Highest peak in Utah - Kings Peak

Kings Peak, towering at 13,580 ft above sea level, is the highest peak in Utah. This past weekend, a friend and I took off late in the afternoon to summit Kings Peak for the first time. I have had aspirations to climb the peak for years but have never got around to it. Due to busy schedules and poor directions to the Henry's Fork Trailhead, we didn't start hiking until 9:30 at night. Not too long after we left the car, it was pitch dark and we were relying solely on headlamps and a GPS to get us up the Henry's Fork Drainage and to the base of the peak.

After almost five hours of hiking aimlessly in the dark, we arrived to our final destination, according to the GPS. We had originally planned on camping next to Dollar Lake but due to the dark, we hiked right past it and ended up pitching our tent at 1:30 in the morning at the base of Gunsight Pass.

After four short hours of sleep, we awoke to a beautiful Uintah Mountain morning. The weather was perfect; not a cloud in the sky and a cool mountain breeze. We enjoyed a nice oatmeal and hardboiled egg breakfast alongside a small lake while we filtered water using the MSR Water Works purification system. We took off over the pass and towards the peak around 7:30 am.

The hike to the top is amazing. You can see for miles as you ascend up the final ridge to the peak. It requires a bit of boulder hopping and class 4 climbing but is easily done by hikers of all abilities. After spending a good long and deserved rest on top, we began the descent. We left just in time as the storm clouds began to surround the high peaks. We rapidly descended and packed up camp.

The trek off the top and out the drainage seemed super long due to our fatigued legs and lack of sleep. It was cool to finally see the Henry's Fork drainage in the light though. It's a beautiful asset to the Uintah Range and made me wish I had brought my fishing pole. We eventually finished the 16 mile trek back to the car just before 5:30 pm the next day. We had hiked to the top of Utah's highest peak in just under 20 hours. I have the blisters and sore muscles still to prove it.

For anyone who has not had the opportunity to climb this mountain should definitely find the time to do so. If you feel confident in your physical ability, it can be done in a day, but I would recommend doing it in 2-4 days. Your experience will be much more enjoyable. Don't forget to bring your new lightweight Therm-a-rest, sleeping bag, tent, stove and water purifier from Inland Sports. Every ounce adds up!!

-Posted on July 25th, 2007

by Trevor Thompson

Canyoneering - Rocky Mouth Canyon

Yet another Inland Sports Adventure goes down in the books as an incredible time! This adventure was a little different than the others. Anyone who has been canyoneering before knows how intense yet rewarding and satisfying it is. On Tuesday the 10th of July, we headed down to Sandy, Utah to come down Rocky Mouth Canyon. We had heard rumor that the canyon was the host to a giant wildfire a few days prior to our adventure but we lucked out and the fire was further south.

We parked at the Rocky Mouth Canyon trailhead located at 11300 south, Wasatch Blvd. in Sandy. From the parking lot the trail rises quickly through some houses and eventually up the canyon. The hike up canyon is gorgeous as the path follows the trickling stream that's towered by large granite walls. After not too long we reached the waterfall. It's a beautiful site as the green algae infests the rocks that surround the water fall.

We scrambled up a large rock slide to the north and made it up on top of the waterfall. After traversing across a giant slab, we dropped into the canyon. This canyon is very different than the typical Southern Utah canyon. It was very short and didn't have the clastrophobic feel that I was used to. It did have two spectacular rappels though and a wet, exciting finish. The last rappel drops you into a pool. Before the pool though you go down the waterfall and take in a pretty good mouth full of water as you scramble to find your footing on the slippery rocks.

This Adventure was a blast; sorry to those of you who missed it. Thanks to those that did come out and join us though. We look forward to seeing you all again and to meeting those of you who haven't made it out yet. I would recommend to anyone who missed this adventure to take the trip down to Sandy and visit the Rocky Mouth Canyon. You won't regret it!