Kings Peak, Utah

I’m going to flat out say that this is not an easy hike. We planned our trip for 3 nights in the Uinta National Forest. Anytime hiking in the Uintas, you have to be prepared for rain, snow, and even hail. This is an out and back 27 mile journey from Henry’s Fork to the summit of Kings Peak. The trail is rocky but heavily travelled.

Starting at Henrys Fork Campground
There is lots of parking here. Parking is free and there are bathrooms, places to saddle up your horses and access to fishing, kayaking and of course, hiking.

Getting to Henrys fork from Salt Lake:

1. Headed west on i80 to Mountain View, WY (about 110 mi)
2. Take Exit 34 Fort Bridger and travel on Highway 414 s to Mountain View
3. In Mountain View take Highway 410 s about 6 mi to a junction
4. Then take Road 017, a gravel road, south about 12 miles to a fork,
5. At the fork take the east road, it’s road 077 and it heads south ~ 5 miles to Henrys Fork Trailhead.
6. There is not a lot of parking at the trailhead. You might have to park down the dirt road. Don’t be a dick and block the road. Remember that there are people with horses and large trailers that need to get through.
7. Before you hike, make sure you sign in.
8. Get going! I hope you packed your bug spray.

The first section of the trail leads you through a dense forest. It follows a stream that will lead you Alligator lake. This lake is only 3 miles in and is a great place to take a break or fo some fishing. Continuing along the trail you travel through Pine trees and aspen groves. The trail opens up once you reach Elkhorn Crossing. At this junction you can either take the shorter south route or the longer west side loop. We took the shorter route that crosses over the stream on a rickety bridge. The this route is marked with someone that sharpied Kings Peak on the forest service sign. You start a slight climb through lush green fields and then hike on raised walkways through the marshes. From these fields you catch your first glimpse of Kings Peak. At the end of the field is Dollar Lake it is less than a mile away and will be on your left. It is a popular destination for people to camp for the night before they climb Gunsight Pass that leads to Kings Peak.

At this point you should make a decision where to camp for the night and figure out the next leg of your journey. We chose to camp at the lake but I would suggest hiking past the lake and camping by the river on the right. Its just a little further but offers secluded camping.

Wake up early and start your climb to Kings Peak. From the river past the lake you can either continue along on the path that goes up Gunsight pass or cut right on a side path that leads you up a chute in between Gunsight Pass and Anderson Pass.

We decided to go up the chute. There were clouds in the sky but no storm in sight. The hike to this point was easy in our books but we knew this day we decided to summit was going to be intense. We had tiny day packs with rain gear, lots of water and snacks galore. On this hike we saw tons of unprepared kids and couples. Don’t be that person who is getting altitude sickness at the top of this hike, stay hydrated, know your limits and realize it’s okay to turn around. It’s not always about getting to the top. I watched people smarter than us turn around because they had been hiking all day and knew they couldn’t make that last little effort. Just realize that once you reach the peak its another 14 miles back to the trailhead and there still is no cell service there. Just remember it’s the journey, the people you’re with, and the wilderness, not an instagram post.

The photo above is us crossing the stream and heading towards the scramble. There is a path that you can follow to the bottom of the couloir, don’t try to ascend until you reach the base. This is the best advice I can give you, from there you need to know your limits, realize that this is really loose rock and if you’re uncomfortable climbing, please please please do not take this route.

Once you reach the top of the scramble there is another climb up the Highline trail that reaches the top of Kings Peak. The trail quickly turns into a boulder climb and before you know it you’re at the top. As soon as we summited the Peak we make a quick descent back to camp. The afternoon storms started and unleashed buckets of rain on us. The rain didn’t let up and was so heavy at times that the ground could not absorb the water so pools of water started coming into our tent. Not only was it dumping rain, it was windy. It was that chill you to the bone cold and wet feeling that you can’t shrug off so all you want to do is hang out in your sleeping bag. As night started falling we knew the rain wouldn’t let up, so we ended up having to cook inside our rainfly.

I hope this photo of me really paints the picture of how awful it was outside. Once morning came the rain still didn’t stop. We tore down camp in a break and hustled onto the path. We made excellent time back to the car and only saw a few hikers on the trail. Once we reached the car the sun was back out on that side of the pass and not a cloud in the sky.