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| Leidy Peak |
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| Something peculiar on Leidy |
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| Elk near Leidy |
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| Rock ring near Leidy |
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| Marsh Peak |
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| The cave at Big Brush Creek |
1. Highway 191 out of Vernal is the easiest way to get to the national forest. At mp 376 is a huge camp area with restrooms. 2500W and 3500W are roads out of Vernal that go into the forest and become good graded roads. The road to Paradise Lake is old pavement to the forest boundary and then FR104 is very bumpy on to the lake. Cars go in there. FR117 out of Elkhorn is the road to Chepeta Lake and it is extremely bumpy but improves some when it tops out. Cars might get to the lake. Uinta is the Indian word for rocks, rocks, and more rocks that go on forever. Posted 2025
2. LEIDY PEAK el 12028 is an easy one. FR43 goes to the TH el 10920 just short of what the topo shows. Some cars could make it. The spring near the 10400 line had good water. I followed trail #25 to the east ridge then it's mostly tundra to the summit. I had to detour around snow by way of good springs at N40 45877, W109 49383 el 11120. I came back down and strolled out to peak 11139. The last saddle has a large rock ring at 45239, 48256 el 10800. Be careful around that. It's hard to find Indian relics at that elevation. A herd of elk was out there. 5 hours, 8.5 miles, 2000 gain. There is good camping at the TH and it was deserted on a Saturday. Posted 2025
3. MOUNT UNTERMANN el 12074 has a spotty trail going to it from Hacking Lake around the north side of Leidy. Then there is the option to loop back on trail #39 or come back over Leidy. I did the former. The trail on the topo is off in places but not enough to get you lost. Near the start are decoy cairns running too low. The correct trail is at N40 46289, W109 50446 then fades and shows up again at 45889, 51060 and then it drops to a lower level at 45834, 51367. And there I saw that Gabbro Pass was snowed in so I merged onto the ridge and up a talus point. I stayed left of center and it only took 5 minutes to get up then I had tundra nearly to the summit. I then went over to peak 12011 and saw a rock ring with a zigzag line on the summit at 45480, 53073. Be careful there as it might be Indian. I then headed down trail #39 and the map is off so it's best to head down tundra to the trail at 45481, 52137 then on to a sign for trail #41 that leads back. 6 hours, 15 minutes and 12.3 miles with 2800 gain. Just to Untermann and back the same way would be 9 miles and less than 5 hours. Posted 2025
4. MARSH PEAK el 12240 has a trail on the east ridge like the topo shows but the last 3 miles of FR27 is rocky. Expect an hour for that. I went to the summit then north on the ridge to trail #51 and back along the lakes. I followed the trail then zigzagged up the east ridge to N40 42612, W109 49325 el 11800 where I leveled off around to the north side then up. I kept going on the main ridge to the south saddle of peak 11951 then dropped left on tundra to 43927, 50956 and went straight on down to a rim el 11200 and walked tundra all the way to trail #51 at 44946, 52288 el 11200. That hits bottom and fades but ignore fake cairns and stay on the right like the topo shows. I filled up at a spring along there reading 45105, 51852 and then went on to trail #39 at 45229, 51529 el 10800 and it gets heavy use. It follows close to the topo but one meadow is tricky but I picked it up at 44646, 49397. 8 hours, 13.3 miles with 3000 gain. Some talus has to be dealt with but stable. I would wait until July when bogs are easier. I nearly had to wade the creek in late June. ALTERNATE - coming in from the TH above Hacking Lake would add 5 or 6 miles to the total but a base camp could be set up at the junction with trail #39. I could have drove a car to that TH. Trail #26 might work too but I never saw it. Posted 2025
5. TROUT CREEK PEAK el 10519 is along FR43 to Hacking Lake and Leidy. FR38 is a decent high clearance road but then there is a locked gate at the 9800 line. But there was no sign against riding an ebike. As the road passes under the north saddle I left it and then at the saddle is a trail that goes nearly to the summit and some survey junk. Mosquitoes were bad. Posted 2025
6. GRIZZLY BENCHMARK el 9968 is 2 miles west of highway 191. A 4wd road goes all the way up. FR181 leaves the highway at mp 375.8 and goes to a ski hut el 9200 then on to the summit. It's not worth taking a 4wd past a campsite at N40 44948, W109 30674 el 9750. Posted 2025
7. DYER MOUNTAIN el 10248 has a 4wd most of the way. FR249 goes up along the east side then into the north saddle el 10100. I don't think it's worth it to take a 4wd past the Dyer Mines el 9800. I had no trouble riding my 125 to the saddle. Posted 2025
8. RED PINE TRAIL - this one goes down into Ashley Gorge and shows on the topo. Cars can make it to FR237 then it's nearly 3 miles of easy 4wd to the rim at N40 41047, W109 38878. Ebikes could make it. It took half an hour to get down to the creek. One good campsite is there. In September of 2004 I was here and my notes read " The trail goes to a cable crossing the creek. In Sept the creek was hard to cross. I went upstream to cross and then went downstream to a sink where the whole creek goes underground at 40574, 39338. From the sink, it's an hour of boulder hopping down to a canyon on the right where a large stream enters. A half hour after that on the left a larger volume of water enters at 39193, 38319. This is from a diversion canal. Now there is a river. I turned back here and went directly up the slope above the sink to the trail. 6 hrs,1500 gain. " This trip I saw no cable. Posted June, 2025.
