Friday, June 3, 2011

Loafer Hike

Loafer Mountain is nestled within the Wasatch mountain range behind Payson, Utah (roughly 7 miles southeast) and lies within the Uinta National Forest.  The peak overlooking the valley is named Santaquin Peak and it is about a 12 mile roundtrip hike from the trailhead located at GPS coordinates 39°56'26.55"N, 111°38'38.93"W.  Loafer Peak is further southeast and overlooks the valley on the other side of the mountain.  The trail to Santaquin Peak leads through some amazing views and a total elevation change of 3000 feet.  If this trail is taken at the right part of the season, it has a great variety of wildflowers mixed in with the green hills of Loafer.

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View of Mount Nebo (left) from the green hills below Loafer Peak




Details:

The trailhead is located along the Nebo Loop road just before the turnoff to Payson Lakes.  There should be a sign mentioning the Loafer Mountain Trail and a very small parking lot just off the left of the road.



Be aware that there are several trails forking through this area that comprise the trail to
Loafer & Santaquin peaks – pay attention to these forks so that you can find your way back. 


The trail starts out relatively flat through a wooded area gaining less than 100 feet elevation until you come to an old corral about a mile from the trailhead.  This area has many red, trumpet-shaped wildflowers known by the common names scarlet trumpet, skyrocket, or scarlet gilia.  Other flowers such as white columbines, wild geraniums and what I believe to be Western Jacob’s Ladder also abound.

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Scarlet Trumpet (ipomopsis aggregata)



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Columbine



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Western Jacob’s Ladder (polemonium occidentale)



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Wild Geranium



At the corral, the trail intersects with the Bennie Creek trail and branches into two directions, the left heading nearly northwest and the right leading roughly southeast.  I have not yet been on the trail leading southeast but have traced both trails on Google Earth to find that they lead to roughly the same area (see below).

Loafer Overview

The left trail seems a bit more worn and is perhaps the more popular route.  If your destination is Santaquin Peak overlooking Utah Valley, the trail to the left will get you there in about 5 more miles (~12 miles roundtrip).  The trail to the right is a bit shorter but is also steeper, in fact you have to drop about 300 feet before you begin climbing again.  The following table and Google Earth screenshot illustrate better:


Loafer Profile View
Profile view of Loafer and Santaquin peaks


I can only recommend the trail to the left as that is the route I took.  This trail starts climbing and stays shaded for about a mile past the corral whereupon it opens up to a direct view of the sky.  At about this point you begin to climb following the ridge top through green slopes filled with wildflowers…

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Indian Paintbrush (red) mixed in with several other colors of wildflower


If you are hiking early enough in the summer, there will likely be snowbanks on the shady parts of the slopes, especially as you hike across the northeast slope of Loafer.  This can be a good opportunity for a snowball fight in July though the snow is usually a little granular and perhaps a bit dirty. 

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Chiming Bells blossoms with Indian Paintbrush in background


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Goosefoot Violet?

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Less common orange colored Indian Paintbrush


Eventually as you climb following the ridge top, the trail crosses over to the northwest slope of Loafer mountain.  If you would like to continue on to Santaquin Peak and the view of the valley then keep on this trail.  Another option is to keep climbing the ridge – this will take you to the top of Loafer mountain and a view of the valley to the east.

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The northwest slope of Loafer holds snow long into summer – the trail is often covered in many places.


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synthyris schizantha? / synthyris platycarpa?


The trail continuing on to Santaquin Peak loops around as it transitions to a northwesterly running ridge that leads to the summit.  Like many high summits in Utah, there is very little vegetation near the top and the trail may be harder to follow over the rocks.  The view from the top is pretty spectacular if the cloud cover isn’t too dense though I much rather appreciated the scenery during the journey.

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The trail begins to follow a ridge running northwest to Santaquin Peak (the slope on the right)


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View from the slope below Santaquin Peak, looking back on the hills leading up to Loafer.


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On Santaquin Peak looking out over Utah Valley


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There is life on the top…  I believe this is Limestone Phacelia or something within the same genus.


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The view from Loafer Peak looking southwest toward Mount Nebo, Payson Lake visible below.




Summary:

If you are in good physical condition this is a fairly easy hike and it will take about 4 hours to get to the top of Santaquin Peak (this includes taking a lunch break).  The hike is similar to hiking Mount Timpanogos.  Remember to bring plenty of water and at least a snack to keep your energy up.


Elevation of Trailhead: 7,685 feet
Elevation of Santaquin Peak: 10,685 feet
Elevation of Loafer Peak: 10,700 feet
Hike Difficulty: medium

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