Pahvant Range, Utah

Beehive Peak is reportedly risky class 4.

The ATV trail on the north rim of Willow Creek Canyon

 

• 
  
• 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.