LazyJSkwires - Nov 2, 2020 8:03 pm Date Climbed: Aug 30, 2020
Three trips
Left Uinta River trailhead one morning and spent far too long to do Mt Emmons. A couple weeks later went to Henry's Fork to do King, South King, Painter, and Trail Rider as a day hike. Two weeks later left Swift Creek trailhead for Robert's, North Emmons, and South Emmons. Swift Creek was closed soon after because of the Center Creek Trail fire
mbsandiego - Aug 17, 2018 1:23 pm Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2018
Kings to Emmons Attempt
Started solo at Swift TH Jul 2, headed to Farmers Lake basin, went over Bluebell Pass, and spent the night in Yellowstone basin below Kings. Lots of elk. On Jul 3, climbed ridgeline. Wind was wicked; holding trekking poles by straps, the wind blew poles pretty much horizontal. Summited Kings, S. Kings, Second Gemini, Painter and Trail Rider Peaks. Beautiful views! Had my fill though of dancing on miles of unstable rock in the wind that wanted to make me a kite. Exited out through Timothy Lakes and back to Swift TH. Red sun and ash due to nearby forest fire. 35 mi loop and 8100' gain. Told that gusts outside of the Uintas wilderness registered 53 mph so I would think the ridgeline was blowing somewhere around there too.
I have been to the ridge various times, and on one trip in August 1997, did the entire ridge run. Unfortunately, the normal afternoon thunderstorms thwarted my plans, and I dared not stand on the summits of Peaks 13,387 and 13,247, though I did complete the entire ridge. The two peaks mentioned remain the only 13’ers in Utah that I haven’t actually summited.
Hiked in from Henry's Fork on Tues 9/4/12 to Dollar Lake. On 9/5 ascended Gilbert & Gunsight & then moved base camp to Painter Basin. On Thurs 9/6 I started at 5:00 AM and summited Kings, S. Kings, Painter, Trail Rider, Roberts and N. Emmons. From there I traversed the W slope of Emmons to summit S. Emmons, then came back along the ridge to summit Emmons. Descended the N slope of Emmons & went cross country until I found the trail over Trail Rider Pass, then cross country again across Painter Basin (in darkness at this point) to arrive at my camp at 10:30 PM, a 17.5 hour day. I had planned to do Henry's Fork and West Gunsight Peaks the next morning, but was so beat it was all I could do to hike out and drive home. Hope to post a TR as soon as I am able. An exciting and exhausting trip!
Matt Lemke - Aug 30, 2012 2:32 am Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2012
Day hike
Went from Henrys Fork Peak to North Emmons. Hiked the Yellowstone Creek trail all night 18 miles to Anderson Pass. Did like 8 peaks
rmjwinters - Jun 26, 2012 10:29 pm Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2012
Henrys Fork to Glacier Point
12 Peaks, 40 miles 36 hours
Approached via Swift Creek on June 18. Bivy in upper Yellowstone Basin. On the 19th completed Cliff Point, Henry Fork, Kings, S Kings, Gemini, Painter, Trail Rider, Roberts, N Emmons, Emmons, Glacier. Exited ridge south of Glacier Peak back to E Timothy Lake and exited the evening of the 19th.
I approached the Timothy Lakes area from Swift Creek. The creek was low enough to cross it on rocks. I first climbed Roberts Peak, then Trail Rider, Painter Peak, and the west summit of Painter. Then, headed back towards Timothy Lakes, but traversed the ridge over North Timothy Peak and South Timothy Peak. Long day with great weather, at about 16 and a half hours.
7/15/2010 Started at HF TH. Climbed Kings, S Kings, Painter Peak, Trail Rider Peak, Roberts Peak, N Emmons, Emmons, S Emmons, Owl, Lost BM, and Flat Top BM and exited via Dry Gulch in one long day. I don't think I'll be doing this one again anytime soon.
8/11/2009 Did Roberts Peak and North Emmons in a 24 mile, 6000' elevation gain, 14 hour day from Swifts Creek TH. Lots and lots and lots of boulders descending from the saddle N of Roberts. Roberts Peak is by far the most interesting peak on the ridge. These were my last 2 peaks to hit on the ridge as I've previously done Emmons and S Emmons twice. The water level in the creek was considerably higher than expected so I opted for the dreaded bushwhack again to avoid the two stream crossings. Perfect weather.
