|
Hiking
Kings Peak- The Highest Peak In Utah Story
and Pictures By C Strickland
Back
To All
Other Hiking Trails
Henrys
Fork Campground, looking at the start of Henrys Fork Trail Click
For Larger Picture
Kings
Peak the highest peak in Utah standing at 13,528 feet is one of the more
popular hikes in the state of Utah. 5,000 plus visitors hike to the summit
every year. With there being several different routes to get to the
summit, the easiest route that my friends and I decided to take
was the Henrys Fork Trail.
To get to
the Henry Fork trail you must go into Mountain View, WY. Then take
State Route 410 south towards Robertson. When 410 makes a hard left (west)
in about six miles, stay due south towards Bridger Lake Guard Station. In
about 12 miles, turn east on Forest Service Road 077 towards Henrys Fork.
In about 11.5 miles, turn west for the three-quarters of a mile drive to
Henrys Fork Campground, and park near the trailhead.
We
decided to make this hiking trip a four day adventure, so we could take
time to enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
Moose
By Henrys Fork Campground Click
For Larger Picture
Day 1 - We arrived at the Henrys Fork
campground which is the start of the trail head. The campground offers
restrooms, horse corals and plenty of parking to accommodate all the hikers.
Within ten minutes of arriving we seen are first sign of wildlife. A moose
was coming right down to the campground, we rushed to the car to get our
cameras and we noticed that there were two moose. After taking a few
pictures they darted into the trees. We decided to pitch our tents and make dinner so we could turn in. We needed to be
ready for the long hike we had ahead of us in the morning.
The
Start Of The Henrys Fork Trail Click
For Larger Picture
Day 2 - We awoke the next morning and
strapped on our backpacks and started the journey
to the top of Utah. The trail slowly climbs the mountain along the river.
The first major stop is Alligator Lake. As we reached the turn off for
Alligator Lake we talked to some other hikers coming down the trail. They
told us that they were surprised on how big Alligator lake was and that it
had plenty of good camping sites. We decided to keep going and not stay at
the lake. We then came to Elk Horn crossing were you can take two
different trails. The south trail is the Henrys Fork Trail and the other
way is the North Slope crossing. We decided to take the North Slope Trail
being told it was the shortest route to Gunsight Pass. After hiking for
while we finally reached a big flat meadow were you could see several
lakes. We were told that they were Bear Lake, Dollar Lake and Henry Fork
Lake. As we continued to hike through the meadow we could start
seeing Gunsight Pass. So we decided to take off the packs have some lunch
and get some rest. After resting we continued up the trail to our first destination.
The last 1/4 mile to the pass started really inclining or maybe we were
just tired. We finally made it to the lake that sits to the front side of the
pass, where we set up camp.
Hiking
To Gunsight Pass Click
For Larger Picture
Day 3 - We woke early in the morning to
start are hike to the peak. At this point we packed our day packs with lots of water and snacks. From Gunsight
Pass the hike is the steepest. After hiking 5 to 5 1/2 miles we reached
the base of Kings Peak. In order to get to the top you have to climb up
the boulders of the peak. Its more like stepping rock to rock. You don't
need any special equipment or have to be a rock climber. As you
climb the mountain the views surrounding the peak get better and better.
When climbing you think that you finally reached the peak and then in the
distance you see another peak. Actually I think it was two peaks later
before we could actually say we were standing on the top of Utah. When you
reach the top you will see an American Flag, that was put up there after
Sept 11. The view was breath taking. You could look down all the canyon's
and see little hikers making their way to the peak. Oh and make sure you
bring a sweater even if the weather is nice, its a little chilly at this
elevation. After sitting at the top for a while and having some lunch, we
started down the peak back to base camp.
Looking Off Gunsight Pass To The West Click
For Larger Picture
The
Rock On Kings Peak Click
For Larger Picture
Another
View From Hiking Up Kings Peak Click
For Larger Picture
Day 4 - We
woke up had some breakfast, and still couldn't stop talking about how cool
the peak was. We rolled up camp and made are way back to the cars. This
hike was amazing, the country was beautiful. Going back to the cars was
just as enjoyable as hiking to the peak. I recommend this hike to
everyone.
The
Top Of The Peak
Click
For Larger Picture
Top
Of Utah Click
For Larger Picture
P.S. Some
of the supplies you might want to carry:
Mole
Skin to help with those nasty blister.
Water
purifier to make sure you have plenty of water.
And
remember keep our forests clean, PACK IT IN PACK IT OUT!
|
