Squaw Peak (#30)

Yes, I know that a few years ago the name was changed to Kyhv Peak, but I tend to be stubborn and don't like it when names are changed on account of political correctness. And there's a story behind this name. But I digress . . .

Rock Canyon is a sight to behold! Rugged cliffs that thrust upward and sidewards provide a playground for rock climbers and a home to bighorn sheep. I was here in October when Mother Nature couldn't decide whether it was winter or fall. Autumn leaves were just past their prime, but still vibrant enough to add another dimension of the beauty to the canyon.

Interesting rock formations in Rock Canyon.

The trail is wide in Rock Canyon.

For the first hour I just took in the experience. I was happy to be here and happy there was no rain. A handful of walkers were on the trail, which is what I would expect on a Tuesday afternoon.

The path was wide enough for a narrow vehicle. I read that William M. Wall received a grant in 1855 to build a road up the canyon. I have no idea how far it went. Once completed he charged a toll of 50 cents for every load of wood that was hauled on the road.

I don't know how long the road was used for motorized traffic, but I did see many signs of human interaction. A pipeline had been placed underground to capture water from the creek. (The creek bed was dry. In some places I could press my ear and hear the water rushing through the pipes.) I also saw remnants of a system that must have predated the pipeline. It was a water channel made of concrete, but now sat dilapidated. I even saw a stone drinking fountain that was still in use.

Dilapidated channel. 

More interesting geology.

One of the earliest historical references to Rock Canyon comes in relation to the Battle at Fort Utah in 1850. To sum up the contention in the most simple of terms, a conflict between the Mormons and Utes was coming to a head. The Mormons were encroaching upon land used by the Utes and they, in turn, were stealing cattle from the Mormons. The previous year there had already been a conflict between the two, a clash that became known as the Battle Creek Massacre.

Fort Utah was built near the Provo River and near a Timpanogos (Ute) village. The settlers used nets to catch fish out of Utah Lake and their cattle used pastures that were once used by wild game, thus diminishing the Ute's ability to procure food. Also, measles broke out among both the natives and Mormons, but the natives, who did not have immunity, were affected much more. When winter came they were in desperate need of food and consequently stole 50 to 60 head of cattle from the Mormons.

In February of 1850 a group of militiamen were dispatched from Salt Lake to confront the Indians. A conflict ensued and ten Utes were killed along with one Mormon. The Utes split into two groups, one fleeing toward Spanish Fork and the other into Rock Canyon.

The Utes that fled into Rock Canyon were led by Big Elk, who was already suffering from the measles. The army split into two groups, one of them following the Timpanogos into Rock Canyon. There they found more bodies, including that of Big Elk, who had died of his wounds. With the help of Black Hawk, they tracked the Timpanogos and eventually killed more and took many as prisoners.

One of the bodies they found was that of Big Elk's wife. Trying to escape, she climbed up a cliff, then slipped and fell to her death. In honor of her, the summit above Rock Canyon was given the name “Squaw Peak.”

Looking at Provo Peak from Buffalo Meadow.

Back to my hike, the trail ascended steadily, climbing over 1,000 feet in 1.7 miles. From here the trail continued, but I diverted onto another trail in the First Left Fork of Rock Canyon. This is where the path really started to climb, needing only a mile to gain 1,000 feet.

This trail, instead of being gravelly and wide, now turned into a foot-wide path of dirt. As I walked through more scrub oak and aspen, the fall colors really presented themselves. Being past their prime, they were now not as vibrant, but still very pretty. Most had fallen from their limbs and sat on the ground or atop pine tree needles. In the distance, through the trees, I could see the snow-capped slopes of Provo Peak.

Although beautiful, I couldn't see much past the trees during this section. It wasn't until I arrived at the first meadow that some of the more majestic scenery began to unfold. Without the hindrance of trees I could now see Buffalo Peak, Cascade Mountain and Mount Timpanogos. Three times within a minute I heard the blast of a hunting rifle, probably shooting at an elk.

