Hiking in Utah's Stansbury Mountains 9/8/2013

[Admin]

Jtran's father Arnie was in town from Vermont for only a couple of days, so we wanted to do some hiking. The problem was that we awoke on Sunday morning to a steady drizzle in Salt Lake City.

Watching the weather, the precipitation began to end from west to east, so if we wanted to hike we needed to head west. The Stansbury Mountains were an obvious choice.

The Stansburys are one of the north/south-oriented Great Basin ranges, one range west of the Oquirrh Mountains that form the western boundary of the Salt Lake Valley. Their highest point, Deseret Peak, squeaks past the 11,000-foot mark. I've hiked out there only once, many years ago, so returning seemed like a good idea, especially as they're a semi-popular but relatively unknown backcountry skiing area.

We parked at around 1:15 p.m. at the Loop Trailhead in South Willow Canyon, right next to the only other car there, and headed toward Deseret Peak. We made it over 9,000 feet before we had to turn around and go back the way we came, for 5.6 miles total. We simply ran out of time, but had we summited we would've seen only white as the ridgeline was still enveloped in clouds.

Massive aspen trees early on along the trail

Clouds adorn an unnamed 10,685-foot summit north of Deseret Peak

Reaching the mountain meadows

Arnie on the trail

Jake

Jake makes sure that AmyZ's still coming

Approaching our turn-around point

We saw one other person on the trail all afternoon. It whetted my appetite, and I'm determined to head back this fall to reach the summit.

 

[jtran10]

it rains in utah!?

the brush looks drier/more dead than the Cottonwood area (at least when we were there in July). Does the Stansbury range get significantly less rain/snow, or is that just due to it being later in the summer?

 

[Admin]

it rains in utah!?

the brush looks drier/more dead than the Cottonwood area (at least when we were there in July). Does the Stansbury range get significantly less rain/snow, or is that just due to it being later in the summer?

Yes, yes and yes. It was an unusually wet weekend, which you know is a real rarity around here. And while it's later in the summer the Stansburys are also surrounded by the West Desert in a location that doesn't benefit from lake effect.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 2

 

[Marc_C]

it rains in utah!?

the brush looks drier/more dead than the Cottonwood area (at least when we were there in July). Does the Stansbury range get significantly less rain/snow, or is that just due to it being later in the summer?

Yes, yes and yes. It was an unusually wet weekend, which you know is a real rarity around here. And while it's later in the summer the Stansburys are also surrounded by the West Desert in a location that doesn't benefit from lake effect.

Actually, that bit of high arid plains (it's not a desert) is in full fall bloom, and, for those particular grasses, sage, and other native species, that is about as green as they get. It's far more subtle here than in the beat-you-in-the-face relentless, overbearing GREEN of the Northeast.

 

[Admin]

Actually, that bit of high arid plains (it's not a desert)

Perhaps to a geologist or a climatologist, but you're splitting hairs. And besides, it isn't called the West High Arid Plains, it's called the West Desert. There are few people who would look at the Salt Flats or Wendover and not see desert.

and, for those particular grasses, sage, and other native species, that is about as green as they get.

Nonsense. There was ample evidence from dried-up dead wildflowers, etc, that it was far greener earlier in the summer.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 2

 

[Marc_C]

Actually, that bit of high arid plains (it's not a desert)

Perhaps to a geologist or a climatologist, but you're splitting hairs. And besides, it isn't called the West High Arid Plains, it's called the West Desert. There are few people who would look at the Salt Flats or Wendover and not see desert.

We're not talking about the West Desert - which does qualify as desert - we're talking about the Stansburys, which have the same general climatology as the SLC valley/Wasatch Front.

 

[Evren]

Almost as if Admin's been reading my mind, lately -- this is another trek I mean to do very soon. Therefore, very nice to see the photos. I am inclined to head for a swim in the South Willow lake, which looks quite inviting in pictures.

Just saw on WWWeenies that convection is concentrated in the Stansbury range (I take it that means higher probability of rain). So maybe in a few days.

 

[mrgskier]

This hike is on my short list for someday soon. I will keep an eye out for your hike later this fall!

Glad you did find something to entertain Arnie....when he called that morning he was wondering if he would get a hike in that day!

 

[Admin]

Actually, that bit of high arid plains (it's not a desert)

Perhaps to a geologist or a climatologist, but you're splitting hairs. And besides, it isn't called the West High Arid Plains, it's called the West Desert. There are few people who would look at the Salt Flats or Wendover and not see desert.

We're not talking about the West Desert - which does qualify as desert - we're talking about the Stansburys

Yes, we are, which is why I wrote:

the Stansburys are also surrounded by the West Desert

 

[Marc_C]

See what happens when I post after my bedtime?