Finding the Trail to the Top...

...or making your own??? Kings Peak, located in Duchesne County, Utah, is part of the High Uintas Wilderness in Ashley National Forest. Seems like getting to the top of Kings Peak though is not as easy as it might seem. From all the sources out there, it seems that there is a few ways to get to the top of the peak, but the most traveled trail runs from Henry's Fork Campground to the peak (31 miles long). We decided to follow this trail the first time out there, but its not like we can just pull it up on Google Maps. After some searching, we finally tracked down the USGS topo maps that have some piece of the trail on it. Turns out that the trail spans 4 7.5 minute maps from the 1990's (the new 2011 USGS topo maps have satellite imagery, but lack the trails). I ended up stitching the 4 maps together. I did also get some maps from the Forest Service and BLM Ranger Districts. With the USGS maps, we also realized that there is no designated trail to the top. The last 0.8 miles to the peak will be a scramble up some rocks and boulders from Anderson Pass. Depending on time, we may also try to cross down to South Kings Peak as well. The only problem with these maps is size...they are big (about 4x6 printed sheets all taped together on my wall). They will be great for pre-planing. We have a pretty good idea of our plans, but its better to be safe then sorry!

Source: http://store.usgs.gov ( Accessed June, 2011 - Bridger Lake, Gilbert Peak NE, Kings Peak, Mount Powell)