Hike Abajo Peak Manti-La Sal National Forest, UT

Aug 17, 2023 — Abajo Peak is the high point of the Abajo Mountains, located just outside of Monticello UT. This region of the southwest is often associated with sandstone-blanketed places like Four Corners and the nearby Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, but the Abajos poke out drastically on the horizon as a unique mountain oasis. They lack the wildernessy-feel a range like this normally boasts with such remoteness due to the web of ATV roads weaving all around, and they only seem to attract locals looking to escape the desert heat around Moab, but I ended up enjoying a pretty outing on these tundra-swept lumps. Often, peakbaggers just drive to the summit from the south, but I wanted to at least get some hiking in to explore the area a bit, hoping to snag as many of the range's higher points before immenent storms. I managed to only get two of them, Abajo Peak and Jackson Ridge.

I parked at North Creek Pass, accessible by any vehicle, and started south along an ATV road that steepened significantly, ascending to a minor hump. A little spur trail actually wraps around the east side of the lump if you prefer. Continuing south, the ATV road ascends to the saddle separating Abajo Peak and Jackson Ridge, called Cooley Pass. Although it continues around the west side of Abajo Peak and ultimately joins with the main service road leading to the summit, my curiosity was piqued by an unmarked trail that seemed to lead east. It didn't appear on any maps I'd used when researching the area. Maybe I could leave the dirt road behind? I followed it and was thrilled to find I'd managed to locate a really nice singletrack trail that brought me through meadow and forest and up to the main service road. I hiked along the road, passing the standard radio frequency exposure signs to the radio tower covered summit. I took in the nice views down toward the desert below before descending via Abajo Peak's straightforward west ridge and backtracking along the trail to the base of Jackson Ridge.

Jackson Ridge is the summit just west of Abajo Peak, but there's no road or trail to reach it. I headed up the meadowy slope spattered with plots of forest, then used a sparse animal trail along the ridge to gain the summit. There was a lump along the way that added a bit of vertical gain. There are a couple of lightly rocky sections during this off-trail travel, but there's nothing to warrant a Class 2 rating. This was another nice lookout point, but I rushed off with the hope I could quickly make it to Peak 11209 to the north, but an intense lightning storm told me to screw off.