then down into the canyon and back. Drive north out of Richfield on highway 24 to mp 17.4 and turn on 2330E. The underpass will come into view so drive under I-70 then another .7  mile to a gravel pit. A car could make it. I walked the flats to ATV trail #452 at N38 48746, W112 04161 el 5600. It goes up to a tricky fork at el 6600. I stayed right and the trail ends at the NE ridge el 7000. I went up a little and found a faint trail to get me around to a better ridge pointing north then up that to the summit. I dropped off at 49448, 06195 el 7300 and walked to the rim of the canyon then west down a ridge at 49671, 06806 el 6900. I went down to 49660, 06878 then below that I came to a minor cliff. I went left around that then down thru the last cliff band at 49674,07053 el 6300. A tiny stream was flowing and I just walked on out using the old trail on the low banks and sometimes the rocky creekbed. 5 hours, nearly 2000 gain. Nice forest, no brush and no recent cattle. I posted a track on peakbagger.com. Posted September, 2021.
• COTTONWOOD CANYON has one of the better streams. Take Main St out of Richfield and under I-70 to a gravel road. Go left half a mile then the road bends right into the canyon and becomes high clearance. It ends at washouts in half a mile el 5600. Stroll on up a good narrows to a main fork el 6200 where the left fork is dry and the last chance to get on the south rim for a loop back. I stayed along the stream in the right fork to el 6600 barely avoiding wading and almost needing long pants. There are potholes in bedrock along there.  The south rim is nearly vertical so I found a complex route up the north rim and walked back on an ATV trail. But I saw a better route so next time I'll reverse this loop now that I know the canyon is easy. The next canyon north of the underpass has a trail. It goes bank to bank and at N38 48159, W112 05168 it goes up the right bank to skirt a big fall. It comes back and crosses to the left bank to pass another fall. At 48543, 05790 it goes up the right bank to pass a fall then soon meets the ATV trail el 6350 shown on the topo. That trail splits and there is an option to walk half a mile to an overlook. At el 7250 is when to veer left off the trail and cross a drainage at 48186, 09681 el 7250 then on to the rim at 48013, 09673 el 7200 where I would have a better than 90 percent chance of making it straight down a wide drainage. I would take long pants, wading shoes and have an ebike to save a mile and half of walking along the base. I think I could do it in 6 hours with nearly 2000 gain. Just walking up canyon where potholes start at 47875, 08695 el 6400 then retracing back would be the easy option to suit most hikers. Posted 2021.
• MOUNT CATHERINE el 10020 has a trail to el 9600 but the one on the topo is way off. Take crest road FR96 to FR397 and drive on easy for a mile and a half to the end where there are camps under aspen at the TH el 9650. The trail runs along the south side of Pioneer Peak then down to a fork at N38 59134, W112 10840 el 9500. Go right and the trail goes straight to the saddle between the peaks. Don't get tricked by elk trails dropping lower. The trail goes up the east ridge of Catherine and fades at el 9600 left of center. Move to center and follow open ground to the south side of the summit at 59578, 11734 el 9950 then go up to the survey junk on the top. It's easy to detour up the bald SW ridge to Pioneer on the return. 3 or 4 hours to do both peaks with around 2000 gain. I did Catherine in shorts. Posted 2021.
• MINE CAMP PEAK el 10222 has several ways to drive in but the road out of Fillmore is the best. It's so steep that 4wd will be needed. It crosses a cattleguard el 9900 next to the peak. A hiker trail starts on the west side of the cattleguard and crosses a saddle the up the SE ridge. Short hike. WHITE PINE PEAK el 10215 is nearby and the topo shows the road up that. Posted 2021.
• SUNSET PEAK el 10088 has a rubbly jeep road up it. I didn't even make it on my cycle. Posted 2021.
• JOSEPH PEAK el 9325 is on private land in the southern part of the range. A road to the top has a locked gate at el 9000, but it didn't have a sign against walking so that's what I did. A good hard packed road goes up from the  I-70 exit at Joseph for nearly 10 miles to a fork at N38 40419, W112 18610. The gate is in view shortly up the right fork. Another option is to park on the east side and use the cell signal there to navigate brush. Hunting is allowed so the owner might not get bent too far out of shape over hikers.  I followed the main road north down to Elsinore. This is a good cycle ride with about 25 miles of dirt total. Posted 2021.

Valley Mountains, Utah

Firefighters must have made that at Basin Peak.

This is the reason the road to Stevens BM is in such good shape. But those days are gone.

Aborted benchmark on MW Peak

Register on Basin Peak el 8025

 

 

⦁ Hayes Canyon has a good road that accesses the northern peaks. Take highway 28 north from Gunnison for about 4 miles and turn at a sign for Fayette. Go a few feet on a paved road then left and follow the main dirt road. There are some private roads in the range but I didn't have to deal with any except at Stevens BM. It's easy to spot the public roads. They're the ones lined with beer cans. Posted 2021.

⦁ BALD KNOLL el 6682 is at the south end of the range. It seems the only named summits are a few minor knolls. Take the Redmond Lake Rd out of Redmond to a canal on the edge of public land where 3 crude roads go west. Take the far right one on the high ground for 3 miles to Bald Knoll. The road is good high clearance and ebikeable. The wuss route is to walk a shady drainage along the west base to a saddle then up. Nice hike but short. SALINA BM is nearby. Drive on up the road to a divide el 6450 then go left on an ATV trail to the summit. PEAK 7335 has an ATV trail to the summit. Drive back toward town to some metal tanks near point 5969 then go north. At el 6600 it will merge with the jeep road shown on the topo which is how I rode up. At el 6800 it got too rocky so I chickened out but 4 wheelers can make it. Posted 2021.