I hoped to see more wildlife than I did, which was none. In this backcountry there are deer, elk and bighorn sheep.

Cascade Mountain (in back) and Buffalo Peak (at left). 

Mount Timponogos in distance. 

I arrived at Squaw Peak in 2 hours 9 minutes. The view from the top was incredible. Not only could I see all the aforementioned places, but also Utah Lake and all of Utah Valley, with Provo being the closest city. The Provo Temple construction site, Lavell Edwards Stadium and the Mission Training Center were all relatively within close view.

On the south side, however, sat a precipice of dizzying heights. The calculated elevation drop from Squaw Peak to the point on the trail directly below was 2,188 feet!

I would have loved to dilly-dally all day long, but the reality was that storm clouds would be moving in and I wanted to be down by dark.

From Squaw Peak, looking over Provo and Utah Lake. 

Looking across Rock Canyon toward Y Mountain and Provo Peak.

Looking toward south end of Utah Valley. Mount Nebo and Loafer Mountain in distance. 

The way down was equally beautiful, but went much quicker. I took a couple detours that added to my mileage. By the time I got down to the main part of Rock Canyon the foot traffic had increased. I passed several trail runners, evening walkers, and rock climbers.

I talked to one man who was walking his dog. He had lived here for 26 years and came walking on the trail nearly every day. He told me that there are several caves in the area, although some of them have been blocked off because people have died inside. He also assured me that no one except the young people call it Kyhv Peak. To everyone else it still is, and will forever be, Squaw Peak. ♠

Rock climbing in Rock Canyon.

Squaw Peak

Distance from car: 3.8 miles

Elevation gain to peak: 2,721 feet

Final Elevation: 7,838 feet

Total round-trip distance (including detours): 8.1 miles

Total elevation gain: 3,827 feet

Squaw Peak, aka Kyhv Peak.

A perfect way to end the hike. . .  at the BYU Creamery! 

Climbing Over a Mile to Provo Peak (#26)

At a quarter to six I pulled up in the parking lot for the “Y” trail, not exactly sure what to expect. I knew it would be a long day with a lot of elevation gain, but I had never stepped foot on this trail. To throw an extra element of difficulty, the temperature in Provo was supposed to get up to 97 degrees.

For those not familiar, the “Y” trail leads to the big “Y” on the mountain, above the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The “Y” stands for “Young.” The trail zigzags up 1,000 feet of steep elevation gain.

I fastened a headlamp to my ball cap, but knew I wouldn't need it. The first light of morning was already settling in and the path was made of white gravel. By 5:55 am I was on the trail.

Climbing the Y Trail, looking north toward Orem.

I worried about too many BYU students being on the trail at this early hour. I once hiked Mount Timpanogos and passed literally hundreds of them on my way up as they were coming down. This time, however, there were very few people. As I made my way up the long first switchback, a bald man with walking sticks passed ahead of me. Not a very good start, I thought. I'm already getting passed.

During the thirteen switchbacks leading to the top of the “Y” I passed only eight people coming down. In typical Utah Valley fashion they were all very nice and we traded salutations. It was a very quiet morning and that's how I liked it. By the time I reached the top of the “Y” I had already climbed 1,071 feet.

Beautiful sunrise, looking over Utah Lake toward Mount Nebo.

Now, instead of zigzagging, the trail made a b-line into Slide Canyon. The path stayed out of the bottom, but most of the time was too thick with vegetation to have much of a view. Looking back I was able to catch a couple glimpses of the valley and Utah Lake through the “V”-shaped cut of the canyon. It was here that I passed the bald guy with walking sticks, now returning to the trailhead. Little did I know that he would be the last human I would pass for the next ten miles.

Even though the vegetation was thick, it was beautiful. The sun still had not made an appearance. I passed through a stand of pines and aspens. Tall bushes of hyssop, coneflowers, and red baneberries abounded. I passed colorful bouquets of sticky purple geranium, showy goldeneye, aspen fleabane and silky lupine.