9. BIG BRUSH ICE CAVE - this is on the floor of Big Brush Creek near some mines below the 8300 line. The topo shows it as a depression and the creek goes underground in this cave but it's normally dry. FR18 is a good road running north of it and the main trail down starts at a pullout at a sharp bend in the road. Park there but ignore the main trail and walk 200 feet to a closed road at N40 42026, W109 35113 that shows on the topo going to the mines. The cave will come into sight then there are fixed ropes to get down the last steep slope. The ice formation in the cave is 15 feet tall or so. From the cave, I walked up the dry canyon for half a mile to where the oncoming creek sinks. It sinks all at once. Along the way there is a left bend in the creekbed where the left bank has ruins. Just past the sink there is a lean-to on the left bank. A few feet past that I could see a way up the slope to the road then walked 5 minutes back to the start. That loop takes less than 2 hours with barely more than 100 strenuous gain. The main trail hikers use for the cave is steeper with trickier rope work and needs to be closed off. Posted 2025
10. LIMBER FLAG el 9510 has a 4wd road most of the way. FR254 goes up the south ridge then at the last tenth mile there are blocks in the way. A faint trail goes along the right side then it's a guess which block is highest. LIMESTONE MOUNTAIN is nearby and also has a 4wd most of the way. FR257 goes up the south ridge to a bump el 9150 then it's an easy stroll on up. There are rocks on these roads that make 2 wheelers no fun but the roads up Pothole Creek and East Draw are good. Posted 2025
11. ASHLEY GORGE WEST RIM - FR30 goes south from FR18 to the edge of a rim. A car could make it that far. Then FR435 runs rocky to a rim and smooths out and ends south of peak 8441. I walked to N40 36336, W109 38711 to get down to a clearing and on across the canyon to peak 8441 for a view. An elk trail goes up the last bit. That hike took 85 minutes with 500 gain. The ride in on the 3.3 miles of 4wd road took 35 minutes. An ebike could make most of that. I had a cell signal and there's good camping with a view on that rim. Posted 2025
12. LAKE MOUNTAIN, MIDDLE MOUNTAIN - these two can be done from the top down on trails and roads. I parked on FR104 just inside the forest boundary el 8100. Then I rode my cycle to Logger Cabins Park el 9450 and walked down FR115 to a stock trail at N40 36896, W109 51414 and then walked that to Middle Mtn. On that there is a tricky fence that I crossed at 37198, 49823 but a gate is to the right of that and easier. I kept going to Lake Mtn then took a trail at 36158, 48598 that goes down past Chenab Spring and to a good pipe spring at el 8500 and then on down to my truck. 3 hours, 7 miles and hardly any noticeable gain. Hikers who prefer to go uphill can reverse this. Posted 2025
13. ICE CAVE PEAK el 10036 is a short walk from FR298. It has no view but has some peculiar benchmarks. The end of the road has a good view. I didn't visit the ice cave but was told it is a crevice just south of Ice Cave Spring. FR441 has a trail at the end that goes to point 9527 and also a closed road that goes to bald peak 9359. On the return from that easy peak I made it harder by taking a wrong fork and going up steeper. What a dope. These roads are good for two wheelers but not the closed one. Posted 2025
