Page 1 of 1

The Other Gobblers Knob

Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 6:49 pm
by Uncle Rico
Apologies in advance for the out-of-range TR, but last week I made a run to Utah and while there had a chance to do a little hiking in the Wasatch National Forest. The terrain, foliage, rock, trails, and views are so different than what we see in the San Gabes that I figured you guys and gals might want to take a peak.

The pics below are from our ascent of Gobblers Knob (10,246') which sits in the Mt. Olympus Wilderness and straddles Big Cottonwood and Millcreek Canyons. There are multiple routes from both canyons to the summit of Gobblers Knob, but we opted for the trail up Butler Fork which begins about 8 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon at approximately 7,100'. The trail ascends steeply from the canyon floor, swings into Mill A Basin, ascends to Baker Pass, and then climbs the ridgeline east to the summit. Once you reach Baker Pass, you're staring directly north into Millcreek Canyon. If you hike west from the Pass instead of east, you can ascend the ridge to diminutive Mt. Raymond (10,241'). If you get an early start of course, you can easily bag both of these peaks in one fell swoop. We didn't get an early start so we went for the peak with the additional 5 feet of elevation.

The thing that struck me the most was how freakin' green everything was. Mid-August and the wildflowers were still in bloom everywhere and plant life was crowding the trail. Very beautiful. Wish I had more time there to explore.

Total mileage is about 8.5 with roughly 3200 feet of gain.

Image
The trail just past the trailhead. You start climbing through amazing greenery immediately.

Image
You enter the Mt. Olympus Wilderness within the first half mile of hiking.

Image
Don't know what this is, but these were plentiful along the lower segments.

Image
After a pretty good climb, you reach a ridge separating Butler Fork from Mill A Gulch. We're heading west toward Mill A Basin.

Image
Wildflowers along the way.

Image
Looking east up Big Cottonwood Canyon from Mill A Basin

Image
View south from Baker Pass. If I'm not mistaken, you're looking here at (from L to R) Superior Peak (11,132'), Dromendary Peak (11,107), and Twin Peaks (11,328' and 11,330'). The shoulder of Mt. Raymond is encroaching in the foreground.

Image
This is the view west of Mt. Raymond from the ridgeline that ascends to Gobblers Knob. Mill A Basin is to your left. The Salt Lake Valley is dead ahead behind the peaks.

Image
View west of the Salt Lake Valley from the summit of Gobblers Knob.

Image\
View into the Alexander Basin from the summit of Gobblers Knob. Big Cottonwood Canyon is to the right; Millcreek Canyon is to the left.

Image
View east up Big Cottonwood Canyon from the summit.

Image
While in Rome...

Image
A motto to live by.

Image
Aspen grove in Mill A Basin. The trail passes through several of these groves.

Image
Heading down thinking about garlic burgers and beers at the Cotton Bottom.

The End.

Re: The Other Gobblers Knob

Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 10:35 pm
by RichardK
It's always good to see other places. Thanks for the pictures.

Re: The Other Gobblers Knob

Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 11:37 pm
by Taco
That looks pretty damn cool. I dig how green and alive it is for sure. ;-)

Re: The Other Gobblers Knob

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 10:21 am
by tekewin
Nice one, Rico! I love seeing other mountain ranges and the different terrain.

Some of those valleys look like golf courses.

I was in Seattle at the end of July and everything was lush and green, even just off the freeways. Hey, other states have lots of green, but we still have all the best shades of brown.

Re: The Other Gobblers Knob

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 10:35 am
by mcphersonm80
Awesome, thanks for sharing :)

Re: The Other Gobblers Knob

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 11:00 pm
by walker
Very nice. Being a California kid, I always thought that summer was the brown season and winter was the green season until I lived somewhere else. In most places it's the opposite!

Nice country. Reminds me a little of the Pecos wilderness outside Santa Fe where I went to college. I miss them aspen forests.

Thanks!