Utah Highpoint - Monument Peak

Let's talk about the easiest highpoint in the whole state of Utah.  Monument Peak sits atop the Wasatch Plateau and is the highest point in Carbon County.  This area is my favorite part of the state!  It is beautiful and you will find wide open meadows, aspens and large pine forests.

The easiest way to get to Monument Peak is by coming over Soldiers Summit on Hwy 6 and taking the road to Scofield Reservoir.  From there, you head up into the plateau towards Fairview Canyon.  Along the way you will take a forest service road that heads south and drive inland several miles before coming to the peak.  Detailed instructions can be found at http://www.summitpost.org/monument-peak/347710.

Why is this the easiest peak? Because you can drive a high clearance vehicle all the way to the top! Kind of like cheating, right? If you don't have high clearance, you can still drive the FS road and hike the 100 yards or so to the top.

Yeah, it's that easy!

The dirt road on the left is the FS road that gets you to Monument Peak. This  picture is looking at the  double track to the summit.  Scofield Reservoir is on the right.

I drove to Monument Peak on a Friday after work and got there a little before sunset. I decided to stay overnight on the summit so that I could climb several county highpoints on the Wasatch Plateau the next day.

What Monument Peak has going for it is the fantastic views in every direction. You can see 3 other county highpoints, East, South Tent and Nebo. On a clear day you can see all the way to the Uintas.  To the southeast, you can see the San Rafael Swell.

In the picture above, we are looking in a southerly direction at the heart of the Wasatch Plateau.  Though it is hard to point them out since the summits are indistinct, both East Mountain and South Tent Mountain are visible.

East Mountain and South Tent can both be climbed in the same day.  What I recommend is that you drive down to Monument Peak on Friday night, and climb the other two on Saturday.  It makes for a fantastic weekend and knocks out three summits at once.

Here is a parting shot of the sunset over Mt Nebo that I was treated to on Monument Peak:

Utah - County Highpoints

Since 2007 it has been my goal to climb the highest point in each county of Utah.  There are 29 counties, but due to boundary lines running through summits, several mountains are considered a highpoint in neighboring counties, creating a list of 26 total.

Let me explain why this is a fantastic goal for anyone to take on.  First, the list of people who have done it is still small.  I would estimate that probably 50 people have completed it, maybe more if they chose not to make it known what they had done. You aren't unique for climbing any one of the highpoints, but if you climb all of them, that does.  Second, climbing the county highpoints will take you to every remote part of the state you could imagine.  If you love to explore, this is for you.  Get away from the crowded trails of the Wasatch and explore areas you didn't even know existed.  What is the last reason to take this on? It is a constructive hobby that makes you healthy, gets you off the couch and challenges you!

Now, when it comes to climbing these highpoints, I have a philosophy.  If an easily accessible road gets me close to the top, I'll use it.  You can call me lazy, but I believe in efficiency.  Many of these highpoints have multiple routes, some easy some hard.  I like to maximize my time when I am driving hours so that I can see more and that means I'll take the easy route.  This ain't Himalayan climbing where the only way to get your name out there is to climb the most dangerous route possible.

The biggest problem I have run into during this quest is having a capable vehicle that can take me to the trailheads.  That being said, the majority of highpoint trailheads can be reached with a small car.  If that is all you have, then be prepared for longer hikes. My vehicle of choice for the last 5 years has been a stock Jeep Cherokee.  I've found that it is more than capable and has gotten me wherever I need to go.  The only time it let me down was when it overheated in Castle Valley, in July, while en route to climb Mt Waas.  That trip was aborted unfortunately

I've climbed 16 of the highpoints so far.  That leaves only ten left!  That could easily be completed in one summer.  Since I have been doing this since 2007, I could have easily completed the peaks but sometimes family, school and work take priority.  Please continue reading my blog to watch my progress, I hope everyone finds information that helps them on their own quest to climb tall mountains.