14. PEAK 11529 is NW of Marsh Peak. The easiest route is to take trail #75 then up into the north saddle. FR296 is 3 miles of easy 4wd to trail #51 then rocks get bigger to Blanchett Park where the road ends. Trail #75 starts where the topo shows then fades in grass so just pick it up again at N40 42623, W109 54951. A spring at the 10320 line is a good one. At 44577, 54906 leave the trail and head for the north saddle thru an easy forest. The saddle is defended by a talus slope. I went up it at 44633, 53765 and took 10 minutes to get up to tundra then had an easy stroll to the summit. Then I had two ways to descend. Either the south ridge or go back to the saddle then east to Red Belly Lake and walk the that trail back. And the latter was my original plan but I got suckered by how easy the south ridge looked so I went down it but it gets too tedious near bottom. So stick with the Red Belly route or back the same way. I had a 6 mile hike to the summit from my parking spot near trail #51 with 1000 noticeable gain. Next time I'll try the loop back on trail #51. Posted 2025
15. LITTLE MOUNTAIN el 8620 has a bumpy high clearance road to the top. It leaves highway 121 at mp 32.5 and goes a dozen miles. Cars can make the first 3 miles or so then try an ebike. It's bumpy due to embedded rocks, not so much loose ones. Posted 2025
16. PEAK 12062 is NE of Cliff Lake. Two loops are possible by going up the main south ridge then back by way of the lake road or trail #75. I did the former. I parked on FR459 where it tops out and walked a logging road that soon fades. I went on along the south side of Johnson Lake then up to the north saddle of Mesa. I went up the ridge and dodged the worst talus by staying far right of point 11497 at N40 42770, W109 57127. I went on to the summit then down the west ridge to 44510, 58650 el 11160 where I had an easy route down to trees. I went on down a ridge at 44411, 58868 el 10800 then thru an easy forest to a meadow at 44240, 59030. I then walked elk trails and hit trail #49 then the road that leads back. 7 and a half hours, 13 miles with 2700 gain and mostly easy. Lots of talus but stable and not too big. FR459 is easy 4wd but gets worse beyond where I parked. Returning on trail #75 would be the better hike and a car and ebike would work. I saw a way down off the main ridge that leads down to the south side of the lake at the head of Reynolds Creek. For that one I would just park on FR104 and go around Mesa. Posted 2025
17. WHITEROCKS RIVER CANYON has a good dirt road running for 9 miles up it. About halfway is where campsites under the pines start and the remaining road makes a good bike ride. I didn't see anything else to do. Posted 2025
18. BUCK RIDGE el 10001 - FR282 runs for 3 miles and ends just before the peak. A trail goes on like the topo shows making for a 10 minute walk to the summit. The road has lots of embedded little rocks but I think I could have rode an ebike on it. It would be groovy to walk the trail on down the mountain. It's a pretty area with no cattle. Posted 2025
19. CLOVER BENCHMARK el 12335 is an easy one up the south ridge. FR305 is a good road until the last fifth mile before a closed road at N40 40316, W110 05776 el 10550. I walked that road to 40813, 05845 then in another tenth mile I left the road and went up along the right side of rock fields to 41168, 05574. I turned left there and up a slope to get on the south ridge. At 11500 I moved right some and on up to the BM at 43004, 05518. 4 and a half hours, 10 miles with 2100 gain and not steep. I was on tundra strips most of the way. It looked OK to go on to peak 12425 but I wasn't looking for a hike that long. I put a track on peakbagger under that peak. Posted 2025
20. PEAK 12666 is west of Chepeta Lake and has a rocky trail most of the way. It starts at the dam and runs close to the topo and then near the summit it's an easy walk to the top. I descended to the east saddle and took a nap on a handy slab at N40 48464, W110 06051 el 12500 then down from the saddle to the trail at 48076, 05913 el 11900 and on back. 7 and a half hours, 14 miles with 2500 gain, not steep. Posted 2025 
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| Goose Lakes |
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| Marsh Peak |
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| Peak 11139 |
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| Rock ring and zigzag line on peak 12011 |
