Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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40.68460°N / 111.0297°W |
Route Type:
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Scramble |
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Time Required:
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One to two days |
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Difficulty:
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Class 2+ |
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Approach
From Oakley (State Route 32), turn east on the Weber Canyon Road. Follow this road east for about 12 miles to where the Smith and Morehouse Road turns south. Go straight and pass under the big ranch gate that says "Thousand Oaks Ranch". This is a public road, the ranch just wants to make it look private. Read the sign that informs you that either side of the road is private land for the next several miles. The land between Thousand Oaks and Holiday Park is private, so stay on the main road and don't camp along it. Follow the good gravel road to Holiday Park. Once at Holiday Park, follow Uinta Road to the parking lot and outhouse at the trailhead. Do not cross the river on the 4wd road, look for a sign pointing out the trail to Abes Lake and Crystal Lake.Route Description
From the trailhead, the trail climbs south and then slowly descends southeast to the Middle Fork Weber River. The trail then continues south and crosses the river a few times until reaching a junction after three miles from the trailhead. Go straight instead of left.The trail continues along the river for another mile to an area of cascades. The trail fades away at the cascades, but cross the river and look for it on the other side. From the other side of the creek, the trail continues upstream to the south and fades in a marshy area. The trail can be picked up again, though briefly, on the other side of the marshy area, though it fades yet again after a short distance. Just continue south through a small boulderfield. There are also some fallen trees to get over before the trail is picked up again.
The trail crosses the creek again at a cairn and climbs to a bench about 100 feet above the creek. After following the bench for a ways, the trail becomes well marked with cairns. The trail is (or was?) also marked with painted spots on trees and rocks, but there was talk of the forest service removing these. About 7.5 miles from the trailhead, the trail reaches the pass between Mount Watson and "East Long Mountain". Continue SSE from the saddle and along the hard to find path until you reach the main Crystal Lake to Long Lake Trail.
(Alternate option: Long Lake is visible just south of the saddle, so it is possible to continue straight south and cross country to the lake with a few minor ledges to skirt.)
Once at the main trail SSE of the saddle (see above), follow the main trail SW. Just before Long Lake, there is another junction with the trail to Weir Lake and North Fork Provo River. Stay on the trail to the right and to Long Lake. Long Lake is in a pretty setting, but is over-used by campers. Island Lake is another 1.5 miles west along the well use trail.
Just before Island Lake, there is another junction with the trail heading south to Duck Lake. Turn right and to Island Lake. Island Lake is in a very scenic setting, but it too receives heavy use from campers. From Island Lake, continue on the trail along the trail to the northwest. The trail is is rather steep at first then flattens out and heads to a pass. At the pass, there is a junction with the Smith and Morehouse Trail. There is also a pond right near the pass. From the pass, several routes are possible, but the one described is the easiest. Follow the trail south and around the south side of Cone Peak. Your goal is the saddle to the SW to the peak. Once the saddle is visible from the trail, head cross-country and to the pass. From the saddle, scramble NE up the very steep ridge and to the summit of Cone Peak. There is someboulder-hopping and scrambling.
The total round trip distance is about 22 miles, and since the trail is not well defined, two days are needed.
Click for full sized map:
Cone Peak from Island Lake.