Hike King Top via Bonny Stairs Canyon King Top Wilderness Study Area, UT

Jun 08, 2023 — King Top is the high point of the Confusion Range in western Utah. Located far from everything, you have to really want to be here to drive out here. Hikers seem to only come to this part of Utah for Notch Peak or just pass by on their way somewhere else. Previous hikers reported the roads used for the northern driving approaches to King Top are in rough shape, so I decided to skip the car damage or lengthy road walk and instead sought an alternative from the east via Bonny Stairs Canyon, a topographically interesting-looking canyon. Ascending through this unique canyon would enhance the hike, being that the upper reaches of the Confusion Range are mostly brushy and somewhat featureless. I left the highway here (39.02899, -113.37927), heading south. Keep left here (39.01927, -113.38987). Any vehicle can make it until this right turn (38.97528, -113.45231) onto a less good dirt road. I recommend a Crossover or better past this, since there are some rocky sections as well as a drop into the wash that may get worse over time.

From the trailhead, I headed west toward the mouth of Bonny Stairs Canyon. I didn't realize quite how wide the wash would be for the first mile or two, the main watercourse rocky and ambiguous. I found it best to actually keep to the left of the drainage on the southern slope, which had less brush and rock. All options are totally fine though, and soon enough I reached the base of towering cliffs that hug the canyon. From here it was just a matter of rock-hopping and brush-dodging as the walls narrowed further. The limestone cliffs towered above, a gothic vibe supplemented by an ominious overcast day. Deeper in the canyon I reached the base of a small dryfall, a bypass on the left taking me up and around it. Just past here was a Class 3 move to overcome another short dryfall.

I reached a not super obvious junction within the canyon. Continuing west meant going to the head of Bonny Stairs Canyon, the route I planned to use as my descent. It looked steep on a topo map, but previous hikers reported it was a a route that worked, so I figured I'd use it on my return. To reach King Top, I was more interested in checking out a gully that ascended south. This gully was overall pretty tame, but did have a spurt of grade slightly too steep to be fun. I also found short sections of brush and the occasional bit of easy scrambling over large boulders. Behind me I could see the epic cliff face within Bonny Stairs Canyon. The drainage eventually widened and I made my way to the east ridge of King Top.

There were two small undulations along the east ridge of King Top, and a possibly avoidable (though very light) Class 3 move to gain a small cliff band below the summit. I took in the expansive views, a unique summit mostly because the high point is only slightly taller than its surrounding hills, the whole range feeling elevated from the surrounding desert. I could see Bonny Stairs Canyon in the distance, a fantastic sight from above, as well as Notch Peak in the House Range to the north.

Rather than backtrack from King Top, I headed along its northwest ridge and descended through light forest/brush into a small meadow below. At the edge of the meadow I located a nearly indiscernible road. I followed it through the pretty landscape as it led toward the head of Bonny Stairs Canyon. I headed cross-country away from this road when it clearly bent north and away from my intended descent route. The actual head of Bonny Stairs Canyon has a nutty dryfall, but there's a bypass to its north. To reach it, I dipped down into a minor drainage, then reascended on its opposite side, where I poked around and located the steep Class 2 scree slope bypass that was certainly more enjoyable going down than it would have been to ascend. This led into the brushy head of Bonny Stairs Canyon, and then I just continued within the drainage and back the way I came.