We fished our way up and down the Henry's Fork on our way in and out, which made for a fun, leisurely hike. We camped near Dollar Lake. We took the shortcut from the top of Gunsight Pass, leapfrogging several parties. The view from the summit was beautiful, and we enjoyed great weather for the duration of the trip. I was shocked at the amount of traffic in the area, but I guess I shouldn't have been, considering the ease of access and Labor Day weekend.
Moogie737 - Aug 31, 2006 4:31 am Date Climbed: Sep 15, 2016
Potpourri for routes and times
#1 9-17-04 w/ Ben #2 8-29-06 w/ Kimball #3 3-29-08 Third time at the summit but the first in winter conditions. See the write-up by Zeejay for details. It was one of the hardest, most grueling things I have ever done, including Aconcagua. But was it worth it? You betcha! Zeejay was the last one out of camp in the a.m. but I was the last one BACK into camp, a rather dubious distinction I might say. But I did make it back, thanks to Steve Swanson. I do not recommend doing this trip if you have only one hour of practice on cross-country skis! :) #4 8-15-13 W/ Brent; first peak of the Northern 4(5)! #5 7-25-16 With Signe; first peak of the Kings-Emmons Ridge hike Return to camp by descending the north ridge of Mt. Emmons and trail-blazing on the west side of Atwood Basin to Trail Rider Pass and then to Gunsight, etc. #6 and #7 09-14-21 W/ Lana. From Dollar Lake to Kings, then to South Kings and back up over Kings for the return on a 14-day. Good wx, thank goodness!
Holsti97 - Aug 29, 2006 4:44 pm Date Climbed: Aug 24, 2006
Kings Peak
Started from Henrys Fork Campground where I met Dean Molen and Dennis Poulin who had just finished all of the Utah County highpoints. Hiked with my son Ryan and 5 other motley HPers Roy, Bill, Rick, Jack, and Merle to Dollar Lake and camped overnite. Started before sunrise and hiked through Gunsight Pass up the shortcut across Anderson Pass and then to the summit. Had perfect weather for the hike. Took the shortcut down the "toilet bowl" on the way back which saved us about 2 hours. Very rocky scree and not very good footing. Camped at Dollar Lake one more night and then hiked out and had lunch at Sills Cafe in Mountain View, WY. It was a great group of guys to hike with and a beautiful climb. Headed to Panorama Point, Nebraska after lunch. HP #18.
Joseph Claghorn - Aug 28, 2006 11:21 pm Date Climbed: Aug 16, 2006
Day 1 - Cakewalk - Day 2 - Hell
Hiked in the evening of day 1 to dollar lake without any difficulty and camped there. Took the gunsite shortcut (recommended). There's a lot of scrambling to get up to the top from Anderson pass. Don't carry a big pack to the summit. The hike out seemed to go on forever through a fairly non-descript forest in the dark.
Dennis Poulin - Aug 28, 2006 8:06 pm Date Climbed: Aug 21, 2006
Henry Fork Std Route
This was a nice hike with a good friend. Nothing technical, just lots of rock hopping.
Dean - Aug 26, 2006 5:29 pm Date Climbed: Aug 21, 2006
Gunsight/Anderson route
Dennis and I went up via the climber's shortcut and then down via the toilet bowl (not recommended) When we summitted, there were 7 of us on top and we got down before a thunderstorm threatened the peak. A dad and three daughters plus a fellow from Georgia shared the summit time. This was the second to last of the Utah county highpoints that Dennis and I had left. Gilbert was to be the last one of the 29. Yea..
Xtreme532 - Aug 14, 2006 8:53 pm Date Climbed: Jul 17, 2002
Best trip
Best trip ever..first big mountain hike. Got seperated, friend got sick, played "floating down a river to cracker barrell", so many memories. This is a fun hike with friends!
