July 1st, Peak #3 of the Utah Six Pack of Peaks. After I finished my hike on June 30th, I drove around to locate the trailhead for Lookout Peak. The first two I drove to were no goes for me. One was the recommended trailhead from socialhiker.net. There was absolutely no parking at the trailhead or along the road leading to the trailhead. And there were sign to ensure you understood. The closest spot to park was a pullout about a mile down the road. The sign read, trailhead parking. I really didn’t want to do a one-mile road walk before and after my hike so I kept looking. Plus, while driving through that area, I got the sense that the locals really weren’t to keen on hikers coming through and hiking from there.
My trailhead of choice ended up being at Affleck Park/Campground. Apparently, the park used to be open for First Come, First Serve Camping, but that is no longer the case. The park gate was closed and locked with a notice of how to reserve a campsite. That said, the trailhead is located about a ¼ mile inside the park. I drove up the road about .2 miles and found a turnout, large enough for 8 to 10 cars and decided that this is where I’ll start from.
I arrived the next morning and parked at the turnout at about 0530. Of course, the gate was still closed and locked. In fact, when I returned after the hike the gate was still closed and locked. Once inside the park there are multiple pit toilets and campsites on the way to the trailhead.
The trail starts off on a dirt road, but after a short distance the trail just shoots off to the left (right after a pit toilet) and the road continues. If you aren’t aware of the turn, it is easy to just walk on by. Once on the trail it’s a great hike. Lots of green grass, shrubs, and trees on a single track trail. It’s a little overgrown, but easy to follow and know where the trail is. At some points the grass and shrubs were shoulder and head high.
Mile 1 on this hike (I started recording at my truck) only had about 330 feet in elevation gain and 75 feet of elevation loss (walking down from the truck and into the park). Mile 2 was a big gainer. Going up 818 feet in elevation gain. Mile 3 was just a little less at 767 feet in elevation gain. And the final 1.2 miles to the summit was an impressive 941 feet in elevation gain.
Great views on the summit! I didn’t see a single person all day. My 3rd peak in the challenge I managed 8.4 miles and 3,085 feet in elevation gain. Not a bad day! 😉
Responses