7/7/2009 Did the northern 4 peaks in the ridge in one long 17 hour, 28+ mile day starting from the Henrys Fork TH. I did Kings Peak, S Kings Peak, Painter Peak (13387), and Trail Rider Peak (13247). Then descended into Painter Basin, back over Gunsight Pass, and back to the start. The weather was perfect.
apachedino - Oct 24, 2008 4:02 pm Date Climbed: Sep 21, 2008
Almost....
6 of 8 isn't bad. From Timothy Lake, made it from South Emmons to Painter before bad weather moved in and pushed us off.....should have stuck it out because 3 hours later it broke and was beautiful, but it was bitter cold, windy, and snowy on the ridge and it only looked like it would get worse at the time. I will be back.
Tracy - Apr 6, 2006 4:16 am Date Climbed: Aug 30, 1985
Kings Peak attempt from Timothy Lakes
My brother Eric and I set out from our camp at Timothy lakes to climb Kings Peak. We climbed to the top of Peak 13,247 (Trail Rider Peak) and then headed north along the ridge to the top of Peak 13,387 (Painter Peak). The wind at this point was ferocious and we decided to save King's Peak for another day (which we finally did almost 22 years later).
Route Climbed: North to South (King's to Emmons) Date Climbed: June 19, 2005
Fred Gabriel and I left our camp in Painter Basin on snowshoes at 6:00 AM and headed up King's Peak from the Southeast. We hiked the entire ridge and descended Emmons at dusk. Crossing below Carrot Lake we encountered horrible collapsing snow and serious runoff as darkness enveloped us. It took hours to negotiate around Allred and Atwood Lakes and find our way over Trailrider Pass. Guided by Fred's GPS and with our way lighted by a fortuitous bright moon, we finally made camp a little past 1:00 AM., some nineteen hours after we began. I fell into bed too tired to eat and slept like a dead man. Truly an epic adventure!
LazyJSkwires - Nov 2, 2020 8:03 pm Date Climbed: Aug 30, 2020
Three tripsLeft Uinta River trailhead one morning and spent far too long to do Mt Emmons. A couple weeks later went to Henry's Fork to do King, South King, Painter, and Trail Rider as a day hike. Two weeks later left Swift Creek trailhead for Robert's, North Emmons, and South Emmons. Swift Creek was closed soon after because of the Center Creek Trail fire
mbsandiego - Aug 17, 2018 1:23 pm Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2018
Kings to Emmons AttemptStarted solo at Swift TH Jul 2, headed to Farmers Lake basin, went over Bluebell Pass, and spent the night in Yellowstone basin below Kings. Lots of elk. On Jul 3, climbed ridgeline. Wind was wicked; holding trekking poles by straps, the wind blew poles pretty much horizontal. Summited Kings, S. Kings, Second Gemini, Painter and Trail Rider Peaks. Beautiful views! Had my fill though of dancing on miles of unstable rock in the wind that wanted to make me a kite. Exited out through Timothy Lakes and back to Swift TH. Red sun and ash due to nearby forest fire. 35 mi loop and 8100' gain. Told that gusts outside of the Uintas wilderness registered 53 mph so I would think the ridgeline was blowing somewhere around there too.
Scott - Nov 19, 2015 12:32 pm
Kings-EmmonsI have been to the ridge various times, and on one trip in August 1997, did the entire ridge run. Unfortunately, the normal afternoon thunderstorms thwarted my plans, and I dared not stand on the summits of Peaks 13,387 and 13,247, though I did complete the entire ridge. The two peaks mentioned remain the only 13’ers in Utah that I haven’t actually summited.
AjaxHiker - Sep 9, 2012 5:11 pm Date Climbed: Sep 6, 2012
10 13'ers in 4 day tripHiked in from Henry's Fork on Tues 9/4/12 to Dollar Lake. On 9/5 ascended Gilbert & Gunsight & then moved base camp to Painter Basin. On Thurs 9/6 I started at 5:00 AM and summited Kings, S. Kings, Painter, Trail Rider, Roberts and N. Emmons. From there I traversed the W slope of Emmons to summit S. Emmons, then came back along the ridge to summit Emmons. Descended the N slope of Emmons & went cross country until I found the trail over Trail Rider Pass, then cross country again across Painter Basin (in darkness at this point) to arrive at my camp at 10:30 PM, a 17.5 hour day. I had planned to do Henry's Fork and West Gunsight Peaks the next morning, but was so beat it was all I could do to hike out and drive home. Hope to post a TR as soon as I am able. An exciting and exhausting trip!