Renardo - Aug 6, 2006 9:08 pm Date Climbed: Jul 22, 2004
Watch the weather
Got caught in a storm at 10 AM on the summit. Couldn't see there was a problem until crossing the summit ridge. Lots of hail and lightning. Not something I want to do again. Hiked 13 miles back to camp then 8 more miles with the pack back to the car in pouring rain. Glad this one is over!
my first state high point (unless I accidentally climbed the nearly inexistant DE highpoint), and so impromptu! waking up near Bryce Canoyn after 3 days of exploring the region, thinking, "I'm bored of the touristy stuff. Tired of red rocks. I miss the mountains." Thus, I drove up north and climbed Kings Peak. Snowed on the summit! (snow in July, for me, from California, is amazing). The hike was gorgeous, but sort of kicked my butt near the top, since I didn't prep beforehand or acclimate at all. Did it in a dayhike, running down the final few miles trying to (but unsuccessful) beat Helios' descent. The scree chute down, by the way, was fantastic fun, much better than Henrys Fork and going all the way around the backside of the mountain range to the left of Kings (which looks like a giant nipple; there's three of 'em). Feel AWESOME :)
First Accent: August 1999
On my first trip to Kings I took the route to Dollar Lake and camped a little south of it up in the trees on a hill. It wasn't too bad of a camping spot, however, it was far from water which was a bummer. The good thing was that there were very little bugs and no other people. I summited via the shoot (the extreemly steep rock slide area with patch of snow that goes straight up to Anderson Pass.) I don't know if I would do it that way again. It was pretty brutal and huge rock fall danger. From there the summit push was easy. The views were awesome. On the way back I took the Anderson Pass to Gunsite Pass traverse. That way was a lot easier.
Second Accent: August 2005
On this trip a covered the whole Henry Fork basin. The first day I camped at Henry Fork lake. This is an awesome lake to camp at, not too many people and lots of moose to take pictures of. The second day I took a little hike up to the waterfall just south of Henry's Fork lake and on up to Blanchard Lake. I highly suggest taking a stroll up to this lake. It give you a whole new view of the basin. After this little side trip I went back to Henry's Fork to grab my stuff and head to a little lake just below gunsite pass. This is a great area to camp for a summit push the next day. On my way up to Anderson Pass the next day I nearly stepped on 3 or 4 white-tailed ptarmigan. They look just like the rocks and they know it so they just sit there like one until you step on it. They are a pretty funny bird. Once on the peak I could see for hundreds of miles. It was such a clear day I swore I could see Timpanogos. On our last day we hiked out from the little lake below Gunsite. This was a very long hike that never seemed to end. However, once it did end I couldn't wait to do it again.
JLarsen - Apr 29, 2006 6:46 am Date Climbed: Aug 28, 2005
Route Climbed: Henry's Fork
We went around the whole basin and camped at a little remote lake that is at the base of Gunsight Pass. Highly recomended. I loved that camping spot, protected from wind and loud sheep, but they do like to wander up camp. Just a bit south there is a cool cabbin that the sheep hearders use. Check it out next time your there. The first time I summited I went the steep talus face directly to Anderson Pass. If you want speed go that way, just watch for rock fall. This is a great peak, crowded but wonderful veiws in every direction and not to hard to summit in the summer.
noggin - Mar 7, 2006 1:20 am Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2005
Henry's Fork
We hiked in on the afternoon of the 2nd. We summited on the 3rd and walked out that day, which made for a long day. Glissading down the mountain was nice though. Very muddy once we entered the basin.
Mountain Jim - Mar 3, 2006 1:02 am Date Climbed: Jul 6, 1990
Long Day
Round tripped the peak from via the Henrys Fork route in one long day. Good way to celebrate my 51st birthday.
Travis Atwood - Feb 2, 2006 9:05 pm Date Climbed: Jun 27, 2009
Multiple Ascents
6/27/09 - A long one day trip that also included summiting West Gunsite Peak. We had a nice and fast glissade down the chute back to the Henry's Fork Basin. Climbed with Ammon Hatch.
7/19/08 - Henry's Fork to Gunsite then to Kings Summit. We then traveresd to South Kings.