Red baneberry.

Sticky purple geranium. 

Along this stretch I noticed trails leading off to the right and left. The left fork, I'm sure, led to the top of Y Mountain, but the trail to the right I had no idea of its destination. Further along there was another trail that took off to the left that led to Rock Canyon.

I was pleasantly surprised and startled when five or six pine hens took off from their hiding places on the ground. As usual, they flew away one or two at a time, their portly bodies not flying far.

Junction to Provo Peak.  Lion's Head in background.

Glimpses of Rock Canyon and Cascade Mountain. 

Carvings in the aspen. 

At two hours and fourteen minutes into the hike I came to another junction. By this point I had traveled 3.3 miles and climbed 3,022 feet. Here I took an east-trending trail that wrapped around a large hill. The sides of the trail were so overgrown with vegetation and wildflowers that at times I could barely see it.

Some of the trees had old carvings in them, one with a date of 1935. Others were illegible, but were carved in cursive, which is an indicator of them being older. It made me wonder how long these trails have existed.

First sight of Provo Peak. 

Aspen fleabane. 

At last the trail finished wrapping around the hill, and for the first time Provo Peak came into full view, as well as the sun, which rose slowly from behind it. There was no surprise here. I knew I would have another climb of well over 2,500 feet.

Unfortunately, I had to lose 350 feet before I could start gaining again. Here I heard a hawk screaming high above in the air, as if she were shrieking a warning call. I stealthily moved forward, hoping not to appear as a threat.

Now I was at the longest steep section of the hike. The course followed a mostly well-defined trail up a shoulder of the mountain that probably zigzagged a hundred times. The higher I climbed, the more beautiful became the scenery. Capturing my attention most was the north side, with the fascinating geological formations of Rock Canyon and Cascade Mountain.

Looking toward Buckley Mountain and Slate Canyon. 

Gaining elevation toward the peak, looking north. 

I was surprised at how well my legs did. Yes, I did rest from time to time, but I didn't experience that painful burnout when the heat in your thighs is so bad it feels like your heart is about to burst out of your chest. Maybe it was the energy gel I drank just before this final push.

As I approached the summit, I noticed another group of people ahead of me on the peak. I thought I would run into them, but later learned that they were doing a ridge traverse, likely going from Hobble Creek to Provo Canyon. They were already off the peak and far below on the ridge by the time I arrived at the summit.

Provo Peak, elevation 11,018 feet.

From the summit looking north toward Cascade Mountain. 

From the summit looking southeast into Bartholomew Canyon. 

From the summit looking south along the ridge to Corral Mountain. 

The elevation gain from Kyhv Road was 2,670 feet. From Y Trailhead to Provo Peak I climbed a total of 6,266 feet. That's quite a bit. If I remember correctly, that's the second most feet I've ever climbed in one day, coming behind only to a trail marathon I did several years ago in the Tushars.

The view from the summit was excellent. Although most of Utah Valley was blocked by a front row of hills, I had a good view of the mountains around me: Y Mountain, Maple Mountain, Corral Mountain, Shingle Mill Peak and Cascade Mountain. It took me 5 ½ hours to reach the summit from the trailhead.

I enjoyed a smashed Subway sandwich while I rested my legs on the summit. I scanned the nearby slopes for any sign of game, but didn't see a thing. After a little more hydration, I was back on my feet and on the way down.

Looking west. The ridge in the foreground is what I climbed up. Kyhv Road at bottom. Squaw Peak also visible. 

The journey down was much quicker than the way up. In an hour and a half I was at Kyhv Road, and forty minutes later I was at the aforementioned junction. This time, instead of going north, I went south into Slate Canyon. Once again I spooked a flock of pine hens.

Not once on this hike did I come across running water. No streams or lakes. Once inside Slate Canyon I came to what used to be a stream. I could tell that heavy machinery had been up there and had buried a pipeline, obviously capturing spring water.

