Hike Boulter Peak East Tintic Mountains BLM, UT

Jun 10, 2023 — Boulter Peak is the highest peak in the eastern Tintic Mountains. From below it really doesn't look like much, but the summit area is covered in a beautiful meadow and the views toward the Wasatch is really nice. I decided to hike this peak using the standard route up Mill Canyon coming in from the west, but I added a couple of peaks to form a partial loop. Take Black Rock Canyon road here (40.05254, -112.29815), which is in great shape until here (40.03655, -112.23586). At that junction, making a right means taking a longer, rockier drive to reach Mill Canyon. Instead, I recommend continuing straight, and then take a right here (40.03450, -112.23031), pass through a gate, and then continue east here (40.02520, -112.23302) into the mouth of Mill Canyon. The rocky drive was stressing me out, and the idea of a flat got me looking for a place to pull off where I could then just start hiking. Where I parked was the first pull-out big enough to fit my car and I'm happy I started here, though I sort of wish I'd just parked sooner. Drivers with thicker tires could probably make it another half mile or more.

I continued on foot through Mill Canyon, ascending the gravel road that led through alternating forest and small meadows. Mill Canyon Road then begins ascending more steeply at around 7500', but I was disheartened to find that someone had placed downed trees along the road. Obviously this means ATVers couldn't get past these laborious obstacles and I would get to enjoy the summit with a bit more peace. It was clear that the intent was to stop motorized traffic, and whoever placed these limbs did such a good job that it almost deterred me as a hiker. I'm not sure if this was the work of the land managers or an independent party, but after hopping over or under 20+ large tree obstacles I was getting irritated. When the road finally opened up again I decided that later I'd try to find an alternative route (blue line on attached map, more on that later).

Mill Canyon Road ascended above treeline and to a minor ridge, the eastern end of Peak 8240. This peak was too close and tempting for me to skip it, so I left the road and headed toward it. The brush was minimal, though I did have to navigate around a couple of small cliffs (Class 2) or large clumps of downed trees and brush. I could see Dry Lake below, as well as Boulter Peak to the south. The summit had no views, but it was a short detour that felt worth the effort.

Back on Mill Canyon Road, I descended to Dry Lake, currently quite full of water. I wrapped around its boggy west side and then located a spur road on the right. This led steeply up to the west ridge of Boulter Peak, where the main ATV trail continued to the summit. After taking in the views, I decided the ridgeline to the east would be a lovely addition to the hike. After all, a wildflower-filled alpine meadow stroll is hard to just skip. The ATV road led me the whole way along the ridgeline, usually just below the crest. The views back toward Dry Lake and Boulter Peak were cool, but I thought the towering Wasatch to the east were the highlight. Although I would have preferred to hike on a trail or pristine ridgeline without the ATV trail carved into the meadow, I found myself enjoying the effortless frolick.

I ascended to a peak marked County Line Ridge. Really, this is a point that marks where Juab, Tooele, and Utah Counties meet, and it was also where the meadow ended. It felt like a good spot to finish my little loop and head back to the car. I descended west, initially intending to reach Mill Canyon Road. While that's a viable option, I didn't like the idea of descending through the downed tree obstacles again and instead decided to bushwhack northwest. There was only about a hundred feet of tree-hopping on a steep slope, and then the rest of the descent was through a meadow or on a sparsely-vegetated slope, and I was soon back on the road. Both options are fine.