High Points: Kings Peak, Utah
The mosquitoes make it challenging, but the towering sedimentary rock makes it worth it.
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Your biggest challenge along the first 9 miles of the mostly flat Henrys Fork Trail will be fending off the mosquitoes that hover over the umpteen creek crossings. But your first day ends beautifully, in an alpine bowl graced with tarns and wildflowers. In the distance, the triangular top of Kings Peak juts skyward like a giant tooth. In the morning, head south over 11,888-foot Gunsight Pass. The trail dips down before climbing again through a maze of boulders. After 5 hours of breathless scrambling, you’ll stand atop of the Uinta Range, a towering collection of fractured sedimentary rock that looks like a massive layer cake that never stopped rising.
Elevation: 13,528 feet
Rank: 7
Contact: Mountain View Ranger District, Wasatch-Cache National Forest, (307) 782-6555
USGS Topos: Gilbert Peak NE; Bridger Lake; Kings Peak; Mount Powell
Eat: The Pony Express, Mountain View, WY, (307) 782-6782
Sleep: Henry’s Fork campground, Mountain View Ranger District, (307) 782-6555
Gear: Benedict’s Market, Mountain View, WY, (307) 782-3581