Matt Lemke - Aug 30, 2012 2:32 am Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2012
Day hikeWent from Henrys Fork Peak to North Emmons. Hiked the Yellowstone Creek trail all night 18 miles to Anderson Pass. Did like 8 peaks
rmjwinters - Jun 26, 2012 10:29 pm Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2012
Henrys Fork to Glacier Point12 Peaks, 40 miles 36 hours
Approached via Swift Creek on June 18. Bivy in upper Yellowstone Basin. On the 19th completed Cliff Point, Henry Fork, Kings, S Kings, Gemini, Painter, Trail Rider, Roberts, N Emmons, Emmons, Glacier. Exited ridge south of Glacier Peak back to E Timothy Lake and exited the evening of the 19th.
utclimber - Sep 27, 2010 11:31 pm Date Climbed: Sep 26, 2010
SolitudeI approached the Timothy Lakes area from Swift Creek. The creek was low enough to cross it on rocks. I first climbed Roberts Peak, then Trail Rider, Painter Peak, and the west summit of Painter. Then, headed back towards Timothy Lakes, but traversed the ridge over North Timothy Peak and South Timothy Peak. Long day with great weather, at about 16 and a half hours.
ZeeJay - Jul 16, 2010 9:58 pm Date Climbed: Jul 15, 2010
Lots and lots and lots of boulders7/15/2010 Started at HF TH. Climbed Kings, S Kings, Painter Peak, Trail Rider Peak, Roberts Peak, N Emmons, Emmons, S Emmons, Owl, Lost BM, and Flat Top BM and exited via Dry Gulch in one long day. I don't think I'll be doing this one again anytime soon.
8/11/2009 Did Roberts Peak and North Emmons in a 24 mile, 6000' elevation gain, 14 hour day from Swifts Creek TH. Lots and lots and lots of boulders descending from the saddle N of Roberts. Roberts Peak is by far the most interesting peak on the ridge. These were my last 2 peaks to hit on the ridge as I've previously done Emmons and S Emmons twice. The water level in the creek was considerably higher than expected so I opted for the dreaded bushwhack again to avoid the two stream crossings. Perfect weather.
7/7/2009 Did the northern 4 peaks in the ridge in one long 17 hour, 28+ mile day starting from the Henrys Fork TH. I did Kings Peak, S Kings Peak, Painter Peak (13387), and Trail Rider Peak (13247). Then descended into Painter Basin, back over Gunsight Pass, and back to the start. The weather was perfect.
apachedino - Oct 24, 2008 4:02 pm Date Climbed: Sep 21, 2008
Almost....6 of 8 isn't bad. From Timothy Lake, made it from South Emmons to Painter before bad weather moved in and pushed us off.....should have stuck it out because 3 hours later it broke and was beautiful, but it was bitter cold, windy, and snowy on the ridge and it only looked like it would get worse at the time. I will be back.
Tracy - Apr 6, 2006 4:16 am Date Climbed: Aug 30, 1985
Kings Peak attempt from Timothy LakesMy brother Eric and I set out from our camp at Timothy lakes to climb Kings Peak. We climbed to the top of Peak 13,247 (Trail Rider Peak) and then headed north along the ridge to the top of Peak 13,387 (Painter Peak). The wind at this point was ferocious and we decided to save King's Peak for another day (which we finally did almost 22 years later).
mtn runr - Jan 27, 2006 9:29 pm
Route Climbed: North to South (King's to Emmons) Date Climbed: June 19, 2005Fred Gabriel and I left our camp in Painter Basin on snowshoes at 6:00 AM and headed up King's Peak from the Southeast. We hiked the entire ridge and descended Emmons at dusk. Crossing below Carrot Lake we encountered horrible collapsing snow and serious runoff as darkness enveloped us. It took hours to negotiate around Allred and Atwood Lakes and find our way over Trailrider Pass. Guided by Fred's GPS and with our way lighted by a fortuitous bright moon, we finally made camp a little past 1:00 AM., some nineteen hours after we began. I fell into bed too tired to eat and slept like a dead man. Truly an epic adventure!