American Fork Twin Peaks : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

Overview

American Fork Twin Peaks is the highest mountain on the Little Cottonwood Canyon ridge. The summit is the prominent peak overlooking the Snowbird ski resort.

A short approach hike combined with a relatively high trailhead elevation make this an excellent peak for intermediate hikers. More advanced hikers can combine this summit with a number of multi-summit ridge scrambles, including the challenging Bullion Divide ridge traverse.

American Fork Twin Peaks is located in the Wasatch National Forest, in Salt Lake County. At an elevation of 11,489 ft. the West Twin ranks as the 11th tallest of Utah's county high points. With 3649 feet of prominence, American Fork Twins comes in at #23 on the list of Utah prominence peaks.

Although the peak is referred to as a 'Twin', there is actually a third unnamed summit (elevation 11,391 ft.) a short distance to the south.

USGS Quads:

Dromedary Peak, Utah (1:24k)

Salt Lake City, Utah (1:100k)

Route Stats

Trail Head Elevations
• White Pine route: ±7,620 ft.
• Gad Valley route ±8,030 ft.
• Northeast Ridge route ±8,030 ft.

Summit Elevations
• West Twin: 11,489 ft.
• East Twin: 11,433 ft.
• Unnamed (South Twin): 11,391 ft.

Elevation Gain
• White Pine route: 5,070 ft.
• Gad Valley route: 3,459 ft.
• Northeast Ridge route: 3,459 ft.

One-Way Hiking Distance
• White Pine route: ±6.3 miles
• Gad Valley route: ±4.1 miles
• Northeast Ridge route: ±3.7 miles

Getting There

From the 6200 South exit I-215, head east and south on 190 ±2 miles to the intersection with Big Cottonwood Canyon. Continue straight on 210 through the light (south) for ±4 miles to the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Continue east up the canyon for ±5.5 miles to the White Pine Trailhead for the White Pine Lake approach, or continue an additional ±1.6 miles to the Snowbird lodge (tramway lift location) for the Gad Valley route.

Red Tape

Hiking (i.e., snowshoeing) is not permitted on the Snowbird ski resort trails during the ski season.

When To Climb

Anytime in spring after closure of Snowbird ski resort, through late fall. Significant snow remains in the area well after closure of the ski resort; early season hikes may require the use of snowshoes.