Hike Mine Camp Peak via Bear Canyon Fishlake National Forest, UT

May 20, 2022 — Mine Camp Peak is a high-prominence peak in central Utah, the high point of the Pahvant Range. It's usually done as a throw-away mountain due to its easy driving access, requiring only about a mile of hiking. I poured over maps to locate a potential access route that could get us to the summit via a trail or otherwise so we could enjoy the scenery, and found an approach from the north from the Moss Falls Trailhead. I couldn't locate any good information about this trail system online, and despite the trails appearing on some topo maps I was concerned they'd be eroded or riddled with deadfall. Chris agreed to head out and attempt the trails with me, and we were both relieved to find the trails to be in excellent shape, resulting in a particularly pretty ascent of the mountain. I really enjoyed this hike, but maybe that's because I've been dwelling in the desert pretty much exclusively for months and this was a green oasis.

Any car can make it to the trailhead using the gravel road. From the trailhead we headed south along the Chokecherry Trail #024, which paralleled Chalk Creek. We were immediately surprised at the quality of the trail, despite its remoteness and lack of public information about this area. The trail crossed the creek multiple times, and Spring runoff forced us to get creative using logs and rocks to avoid getting wet. A bit under a mile later, we reached a junction with the Bear Canyon Trail #021, which stuck to the east side of the watercourse for a bit before reaching a junction with the Three Forks Trail. We stuck to the Bear Canyon Trail as it ascended pleasantly to a viewpoint of the cascading Moss Falls. I marked this spot on my map.

Past Moss Falls, the trail continued alternating sides of Chalk Creek as it ascended into meadows at around 7900'. The meadows have grown over the trail, but as long as you keep heading straight through them locating the trail again shouldn't be a problem. The Bear Canyon Trail continued paralleling Chalk Creek for a while, but we got very mixed up since the USFS map placed the trail incorrectly, so I recommend not referring to those maps. At around 8300', the trail crosses Chalk Creek one more time and then starts to climb more steeply up the slope, ascending to the Paradise Trail. This trail is more of an old ATV doubletrack, though it no longer allows ATV access. We followed the Paradise Trail through aspens until it reached a significant ridge on the east side of Mine Camp Peak. Finally, the summit area came into view and we got excited at the prospect that the route would work, but a bit disheartened by the snow seen above, though it ultimately wasn't a problem.

The Paradise Trail climbed pretty steeply up to the driving access road, which we followed west to a sign that pointed to Mine Camp Peak, the trailhead most usually use to access the summit. To reach the summit we'd have to drop a couple hundred feet to a minor saddle before the final ascent to the peak. Oddly, the sign was located a hundred feet farther than the start of the actual social trail that clearly leads from the road. Although there was a little bit of deadfall, we were able to easily follow the grassy ridgeline to get to the high point, where we had some nice views of the Tushars and surrounding mountains. We returned the way we came, happy to have explored a new mountain range for both of us and to locate a trail system that hopefully gets some more well-deserved love.