Kings Peak, Utah

Executive summary by darmansjah

Kings Peak is the highest peak in the U.S. state of Utah, with an elevation of 13,528 feet (4,123 m). It lies just south of the spine of the central Uinta Mountains, in the Ashley National Forest in northeastern Utah, in north-central Duchesne County. It lies within the bounds of the High Uintas Wilderness. The peak is approximately 79 miles (127 km) due east of central Salt Lake City, and 45 miles (72 km) due north of the town of Duchesne.

There are three popular routes to the summit; a scramble up the east slope, a hike up the northern ridge, and a long but relatively easy hike up the southern slope. The peak was named for Clarence King, a surveyor in the area and the first director of the United States Geological Survey. Kings Peak is generally regarded as the hardest state highpoint which can be climbed without specialist rock climbing skills and/or guiding. The easiest route requires a 32 plus mile hike, much of it over boulder fields.

Hard to say if it is the best trail I have ever hiked, but it's certainly a classic that I enjoy doing every few years—Kings Peak via Henrys Fork to Gunsight Pass to Anderson Pass with a scramble along the ridge to the summit. The country is sublime, big, and quintessentially western. It is a large, ascending open valley that is littered with lakes and ponds. The landscape couldn't be more beautiful, with stands of isolated timber, alpine meadows, and an array of Nirvana-like camp spots to be enjoyed far from the proximity of others. There is flowing water all the way to Anderson Pass, less than 1,000 feet below the spectacular, airy summit, and the view of the High Uintas Wilderness with its peaks, ridges, and valleys goes on as far as the eye can see. The trail that takes you just about to the summit of Utah’s highest peak is just two hours from Black Diamond’s front doors in Salt Lake City, yet it feels as if you are in the Flathead wilderness of northern Montana. The trip will be a biannual part of my life ... until my knees seize up. —Peter Metcalf

Length: 28.8 miles

The Details: Utah’s red rock canyonlands and powder-filled Wasatch Range get all the attention, while the quiet Uintas in the northeast corner of the state are where the locals slip away to play in the heat of summer. Made up mostly of sedimentary rocks, the 100-mile-long range runs east to west rather than north to south, like most ranges in the Rockies. It’s also home to the state’s highest peaks, formed when colliding tectonic plates pushed up primordial ocean bottom and basins filled with wildflowers and blue alpine lakes.

The tallest mountain in Utah, 13,528-foot Kings Peak is a fairly easy state high point to attain. The hardest part of the climb is the long approach from the Henrys Fork Campground, which includes 5,252 feet of elevation gain. Most hikers spend a night or two camped on the trail; Dollar Lake is the most popular spot to pitch a tent. It’s not a technical route, however, with a short, short steep scramble up a 1,000-foot chute at Gunsight Pass standing out as the only difficult bit and a long scramble to the summit offering wide-open views of the high peaks.

When to Go: September is best, when snows have melted and the weather has stabilized.

About Metcalf: Black Diamond equipment was founded in 1989 when Peter Metcalf, along with friends, customers, and other employees, bought Chouinard Equipment from Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard. Metcalf has kept the brand successful and dynamic: BD has remained at the top of the technical climbing gear game, turned into an award-winning freeski manufacturer, opened divisions in Switzerland and China, and acquired Gregory Mountain Products and POC. It went public in 2010, and acquired avalanche-safety manufacturer PIEPS last fall. But that success hasn’t watered down Black Diamond’s core climber credibility. Metcalf himself is an accomplished climber and former oil-field wildcatter who also has had the guts to take on the government in BD’s Utah home base when he disagrees with how the state wants to manage public lands where climbers roam.