8/2000 Climbed Gunsight Pass and came down through the chute at Anderson Pass.
Route Climbed: Henry's Fork Date Climbed: August 1996
Stayed a week in the basin. Great moose sightings. Saw a cow and calf and then a bull. One deer. Several marmots close to Gunsight Pass. Awesome summit!
e-doc - Jan 1, 2006 1:22 am Date Climbed: Aug 24, 2000
Route Climbed: Dollar Lake; Date Climbed: August 24, 2000
After our 4 day Wind River trip, three of our group returned to SLC; Shawn, Brian ,and I checked into a nondescript hotel in Rock Springs. The next day we drove up to Henrys Fork and then hiked to Dollar Lake. It was fun to see the boy scouts attack the beaver lodge, only to be confronted by Shawn who claimed to be from the Forest Service and they immediately stopped their beaver lodge assault.The next day Shawn felt poor so he hiked back to the car; Brian and I summited via Gunsight and Anderson passes. As clouds moved in on our downclimb we opted to take the scree field down from Anderson Pass. I really hate lightening when I'm in the open on a camping trip. Broke camp and hike down to Elkhorn crossing to camp the second night. Met Shawn on trail the next day. He gave us a beer, it tasted good.
Route Climbed: Henrys Fork Date Climbed: August 27th
We did this as a two day backpack and camped at a small lake above Dollar. Almost got caught in a thunderstorm on the second day but made it off the summit plateau in time.
KirtDavis - Sep 8, 2006 10:12 pm Date Climbed: Aug 21, 2006
From Henry'sWow. Spent a few days at Dollar Lake. Hardly any one here, passed them on the way down.
The ascent was a rocky scramble, but the views, and bragging rights of standing on top of Utah are worth it.
Curt - Sep 7, 2006 7:52 pm Date Climbed: Sep 1, 2006
Via Henry's ForkWe fished our way up and down the Henry's Fork on our way in and out, which made for a fun, leisurely hike. We camped near Dollar Lake. We took the shortcut from the top of Gunsight Pass, leapfrogging several parties. The view from the summit was beautiful, and we enjoyed great weather for the duration of the trip. I was shocked at the amount of traffic in the area, but I guess I shouldn't have been, considering the ease of access and Labor Day weekend.
Moogie737 - Aug 31, 2006 4:31 am Date Climbed: Sep 15, 2016
Potpourri for routes and times#1 9-17-04 w/ Ben #2 8-29-06 w/ Kimball #3 3-29-08 Third time at the summit but the first in winter conditions. See the write-up by Zeejay for details. It was one of the hardest, most grueling things I have ever done, including Aconcagua. But was it worth it? You betcha! Zeejay was the last one out of camp in the a.m. but I was the last one BACK into camp, a rather dubious distinction I might say. But I did make it back, thanks to Steve Swanson. I do not recommend doing this trip if you have only one hour of practice on cross-country skis! :) #4 8-15-13 W/ Brent; first peak of the Northern 4(5)! #5 7-25-16 With Signe; first peak of the Kings-Emmons Ridge hike Return to camp by descending the north ridge of Mt. Emmons and trail-blazing on the west side of Atwood Basin to Trail Rider Pass and then to Gunsight, etc. #6 and #7 09-14-21 W/ Lana. From Dollar Lake to Kings, then to South Kings and back up over Kings for the return on a 14-day. Good wx, thank goodness!
Holsti97 - Aug 29, 2006 4:44 pm Date Climbed: Aug 24, 2006
Kings PeakStarted from Henrys Fork Campground where I met Dean Molen and Dennis Poulin who had just finished all of the Utah County highpoints. Hiked with my son Ryan and 5 other motley HPers Roy, Bill, Rick, Jack, and Merle to Dollar Lake and camped overnite. Started before sunrise and hiked through Gunsight Pass up the shortcut across Anderson Pass and then to the summit. Had perfect weather for the hike. Took the shortcut down the "toilet bowl" on the way back which saved us about 2 hours. Very rocky scree and not very good footing. Camped at Dollar Lake one more night and then hiked out and had lunch at Sills Cafe in Mountain View, WY. It was a great group of guys to hike with and a beautiful climb. Headed to Panorama Point, Nebraska after lunch. HP #18.
