Laccoliths in the Desert | Friday – Saturday, June 21-22, 2024
Directly east of us, beyond the domes of the flexure [Waterpocket Fold], rise the Henry Mountains. They are barely 35 miles distant, and they seem to be near neighbors. Under a clear sky every detail is distinct and no finer view of them is possible. It seems as if a few hours of lively traveling would bring us there, but it is a two days’ journey with the best of animals. They are by far the most striking features of the panorama, on account of the strong contrast they present to the scenery about them. Among innumerable flat crest-lines, terminating in walls, they rise up grandly into peaks of Alpine form and grace like a modern cathedral among catecombs — the gothic order of architecture contrasting with the elephantine.
C.E. Dutton, 1880
The Henry Mountains are a laccolithic mountain range that stand high above a sea of sandstone cut by deep canyons on the Colorado Plateau and were one of the last-surveyed and last-named mountain ranges in the contiguous United States. In 1869 John Wesley Powell made note of the range during his initial voyage down the Colorado River and called them the Unknown Mountains at the time. Then in 1871 he returned to the area on his second trip down the Colorado and renamed them to the Henry Mountains after Joseph Henry, a close friend who was secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Last year I was planning to head back up into the Henry Mountains after Jared and I had spent a nice weekend there in 2022, but other trips came up and I never made it. This year I was determined to get back early in the summer to hike a couple new peaks and highpoints and chose to go this weekend. I left from work on Friday afternoon and made my way to Hanksville, and even though there were a lot of storms throughout the area this afternoon, some which caused flash flooding around Moab and the San Juan River, I managed to miss them all- aside from the wind. It seems that it’s frequently very windy out when I stop in Hanksville, and today was no exception!
Although all the storms mostly missed me today, I did drive by some interesting dark clouds over the San Rafael Swell on my way to Hanksville.
After topping off my gas tank in Hanksville I drove through a dust storm on my way to the foot of the Henry Mountains.
The Henry Mountains seen through the sandstorm.
It wasn’t nearly as windy up in the mountains and I made my way over to the high point of Copper Ridge before starting to look for a campsite.
There was a good view of The Horn and Mount Pennell as I drove around the South Summit Ridge of Mount Ellen to the west side of the range.
When I reached South Creek Ridge I got a good look at the ridge I would be hiking up in the morning, which follows part of the Hayduke Trail.
I still had plenty of daylight left, so I continued on to the McMillan Spring Campground to see if there were any good campsites around.
As I turned a corner in the road near Dry Lake Flat I scared up a herd of bison that quickly took off, and I was just barely able to get this photo of them running away. This is the first time I have ever come across the bison in the Henry Mountains, which is one of only four free-roaming bison herds on public lands in North America.
I returned to South Creek Ridge to watch the sunset and spend the night.
The haze, dust or smoke in the air made for a spectacular show at sunset this evening!
There were beautiful layers looking toward Thousand Lake Mountain.
There were also amazing colors and layers looking west to Boulder Mountain.
It was a very colorful sunset from South Creek Ridge.
On Saturday morning I was up early and went for a short drive to take a couple photos at sunrise.
Ragged Mountain
Mount Pennell at Sunrise
Mount Hillers & Ragged Mountain
There were great views over the Waterpocket Fold Country as I started hiking up the Hayduke Trail to the South Summit Ridge.
It felt great to be following a ridge above treeline again and I’m looking forward to doing much more of this the rest of the summer.
Spotted light over Tarantula Mesa.
My destination this morning was Kimble and Turner Peak (11,140).
A view from the summit of Kimble and Turner Peak.
Following the ridge as I made my way back down to my Jeep.
Next, I drove around to the saddle between Kimble and Turner Peak and Bartons Peak so I could hike to the summit of the latter.
It was a short walk to the summit of Bartons Peak (10,039) from the saddle.
Looking across the saddle to Kimble and Turner Peak.
Bartons Peak
Next, I went for a scenic drive up to Bull Creek Pass and stopped to walk to the highpoints of the Granite Ridges along the way.
Mount Ellen Peak
After making a complete loop around Mount Ellen, I continued following the backroads all the way through the Henry Mountains until I reached the southern end of Mount Hillers. It’s been over 14 years since I drove many of these roads, so it was nice to see them again and refresh my memory.
The Horn.
Ragged Mountain
Mount Hillers
As I made my way back to Hanksville and then home, I could see that the predicted afternoon thunderstorms had begun over the Henry Mountains.
If we stand upon the eastern verge of the Wasatch Plateau and look eastward, we shall behold one of those strange spectacles which are seen only in the Plateau Province, and which have a peculiar kind of impressiveness, and even of sublimity. It is not the wonder inspired by great mountains, for only two or three peaks of the Henry Mountains are well in view; and these, with their noble Alpine forms, seem as strangely out of place as Westminster Abbey would be among the ruins of Thebes.
C.E. Dutton, 1880
Some great photos here. Thanks!