⦁ MW PEAK el 8319 is what I call the one just south of Stevens BM. It's the best hike in the range. A secret road then ATV trail goes up to the south rim of May Hollow. Take a topo app like peakbagger or similar. Take the Redmond Lake Rd out of Redmond to a canal on the edge of public land where 3 crude roads go west. Take the far right one on the high ground past Bald Knoll then over a divide el 6450. The road is good high clearance and ebikeable to there. Go right just past the divide on easy 4wd to el 6750 where an ATV trail goes on up to the rim el 7100. I walked up the rim and stayed right around the first bump to a saddle then walked level into May Hollow then up to a right fork that took me to the saddle west of peak 7685. Then it's an easy ridge walk to the summit at N39 03249, W111 59965. A no name witness BM there implies that the surveyors aborted this peak in favor of Stevens. MW 20 inscribed on a rock might be a logger a century earlier. I followed the ridge back down using the topo on my phone. 4 hours and nearly 2000 gain but hardly any is steep. This pj forest is as good as it gets. I can do the whole loop in shorts. I could have gone on to Stevens then down the east ridge to an ebike stashed there. Posted 2021.

⦁ STEVENS BENCHMARK el 8436 is the high point of the range. The easiest route is out of Redmond Canyon on a logging road to the west ridge el 8000. Go north from Redmond on highway 256 to 1100 North aka Sheep Lane. Go west to the end of pavement then go north along a fence for 50 feet then go left to power lines. Go north for .9 mile to pole #112 then go left into the canyon and on to a locked gate el 7150. There was no sign or tire tracks so I walked on up the main road to el 8000 on the west ridge. I went up the center of the ridge and over the west summit then to the reg at N39 03615, W111 59855. I went down the east ridge then dropped north at 03596, 59306 and down to 03715, 59251 then straight down to the road and back to the start. 2 hours, 10 minutes, 1400 gain. I wore shorts to the top and could have made it down in them. If the absentee landowner decides to start using the property, then the east ridge would be the best route. Posted 2021.

⦁ STEEP PEAK el 7354 is what I call the one at the head of Steep Canyon. The SW ridge looks to be the easiest. Drive north from the Cedar Pass road on the Japanese Valley road to a faint road at N39 10321, W111 58849. Go east on that to a fence in a fifth mile. I stepped over then went left into a canyon and soon came to a main fork. I went up between the forks and stayed along the right one. When that got too tilted, I moved to the right bank and walked cow trails to a road at 10209, 58231 el 6400. I walked on it to a T then left onto the SW ridge then zigzagged up to 10522, 57310 el 7150 where I turned toward the peak. The high point is at 10754, 57195. 3 hours, 1200 gain, good pj forest. Posted 2021.

⦁ BASIN PEAK el 8025 is what I call the one at the head of Basin Canyon. Elk and fire trails go up the north ridge. I followed the road out of Hayes Canyon then to Chris Hollow and then there's just one road going on to the saddle el 7550 a mile NE of the peak. It's easy 4wd and ebikeable. An elk trail goes level out of the saddle and on to N39 14257, W112 01638 el 7600 then onto the ridge. At the final ridge the trail splinters. A path at 13668, 01748 el 7700 leads to more trails then for the last tenth mile I stayed left of center to the reg at 13512, 01953. It needs a book and pencil.  2 hours with maybe 600 noticeable gain. Some light brush. SEVIER BENCHMARK el 8011 can be done on the drive out. The road makes a hairpin turn just south of it and an OHV trail goes up to the east saddle el 7600. I walked a trail thru scrub and drifted right of center to 16455, 01483 where I turned left on a faint path and on up to 16421, 01534 then at 16410, 01559 I angled back to the right and topped out then on to the summit at 16413, 01622. I only had to deal with light brush. Short hike. Posted 2021.

⦁ FAYE BENCHMARK el 7479 has a good road along the west side out of Hayes Canyon. Any route along there would work but I like the south ridge. It's the unsteepest and has a perfect pj forest and an ancient trail. Follow the road out of Hayes to a faint road at N39 13520, W111 58622. It ends in a fifth mile then just walk to a saddle el 6400 on the south ridge. Go up to el 6900 then skirt left around the only bump on the ridge. I got back on the ridge at 14308, 57843 el 7050 and went up steeper ground to the BM at 14677, 57782. The high point is another 300 feet. Cut trees indicate that the surveyors considered putting the BM there. I thought I was seeing a manmade trail on the ridge but couldn't find any cut wood until 14125, 57885 el 6950 on the descent where an axe was used. The trail descends east at 13788, 58025 el 6600. Maybe it was a horse trail for the whole ridge to Red Canyon. It's hard to see now. Some trees on the ridge have 4 foot trunks. This took 2 and a half hours with 1500 gain. Posted 2021.

⦁ RED CANYON PEAK el 7052 is what I call the twin peak on the north rim of that canyon. A good road runs north out of Hayes Canyon to a cattleguard el 6300 on the SW ridge. I followed the fence up to el 6600 then angled left to the saddle on the main ridge at N39 18353, W111 58147 el 6900. I walked north on the ridge to peak 7052 then south over the southern peak to 18180, 58142 el 7000 where I descended back to the start. 100 minutes, nearly 1000 gain, good pj forest the whole way. The road down Red Canyon goes to a hilly power road along the base. The main road goes on to I-15 but I didn't ride it. A local told me he got his car on thru to I-15 but that was years ago. Posted 2021.