Joseph Claghorn - Aug 28, 2006 11:21 pm Date Climbed: Aug 16, 2006
Day 1 - Cakewalk - Day 2 - HellHiked in the evening of day 1 to dollar lake without any difficulty and camped there. Took the gunsite shortcut (recommended). There's a lot of scrambling to get up to the top from Anderson pass. Don't carry a big pack to the summit. The hike out seemed to go on forever through a fairly non-descript forest in the dark.
Dennis Poulin - Aug 28, 2006 8:06 pm Date Climbed: Aug 21, 2006
Henry Fork Std RouteThis was a nice hike with a good friend. Nothing technical, just lots of rock hopping.
Dean - Aug 26, 2006 5:29 pm Date Climbed: Aug 21, 2006
Gunsight/Anderson routeDennis and I went up via the climber's shortcut and then down via the toilet bowl (not recommended) When we summitted, there were 7 of us on top and we got down before a thunderstorm threatened the peak. A dad and three daughters plus a fellow from Georgia shared the summit time. This was the second to last of the Utah county highpoints that Dennis and I had left. Gilbert was to be the last one of the 29. Yea..
Xtreme532 - Aug 14, 2006 8:53 pm Date Climbed: Jul 17, 2002
Best tripBest trip ever..first big mountain hike. Got seperated, friend got sick, played "floating down a river to cracker barrell", so many memories. This is a fun hike with friends!
Renardo - Aug 6, 2006 9:08 pm Date Climbed: Jul 22, 2004
Watch the weatherGot caught in a storm at 10 AM on the summit. Couldn't see there was a problem until crossing the summit ridge. Lots of hail and lightning. Not something I want to do again. Hiked 13 miles back to camp then 8 more miles with the pack back to the car in pouring rain. Glad this one is over!
jazamoo - Jul 26, 2006 3:21 pm Date Climbed: Jul 25, 2006
Ascent: Henrys Fork, Descent: scree chutemy first state high point (unless I accidentally climbed the nearly inexistant DE highpoint), and so impromptu! waking up near Bryce Canoyn after 3 days of exploring the region, thinking, "I'm bored of the touristy stuff. Tired of red rocks. I miss the mountains." Thus, I drove up north and climbed Kings Peak. Snowed on the summit! (snow in July, for me, from California, is amazing). The hike was gorgeous, but sort of kicked my butt near the top, since I didn't prep beforehand or acclimate at all. Did it in a dayhike, running down the final few miles trying to (but unsuccessful) beat Helios' descent. The scree chute down, by the way, was fantastic fun, much better than Henrys Fork and going all the way around the backside of the mountain range to the left of Kings (which looks like a giant nipple; there's three of 'em). Feel AWESOME :)
IdaClimber - Jul 10, 2006 9:04 pm
Gunsight SuccessAfter an unsuccessful introduction to backpacking, this peak was conquered.
Rocker Paully - Jun 14, 2006 11:57 pm Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2001
route: UnnamedReally hot, approached from the north, didn't want to lose elevation so we took the scree slope in the gap in the cliffs, it was very nasty.
highonpeaks - May 5, 2006 5:14 pm
Henry Fork BasinFirst Accent: August 1999
On my first trip to Kings I took the route to Dollar Lake and camped a little south of it up in the trees on a hill. It wasn't too bad of a camping spot, however, it was far from water which was a bummer. The good thing was that there were very little bugs and no other people. I summited via the shoot (the extreemly steep rock slide area with patch of snow that goes straight up to Anderson Pass.) I don't know if I would do it that way again. It was pretty brutal and huge rock fall danger. From there the summit push was easy. The views were awesome. On the way back I took the Anderson Pass to Gunsite Pass traverse. That way was a lot easier.
