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.
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| Yeah, it's that easy! |
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| 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:
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