Approach
Follow directions for the north approach to the Nebo Bench trail. Turn onto the Mona Pole Rd at the entrance to the parking lot for the Nebo Bench Trail. This is also known as Monument Trailhead. Follow Mona Pole Rd for 0.3 miles to a cattle guard and parking area.
Route Description
10 miles roundtrip & 3400 ft elevation change one-way. The trail leaves the parking area along the Mona Pole Road and follows the cattle fence. It climbs immediately up and west from the parking area. The trail continues along the bench area and loses a little elevation crossing the bench. The trail then climbs up through some trees to an open northeastern facing chute. The trail makes a switchback to the north, crosses the chute and then follows the small ridge to the saddle. The saddle is north of North Peak at 10,640 ft. From the saddle turn south. Mt. Nebo's north face comes into view for the first time. The trail climbs slightly to 10,850 ft along the ridge and contours along the west face of north peak to reach another saddle at 10,680 ft. From the saddle the trail stays along the ridge and climbs steeply for the next 1300 ft. From the highpoint on the ridge, Mt. Nebo's north face is clearly visible. Continue along the ridge until directly beneath Nebo's north face. The route leaves the ridge and contours left (east) to reach gentler slopes. Scramble the final 60-80 ft to the summit from here.
Essential Gear
Crampons and ice axe are necessary for an winter attempts.
Miscellaneous Info
If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.
PellucidWombat - Feb 8, 2005 1:21 pm - Hasn't voted
Route CommentI don't know if you want to incorporate this info, but here's what TOPO! calculated for the route.
Distance: 4.26 mi (1-way)
Elevation Gain: 3,361'
Moogie737 - Jul 20, 2007 12:30 pm - Hasn't voted
North Peak ridgeA very reasonable alternative to contouring around the west side of North Peak is to just forge straight ahead where the trail leads west and stay as much as possible on the ridge leading to the summit of North Peak. I would recommend a rest here and then drop down to Wolf Pass and continue with a summit push. In my opinion, bagging North Peak via its ridges is just as easy as contouring around on a trail which slopes toward the west more often than you would want. Just my opinion, but I've done both routes.