Second Accent: August 2005
On this trip a covered the whole Henry Fork basin. The first day I camped at Henry Fork lake. This is an awesome lake to camp at, not too many people and lots of moose to take pictures of. The second day I took a little hike up to the waterfall just south of Henry's Fork lake and on up to Blanchard Lake. I highly suggest taking a stroll up to this lake. It give you a whole new view of the basin. After this little side trip I went back to Henry's Fork to grab my stuff and head to a little lake just below gunsite pass. This is a great area to camp for a summit push the next day. On my way up to Anderson Pass the next day I nearly stepped on 3 or 4 white-tailed ptarmigan. They look just like the rocks and they know it so they just sit there like one until you step on it. They are a pretty funny bird. Once on the peak I could see for hundreds of miles. It was such a clear day I swore I could see Timpanogos. On our last day we hiked out from the little lake below Gunsite. This was a very long hike that never seemed to end. However, once it did end I couldn't wait to do it again.
JLarsen - Apr 29, 2006 6:46 am Date Climbed: Aug 28, 2005
Route Climbed: Henry's ForkWe went around the whole basin and camped at a little remote lake that is at the base of Gunsight Pass. Highly recomended. I loved that camping spot, protected from wind and loud sheep, but they do like to wander up camp. Just a bit south there is a cool cabbin that the sheep hearders use. Check it out next time your there. The first time I summited I went the steep talus face directly to Anderson Pass. If you want speed go that way, just watch for rock fall. This is a great peak, crowded but wonderful veiws in every direction and not to hard to summit in the summer.
noggin - Mar 7, 2006 1:20 am Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2005
Henry's ForkWe hiked in on the afternoon of the 2nd. We summited on the 3rd and walked out that day, which made for a long day. Glissading down the mountain was nice though. Very muddy once we entered the basin.
Mountain Jim - Mar 3, 2006 1:02 am Date Climbed: Jul 6, 1990
Long DayRound tripped the peak from via the Henrys Fork route in one long day. Good way to celebrate my 51st birthday.
Travis Atwood - Feb 2, 2006 9:05 pm Date Climbed: Jun 27, 2009
Multiple Ascents6/27/09 - A long one day trip that also included summiting West Gunsite Peak. We had a nice and fast glissade down the chute back to the Henry's Fork Basin. Climbed with Ammon Hatch.
7/19/08 - Henry's Fork to Gunsite then to Kings Summit. We then traveresd to South Kings.
8/2000 Climbed Gunsight Pass and came down through the chute at Anderson Pass.
D-bo - Jan 7, 2006 5:04 pm
Route Climbed: Henry's Fork Date Climbed: August 1996Stayed a week in the basin. Great moose sightings. Saw a cow and calf and then a bull. One deer. Several marmots close to Gunsight Pass. Awesome summit!
e-doc - Jan 1, 2006 1:22 am Date Climbed: Aug 24, 2000
Route Climbed: Dollar Lake; Date Climbed: August 24, 2000After our 4 day Wind River trip, three of our group returned to SLC; Shawn, Brian ,and I checked into a nondescript hotel in Rock Springs. The next day we drove up to Henrys Fork and then hiked to Dollar Lake. It was fun to see the boy scouts attack the beaver lodge, only to be confronted by Shawn who claimed to be from the Forest Service and they immediately stopped their beaver lodge assault.The next day Shawn felt poor so he hiked back to the car; Brian and I summited via Gunsight and Anderson passes. As clouds moved in on our downclimb we opted to take the scree field down from Anderson Pass. I really hate lightening when I'm in the open on a camping trip. Broke camp and hike down to Elkhorn crossing to camp the second night. Met Shawn on trail the next day. He gave us a beer, it tasted good.
dyscti - Oct 29, 2005 3:50 pm
Route Climbed: Henrys Fork Date Climbed: August 27thWe did this as a two day backpack and camped at a small lake above Dollar. Almost got caught in a thunderstorm on the second day but made it off the summit plateau in time.