King’s Peak in the Uinta mountains is Utah’s highest point, at 13,528 feet above see level. It is also one of the prettiest highpoint hikes I’ve done so far. Up until I hurt myself it was my favorite state high point not named “Rainier.”
GPX Tracks
From Henry’s Fork trailhead to our campsite just before the turnoff to Dollar Lake (8.5 miles and 1,388 feet of gain).
From campsite to the summit (5.4 miles and 2,743 feet of gain) (this track actually runs in the reverse direction- summit to camp- since we found a better route on the way back)
Henry’s Fork Approach
The standard approach to King’s Peak starts at Henry’s Fork trailhead. It is so far north that you reach it from Wyoming. There are a few campsites at the trailhead, although they were all full on the summer weekend we were there. We did not experience any problems navigating there with Google maps. Just make sure you’ve downloaded offline maps in advance. There’s no or spotty cell service for most of the drive from I-80 to the trailhead.
We arrived around noon on Friday July 26, 2024 (yes it has taken me almost a year to publish this post). The trailhead was packed. We ended up parking about a half mile from the start of the main trailhead, across the road from the stock trailhead. It turns out there were spots at the front, though (always check at the front first!). Within about 15 minutes of parking, two to three other cars pulled in next to us.
The hiking to Dollar Lake is pretty easy. We crossed one well-constructed wooden bridge. The views get prettier the closer you get to camp. We camped off-trail just before reaching the lake, since we knew it would be crowded there.
The Climb
We started hiking around 5am to try to beat the thunderstorms. The Uintas were really pretty in the morning light. Hiking up to Gunsight Pass was pretty easy. It’s always enjoyable to get to a new pass and be able to see what’s on the other side. I would definitely like to come back and do some more hiking in the Uintas.
Shortcut
We went right at Gunsight pass instead of following the main trail down and then up again. Our route followed a GPX track and a cairned route. This required some scrambling but nothing harder than the summit block. Once on the plateau between Dome Peak and Anderson pass, we took a somewhat circuitous route around Dome Peak to get to the base of the climb. On the way back, we would find a faster route that stays on the established trail longer, which is the GPX track I have included here.
I found the plateau between Dome Peak and Kings Peak to be really pretty. The way we went included a lot of boulder hopping, but I was feeling coordinated and was adjusting to the altitude much better than my husband. It doesn’t seem possible, but maybe I still had some acclimatization left over from Denali.
The Summit
We took a lunch break when we rejoined with the main trail. Then we headed up to Anderson Pass and the established route to the summit. This required a lot of boulder-hopping and a small amount of scrambling, especially since we stayed below the summit ridge as long as possible because of the wind. I generally found it to be an enjoyable scramble- not scary but difficult enough you had to stay focused.
The wind was blowing pretty hard at the summit. It also doesn’t look like the summit. South Kings Peak looks higher, even though the topo map assures us all that it’s 24 feet lower. We also couldn’t find the USGS marker, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone stole it or it was on a rock that fell off the edge. We took the obligatory summit photos (holding a handy sign that was up there!) and headed down.
Problems on the Descent
The descent got a little crowded. There was a group of ultrarunners that arrived at the summit the same time we us and rushed by us on the descent. There was also a group of loud teenagers. None of this was dangerous- there was plenty of space- it was just distracting.
My earlier good coordination seemed like it had faded, and I started to feel pretty self-conscience about how slow I am going down. I was also starting to bonk. But I wanted to hold out to Anderson pass to take another break. That was a mistake. As I took another step, I jammed my left foot between two rocks. I yelled a couple of times- once for surprise and once for pain.
I pulled my foot out and we took a little break. I finally ate that long-awaited snack, and my foot seemed fine.
We found a better way across the plateau going back (stay on the main trail longer before cutting skiers’ left to get back to the shortcut). A thunderstorm hit us right when we got to the edge of Dome Peak. I put my rain jacket on top of the fleece I was already wearing (it was colder than I would have expected for late July), and then I was very hot. But it was a short storm and I was able to take a couple of layers off as the sun came out. It is easy to accidentally drop too low on the traverse back to Gunsight Pass, and then the scrambling gets a lot worse.
Hiking Out
We packed up after getting back to camp and started hiking out, in hopes of getting to some type of civilization in time to eat a restaurant meal. The foot I’d hurt on the summit started to hurt a lot more after we packed up camp. After about 10 minutes from leaving camp I stopped to wrap it and had my husband take some of my gear. I had to stop again about 20 minutes later to take some ibuprofen. Once that kicked in I tried not to stop because I knew I had to get out before the pain returned.
We took one break about halfway in (so with 4 miles left), and then my husband went ahead so he could drive the car back from the far away place we had parked it and meet me at the trailhead. I tried to sing songs to myself, both to distract from the pain and to warn bears and moose of my coming, but realized I could only remember a few lines of any song.
I realized how repetitive the beginning of the trail is. Kept thinking I was almost there, and then no. But we got out pretty quickly, doing 8 miles in about 3 hours, with a hurt foot. You should be able to go faster with a non-hurt foot!
Once out, we finally did get to eat that restaurant meal. We got a hotel room, where I doom-scrolled medical websites and reddit forums talking about how you can get small breaks in your foot bones and it can be really hard to see on an x-ray and if you miss it the bone can die and that is very, very bad. We scrapped the plan for the rest of the trip (no Gannett or Borah Peaks), and began our journey back to Seattle where in-network healthcare providers and crutches and a walking boot awaited.
Diagnosis and Prognosis
Once I got back to Seattle (two days later), I went to urgent care, still in crutches and a walking boot just in case. They x-rayed my foot and told me it was not broken. Just sprained.
When I finally got to see an orthopedist a few days later, almost a week after the accident, he told me to take two to three weeks off. I told him I had an expensive guided climb of Grand Teton scheduled to start in a few days (by that time it was a Friday and I was supposed to fly back to Wyoming that Sunday). He asked me how much it cost. When I told him, he said that professionally-speaking, it’s not a good idea. But personally speaking, he could totally understand why I would do it and he was jealous. He then went on to tell me about his amazing fly fishing trip in the Tetons.
So obviously I climbed Grand Teton. My foot was fine, although it hurt when I walked around in unsupportive sandals afterward.