Although I had plenty of water, I was pleasantly surprised to find a little metal basin with fresh spring water issuing from a pipe. I knelt and put my mouth into the flow of water and took a long drink. It was ice-cold and tasted better than anything else I had drunk that day!

Fresh spring water. 

The rest of the hike in Slate Canyon was mediocre at best. There was no running stream, but the canyon was still thick with growth. The trail was a four-wheeling road that was very rocky at times. The canyon walls had some interesting rock formations. The heat was now setting in and I was glad my hike was almost over.

Not until I reached the mouth of Slate Canyon and was walking along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail did I pass another person. That was ten miles of no one. Not what I expected. By the time I reached the car I was ready for my hike to be done.

Provo Peak was a good one. The view from the top was better than average. I was very satisfied that my legs did so well climbing over 6,000 feet. I don't know that I wold hike Provo Peak again, but certainly I would like to hit some of the nearby summits such as Cascade Mountain and Kyhv Peak. ♠

Slate Canyon.

Provo Peak

Distance from car: 5.8 miles

Elevation gain: 6,266 feet

Final elevation: 11,018 feet

Total elevation gain: 6,909 feet

Total distance: 13.6 miles

Y Mountain. 

Provo Peak as viewed from near Spanish Fork. 

Mount Nebo and North Peak (#'s 17 & 18)

Driving toward Nephi on I-15—and visible from anywhere in the valley—is a monster of a mountain, crowned by Mount Nebo. For years now I have longed to hike its beautiful flanks and see for myself the view from on top.

Early Mormon pioneers named it Mount Nebo, “Sentinel of God.” In the Bible, Mount Nebo was the place where Moses ascended before his death and viewed the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 34:1-6). Perhaps this is why the pioneers gave it the name they did. Rising as a watchman on the very southern edge of the Wasatch Range, Mount Nebo, it could be said, was a gatekeeper to the Promised Land of the early Latter Day Saints.

North Peak.

I finally found my opportunity to hike this elusive peak. Dave and I drove up the night before and stayed at a motel in Nephi. When morning came, we awoke to a sky dense with smoke from wildfires in Idaho and Oregon. We worried about it affecting our lungs, as well as the view from the top.

Technically, Mount Nebo has three different peaks: North, Middle and South. For many years until the 1970's, it was believed that South Mount Nebo was the highest. That peak is usually accessed by a trail near Salt Creek and Bear Canyon Campground. But then it was discovered that North Mount Nebo was the tallest and suddenly everyone wanted to hike it instead. Luckily for us, the trail to access North Mount Nebo is located much higher in elevation, off the Nebo Loop Road at 9,254 feet.—(And to be sure, don't confuse North Mount Nebo with North Peak, which is located just north of North Mount Nebo!)

As for Dave and I, we set out to climb North Mount Nebo and then North Peak if we had any energy left. We parked at the trailhead, a quarter-mile off the Nebo Loop Road. The hike begins on a good trail along a ridge with a great view of North Peak and a looking down a very deep canyon which contains the left fork of Salt Creek. Bald Mountain is very prominent to the northwest and one can also see Dry Mountain and Loafer Mountain in the distance.

Bald Mountain.

The trail skirts around the west side of North Peak.  Mount Nebo in distance.

The first couple miles goes gradually uphill, although there are some short downhill sections. The next mile and a half is the first steep section, gaining 1,362 feet. Here the trail takes you to the main ridge that connects all the Nebo peaks, then behind and to the west of North Peak.

None of the trails were marked with signs, although they were easy to follow. The section of trail that skirted North Peak was wide (enough) and safe, but the slope off to our right was steep and precarious. From here we had views down into the valley toward Mona, but with all the smoke and haze it was nothing stellar.

Wolf Pass looking toward false summit of Mount Nebo.

After circumventing North Peak we arrived at Wolf Pass, the saddle between the two peaks. The wind really began to pick up here. We took time to rest and I put on a long-sleeved shirt to take the edge off the cold. From here there was no more easy hiking. The route to Nebo appeared straight up!

