rwpontius
06-25-2006, 10:48 AM
Ibapah Peak
Getting there: We left Draper about 6:30 and arrived at our campsite about 3 hours later. We took the old Pony Express trail out, passed through Fish Springs and on to Callao. We went south at Callao to Granite Creek Canyon. From Callao on the route was well signed and we had no problem. No established campground in Granite Creek Canyon although there are a number of camping sites available. We found perhaps a half dozen other groups camping there. The road in is rough and we did not take the Subaru wagon all of the way to the trail head. Like many others we just crossed the first creek crossing and went up a bit further. I would not bring take the family sedan through the first creek crossing. Stopping lower makes for a longer hike though.
Return to the city: We returned via Wendover and I-80. My hiking partner calculated 40 miles of dirt and gravel road before we hit pavement. We had at least that on the way there through the desert. Unless the route in through Delta has less dirt and gravel, figure on at least 40 miles of dirt and gravel to get there. It took us 3 and a half to 4 hours to get back.
The hike: We left the vehicle about 6:30 AM. Most of the trail is steep and unmarked. Actually, I did not see any trail signs. We followed the road to the Wilderness Study Area Boundary and then followed it on up until the double track ended and the trail continued. Not difficult to follow the trail at this point but it is quite steep in places. Eventually, the trail ends in a large meadow near a saddle just north of Red Mountain. At this point you need to pick your own route toward Ibapah Peak. We went to the east side of the ridge connecting Red Mountain with Ibapah and at some point before hitting the last saddle before beginning the climb up the final ridge hit the trail again. Steep climb up to the top but the trail is easy to follow. Lots of steep slopes but no vertical exposure for people like me who are bothered by an abyss. The view from the top is beyond description-just incredible. It took us 3 hours and 45 minutes from the car to the summit. The return trip took only 2 hours and 15 minutes (As the saying goes your mileage may vary). We saw quite a few wildflowers but almost no wildlife on the trail. As we were heading up the trail we met a large (10-12 people) group coming down the trail and as we returned to the car we saw one person heading up the trail. That was all, not bad for a lovely Saturday in late June. There were a few drifts left around but literally no snow on the trail. Note that this is an incredibly isolated area so if you are not comfortable away from everything it is definitely not a trip for you. My hiking partner
Getting there: We left Draper about 6:30 and arrived at our campsite about 3 hours later. We took the old Pony Express trail out, passed through Fish Springs and on to Callao. We went south at Callao to Granite Creek Canyon. From Callao on the route was well signed and we had no problem. No established campground in Granite Creek Canyon although there are a number of camping sites available. We found perhaps a half dozen other groups camping there. The road in is rough and we did not take the Subaru wagon all of the way to the trail head. Like many others we just crossed the first creek crossing and went up a bit further. I would not bring take the family sedan through the first creek crossing. Stopping lower makes for a longer hike though.
Return to the city: We returned via Wendover and I-80. My hiking partner calculated 40 miles of dirt and gravel road before we hit pavement. We had at least that on the way there through the desert. Unless the route in through Delta has less dirt and gravel, figure on at least 40 miles of dirt and gravel to get there. It took us 3 and a half to 4 hours to get back.
The hike: We left the vehicle about 6:30 AM. Most of the trail is steep and unmarked. Actually, I did not see any trail signs. We followed the road to the Wilderness Study Area Boundary and then followed it on up until the double track ended and the trail continued. Not difficult to follow the trail at this point but it is quite steep in places. Eventually, the trail ends in a large meadow near a saddle just north of Red Mountain. At this point you need to pick your own route toward Ibapah Peak. We went to the east side of the ridge connecting Red Mountain with Ibapah and at some point before hitting the last saddle before beginning the climb up the final ridge hit the trail again. Steep climb up to the top but the trail is easy to follow. Lots of steep slopes but no vertical exposure for people like me who are bothered by an abyss. The view from the top is beyond description-just incredible. It took us 3 hours and 45 minutes from the car to the summit. The return trip took only 2 hours and 15 minutes (As the saying goes your mileage may vary). We saw quite a few wildflowers but almost no wildlife on the trail. As we were heading up the trail we met a large (10-12 people) group coming down the trail and as we returned to the car we saw one person heading up the trail. That was all, not bad for a lovely Saturday in late June. There were a few drifts left around but literally no snow on the trail. Note that this is an incredibly isolated area so if you are not comfortable away from everything it is definitely not a trip for you. My hiking partner