Lone Peak via Jacob’s Ladder

The summit of Lone Peak is the premier mountain hike destination along the entire Wasatch front. It’s not for the faint of heart though, as the summit rock is no larger than the average kitchen table, with a sheer drop some 600 feet. Rising 7,000 feet off the valley floor, the views from the top of Lone Peak are exceptional, but getting there will be a test of your endurance. There are exposed parts of the trail for the last half mile, and steep routes up to the cirque. Several different trail approaches can be used to reach Lone Peak, and the trail discussed in greatest detail is from the Jacobs Ladder trailhead.

Lone Peak is one of the more challenging mountain peaks found in Utah, and can also be dangerous for the unprepared hiker. The summit is known as a magnet for lightning strikes. On July 25, 2002, two hikers were killing by lightning near the summit of Lone Peak. Be aware of the weather forecast and if thunderstorms are predicted, think about postponing Lone Peak for a different day. Lone Peak isn’t going anywhere, it’ll be there tomorrow or next month or next year. Don’t risk your life if the weather is threatening.

Lone Peak Hike Details

Distance – 12 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 8 to 14 hours
Elevation at Jacob’s Ladder Trailhead – 5790 feet
Elevation on top of Lone Peak – 11,253 feet
Difficulty – Strenuous
Trail – dirt and rock, navigating large slabs of rock
Amount of water recommended – 3 liters or more
Bathrooms – None
Season to hike – Late July to early October, but it all depends on the weather
Hiking Hazards – Exposure to sheer cliffs and drops of hundreds of feet
Permits –None needed
What to bring: (printable packing list)

How to get there:

From Salt Lake City or from the south take Interstate 15 to exit for 12300 South, and head east to 2000 East. You’ll go straight through a roundabout at 1300 East and continue to 2000 East. Turn right on 2000 East for about 0.2 miles and turn in the Orson Smith parking area. The Bear Canyon Trailhead/Cherry Canyon Logging Trail starts here. To continue to the Jacob’s Ladder trailhead, follow the dirt road for about 2.6 miles and park at the parking area on the right.

The two most popular trails to the summit of Lone Peak are the Bear Canyon Trail/Cherry Canyon Logging Trail and the Jacob’s Ladder Trail. Bear Canyon Trail/Cherry Canyon Trail starts at the elevation of 4820 feet, while the Jacob’s Ladder Trailhead starts at 5700 feet.

The other trailheads leading to Lone Peak options are:
The Schoolhouse Springs trailhead starting from the town of Alpine and the Schoolhouse Springs trailhead.
The Big Willow Canyon via Hidden Valley Park trailhead at 11500 S Wasatch Blvd
The Bells Canyon trailhead at 10200 S Wasatch Blvd
(See a Google Map for this hike at the end of this post)

Hitting the Trail!

At 11,253 feet, the summit of Lone Peak and the surrounding approaches are often snow-covered until mid-summer, so a snow free ascent of Lone Peak can be a very short window. This hike will take 10 to 12 hours, so an early start is imperative to get an early start to avoid the oppressive summer heat and sun. We started at the Jacob’s Ladder trailhead around 5:30am. I would recommend that those hiking Lone Peak think of starting earlier than that. Lone Peak has some of the best unobstructed views of Salt Lake County and Utah County since it lies west of all other mountains along the Wasatch Mountain range.

The trail from Jacob’s Ladder begins across and north of the parking area. After only 100 yards up the trail there will be a trail that breaks off to the right. It is very important not to miss this right. Take the trail to the right. If you continue straight, you will eventually dead end at Movie Rocks, and have to back track back to this point.

The trail will head east and at 1.3 miles from the trailhead, you will pass a rock outcropping called Lone Rock. From here, the trail will turn to the north and begin the steep ascent up Jacob’s Ladder. “Ladder” is the a great word to describe this part of the trail. It is steep! It climbs unrelenting through scrub oak. This difficult part of the trail is about 1.5 miles. At around 3.3 miles, you’ll make your way out of the brush from Jacob’s Ladder and come to the trail junction with the old Draper Ridge Trail. At this point you can clearly see your destination in the distance. The Draper Ridge trail was an old popular trail but has not been maintained for years.

At this point in the hike, you are only 2.7 miles from the summit of Lone Peak, and you’ve gained nearly two-thirds of the total elevation for the hike. You’ll have a clear view of the summit of Lone Peak for the rest of the hike. The trail will level out for a short while which is a welcome break after the incredibly steep Jacob’s Ladder.

After the passing through a relatively flat meadow area for about 0.5 miles, you will be making your way through spots of conifers as you weave your way across small boulder fields. The trail at times will not be apparent as much of the trail crosses rock, but some cairns mark the way. As long as you keep the summit of Lone Peak in front of you, you will be fine. Your goal is to reach the upper cirque directly underneath Lone Peak.

The summit of Lone Peak is composed of is quartz monzonite, which resembles granite. As you pick your way up the boulders to the upper cirque under Lone Peak, the massive walls that lead up to Lone Peak  is as impressive as they are intimidating. Your next objective is to scramble up what some people name, “The Chimney.” To locate the Chimney face north with the summit of Lone Peak on your right, you should see cairns that mark the trail to it. The scramble up the Chimney is was very exciting, and I recommend taking your time as it is a little steep, and you may find yourself huffing and puffing. It is just a class 3 scramble, nothing too crazy. As you exit the top of the Chimney, you will find yourself on the ridge that will lead you to the summit of Lone Peak. From this point, the views really start to open up in all directions, and as you follow the faint trail along the ridge you’ll see the expansive cirque behind Lone Peak.

The views from the top of Lone Peak are spectacular, and your camera will be wanting a break after all the pictures. You’ll be 7000 feet about the valley floor! There’s only room for a couple of hikers at the top, as the summit is only the size of a kitchen table, so be very careful up here as well, as it is a 600 foot sheer drop straight down on three sides of the summit rock. Phone reception is good on Lone Peak, so if you want to share your achievement, feel free to do so with a phone call.

Once it is time to descend, follow the same path you took, and the descent is quite pleasant. Stay alert through the boulder field below the upper cirque, it is easy to stray off course if you’re not paying attention. The GPS kept our group right on track, and I recommend using one to mark your route. Jacob’s Ladder for some can be as brutal going down as it is going up, especially since you’ll probably be descending in the heat of the day.

As you reach the trail head, give yourself a pat on the back, because you’ve just hiked one of the more challenging and rewarding peaks in the state of Utah!

What to Bring: (printable packing list)
(Click on an item for more info)

A GPS is helpful to have for tracking mileage and elevation on this hike.
And I recommend shoes with good traction such as these:

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