| Grand Tour of all Three Summits Route |
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| Grand Tour of all Three Summits   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Utah, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 40.76500°N / 110.135°W Route Type: Scramble Time Required: One to two days Difficulty: Class 2+
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| Page By: Scott Created/Edited: Jan 18, 2005 / Mar 7, 2006 Object ID: 163614 Hits: 674 Loading... Page Score: 86.25% - 1 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
ApproachThere are several driving routes to the trailhead, but this is the quickest. A good road map is needed. From Roosevelt, take State Highway 121 north. This is where the elbow in Highway 40 is, right downtown, so the turnoff is easy to locate. Stay on Highway 121 north, follow it as is makes a sharp turn at Neola and heads due east. The highway will reach a "T" and turn south. At the "T", turn left (north) to the town of Whiterocks. From Whiterocks, drive northwest along the paved road. Not long after passing the fish hatchery, will be another junction. Go straight (not left). The road heads north, then east, then north again. At the next intersection, go straight and to the Elkhorn Guard Station. Continue straight on the Elkhorn Loop Road, up Pole Mountain, and to Forest Road 110 before heading to Pole Creek Lake. Don't take the Elkhorn Loop to Pole Creek Lake, but turn right onto Forest Road 110. If you reach Pole Creek Lake, you overshot the turnoff. Follow Forest Road 110 north for about four miles to the signed (for West Fork Whiterocks Trailhead) turnoff to the left. Turn left to the trailhead. Most of the Elkhorn Loop as well as Forest Road 110 is gravel, but usually in good condition for cars, provided you drive slowly.
Route DescriptionThis route climbs all three peaks in one shot. This is a very long one day hike for a strong climber. It could be done in two or more days as well, but carrying a pack accross the ridge and through all the boulders can be a bit tedious. The easiest direction to hike the ridge is actually from north to south, but the recommended route is actually south to north. Why? Because doing the route from south to north puts you across the ridge in the morning rather than afternoon. This route is very thunderstorm prone, so descend the ridge at the first sign of danger.
From the trailhead, backtrack along the road for a short distance to avoid a stream crossing. From here, head due east with a compass. The route is a bit tedious because of fallen logs and such, but there are no real difficulties. You will cross one or more rough logging roads a long the way. If you can find the beginning of the roads, this would likely be an easier alternative than the route described. Continue east to the NE ridge of Clover benchmark. Climb the ridge. There are some very steep slopes to skirt at first, but once on the ridge it gets easier. There is a bit of scrambling/boulder-hopping. Continue up the ridge to the very broad and flat summit of Clover benchmark, marked with a cairn. From Clover benchmark follow the broad ridge west over a minor summit and to the summit of "West Clover". There are some nice views, especially to the north. "West Clover" is seven miles from the trailhead. From "West Clover" follow the still broad ridge northwest and to a saddle. From the saddle, continue northwest up to the summit of Peak 12,127. The ridge broadens more still. Continue north and down to another saddle. From the summit, climb north to Cleve benchmark and "North Cleve". From the summit of "North Cleve", head north along the ridge and descend down the steep slope to Fox-Quent Pass. This is 1.3 miles from the summit. From Fox-Quent Pass, follow the trail east then southeast to beautiful Cleveland Lake. This is 2.5 miles from Fox-Quent Pass. At Cleveland Lake, go straight instead of following the trail east to Quent Lake. The trailhead is another four miles from Cleveland Lake and is a pleasent stroll.
     
Essential GearA good pair of boots is needed.
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Uinta Mountains