We stayed on the trail, which made a series of short zigzags along the main ridge. At times the trail was hard to follow, but there was indeed a trail all the way to the top. This final pitch was without a doubt the most grueling, climbing 1,292 feet in just under a mile. It was all steep with the exception of a small false summit which gave some respite.

I will say that Dave did much better than me. Despite the fact that this was his first major hike of the summer and that he is ten years older, he was able to keep up a pace that outdid me. I was impressed.

It was along this section that we passed our first hikers of the day. I was surprised we didn't pass more as Mount Nebo, I would think, would be a popular hike.

Dave booking it to the summit.

From the false summit, looking toward Nebo.

At last we made it to the summit of Mount Nebo, the highest peak in Utah County and the entire Wasatch Range, elevation 11,923 feet. It felt nice to finally reach a goal I had set years ago.

In spite of the haze, we had decent views all around. To the north we could see North Peak, Bald Mountain, Dry Mountain and Loafer Mountain, but the haze was too thick to distinctly see Mount Timponogos, which is further north. The landscape to our east dropped quickly and deeply—nearly 5,000 feet— into Hell Hole Basin. Beyond that were a series of rolling high hills, indistinguishable to untrained eyes such as ours. Somewhere down there would be Highway 6 running between Spanish Fork and Price. In the far distance I could barely distinguish some bald knobs, which I suspect was the very western flank of the Uintah Mountains.

From the summit looking south toward South Mount Nebo.

From the summit looking west toward Mona.

From the summit looking into Hell Hole Basin.

The broad summit of Mount Nebo.

To our south the Nebo ridgeline continued and I could see South Mount Nebo a mile away. From our vantage point on North Mount Nebo we could not see the town of Nephi, so I assume that the Mount Nebo I alluded to in my opening paragraph that one can see from I-15 is really South Mount Nebo.

As we rested at the top we were met by another group of hikers, all of them young ones. They were very pleasant to talk to and had moved here recently from Michigan and Chicago, although they already had ties to the area. One had just finished serving a church mission in the Philippines.

Our hike to the summit took us 3 hours and 40 minutes. We rested forty minutes on the peak before heading down.

The hike down wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Luckily we had a trail, which helped. We arrived back at the saddle at Wolf Pass where we now headed off-trail toward North Peak.

The slope was grassy and not as steep as I had anticipated. I only had to stop and rest my thighs a couple of times. From saddle to peak it took us 30 minutes to cover .6 miles and climb 526 feet. The detour was well worth it. North Peak had two possible summits and we chose the one we thought was highest, although both of them were pretty similar in elevation.

Descending Mount Nebo, looking toward North Peak.

Dave ascending the grassy slopes of North Peak.

From the summit of North Peak looking back toward Mount Nebo.

Descending on the Nebo Trail.  Bald Mountain in distance.

From the Summit of North Peak it didn't take much descent until we met back up with the main Nebo Trail. Dave led the way and we “booked” it all the way to the car.

Our total hike took us 7 hours 30 minutes, measuring 8.8 miles. It was a good mountain hike with very steep slopes. I was glad we did it, although I will admit that there wasn't a whole lot that stood out as particularly unique. We saw no big game animals such as deer, elk or mountain goats. There wasn't a single pond or lake. The scenery on this hike could have been that of any other steep mountain.

But it was nice to get out with Dave. It was our first outing of the year together (and it's already September). We got to drive up in my wife's Tesla and spend the night in a 1970's motel in Nephi. That alone would have made the trip memorable. But there is still a great deal of satisfaction of climbing the summit of a very tall mountain, especially when that summit is tallest for many miles. ♠


(North) Mount Nebo

Miles from car (one way): 4.4

Elevation gain: 2,669 feet

Final elevation: 11,923 feet


North Peak

Miles from Mount Nebo: 1.5

New elevation gain: 526 feet

Final elevation: 11,157 feet

From the summit of North Peak.