Kings Peak — Local services in Area D (Oyster Bay/Buttle Lake)

Climbed in July 2021 as the middle peak on a seven-state high-pointing trip to the Southwest. An amazing but challenging experience. Started climbing on a Thursday evening from Henry Fork and made it to near Dollar Lake before stopping to "rest". Was dumb enough to think that a pillow, flannel liner, and tarp were enough to sleep on. The wind kept howling in my face the entire night, and after about five hours gave up on sleep and went for the summit. The trail gets significantly rockier after Gunsight Pass and WILL make your feet hurt. After Anderson Pass, you leave the trail and begin a pure rock scramble to the summit. You will feel like a kid on a jungle gym as you climb this last stretch, testing each rock for balance. Made it at about 10 AM Friday morning and had some amazing views with hardly a cloud in the sky. After descending and retrieving my pack, clouds quickly moved in and I got stuck in a hail storm. I learned here that I needed a new rain jacket. I soldiered on back over Gunsight Pass and back into the woods, where I nearly passed out a couple of times while I stopped to rest. Finally returned to the trailhead at about 6:45 PM that Friday, almost exactly 24 hours after I first arrived. This was undoubtedly the closest call with danger I have had as a highpointer, but it is well worth the trip. Highly recommend to anyone in good shape (just make sure you bring a full sleeping bag (preferably a tent too) and a rain jacket that is still...

Getting up to the highest peak in Utah is NO EASY FEAT! But my goodness. I felt like I entered another world!

The shortest way up is a 26 mile hike in total. That's right! A 26 mile hike! Somehow, I did it in a day. I do not recommend doing that.

The first 10-11 miles are easy peasy. You are hiking along a smooth, well-paved, gently inclining trail. I took the shortcut route through gunsight pass. There, it gets steeper and there is some scrambling involved, but it isn't too bad. Then, I got to Anderson Pass.

From there, it is only 3/4th a mile to the top! But from there, it was a SLOW-CRAWLING and GRUELING scramble! It took me over an hour from Anderson pass to get to the top! The whole time, walking felt like jogging, as the air gets thin above 13,000 ft. The stretch between Anderson pass, King's peak, and back down sapped away most of my energy for that day.

But once you get back down to Gunsight pass, it's easier going back down as it is getting up there.

I highly recommend this as a 2-3 day adventure. Starting this at 3 AM, and finishing close to 8 PM the same day required 2 days of laziness to get back my energy.

Oh, and the views are nothing short...

This is an extraordinary hike. The shortest route to King's Peak begins at the Henry's Fork Trailhead. From there, hike to Gunsight Pass. Most people camp near one of the beautiful lakes within 2 miles of the pass, approximately 7-9 miles from the trailhead. Dollar Lake, Henry's Fork lake, or Lake Blanchard or anywhere in between them are great places to camp. Hike up and over Gunsight Pass, and then down and to the right into Painter's Basin. There are several springs along the trail before the trail heads back up to Anderson Pass. Those springs are your last certain places to refill water. From Anderson Pass, turn left and then head straight up the ridge line. The final mile and 800 feet of elevation involve boulder scrambling and there is no trail. The view from the peak is incredible! Roundtrip is approximately 28-32 miles, depending on your...