Hike Mount Hillers and Cass Creek Peak Henry Mountains BLM, UT

Sep 29, 2024 — Mount Hillers is another prominent peak within the Henry Mountains, a steep, trail-less summit located deep in central Utah. Most of the peak is surrounded by slopes of talus or brush, but the southeastern slope features an interesting sandstone layer that is clearly visible from the highway. However, the standard route approaches from the north, the highest point accessible by roads. This was the second time on our trip that we made the lengthy drive up Trachyte Ranch Road, leaving UT-276 (37.96087, -110.57533), since we didn't have time to tackle Mount Hillers after nearby Mount Pennell a few days ago. The road was generally in excellent shape, though a few dips into washes were likely unsuitable for passenger vehicles. At this junction (37.96495, -110.66092), we kept left along Hoskinnini Road to reach the trailhead. We initially tried driving in from the south via Hoskinnini Road but turned around because the road was quite rocky, and we weren’t sure if it would worsen. If you don’t have a more capable vehicle, I’d definitely recommend approaching from the north.

Upon parking at the junction with the old approach road, we were surprised to find a large group of gear-junkie hunters decked out in camo perched on an ATV. They were all staring intently toward the summit of Mount Hillers, so we quickly realized there might be a conflict of interest. They were kind enough, but they were clearly trying to steer us away from their hunting grounds. "Oh yeah, there's a great road coming in from the north, if you just wrap around that way," their leader claimed. Even if such a road existed, it would have added significant effort to our day. After some chatting and many forced smiles, we struck a compromise: we’d give their group 45 minutes to drive up and search for their buck or whatever, and then we would start up to tack on Cass Creek Peak first in order to kill more time before continuing to Mount Hillers after. Nobody was perfectly happy, but we'd all get what we wanted, plus a bonus peak. So actually, I ended up probably being the happiest.

The old road was drivable for rugged vehicles up to about 7,800 feet, where it abruptly ended. A faint, overgrown trail continued toward the saddle separating Cass Creek Peak from Mount Hillers, but progress was slowed by downed trees and overgrowth. We found it easier to ascend through a rocky drainage labeled on a map as Cass Creek. The upper portion of this drainage became much brushier, so we exited it and bushwhacked a short distance to gain the saddle. Cass Creek Peak is a large, steep lump, and while the peak itself isn’t particularly noteworthy, the views back toward Hillers and from the summit overlook were lovely. On our ascent, we encountered some Class 2 sections on steep talus, including one loose area where we had to spread out to avoid rockfall hazards.

We backtracked and followed an old roadbed briefly to the base of Mount Hillers. However, significant deadfall forced us off the road, across the dry Cass Creek, and up the steep, aspen-studded talus slope on the north face. It was a slow ascent due to the slope angle and brush, but the terrain eased slightly upon reaching the ridge crest. With only a few brief sections of relief, the ridgeline climbed earnestly to the summit. This being a burn area, the soil was loose and the ground littered with downed trees. A couple of particularly steep sections of dirty scree terrain had us grabbing for sturdy downed logs, and we found the ascent to be more arduous than we'd anticipated. The final summit ridge to Mount Hillers was stunning, incredible views toward the canyonlands below, the Waterpocket Fold in the distance, and the surrounding peaks of the Henry Mountain surrounding us.

The hunter we'd spoken with was still there when we returned to our cars, though his party was still out hunting. I couldn't believe he'd just sat in the truck all day, but he seemed content. And for all that time waiting hunting, they hadn't managed to snag a kill. My ADHD flared just thinking about it. "I watched the whole time through my scope as you all went up that ridge,” he remarked, pointing to Mount Hillers’ north ridge. The whole time? I'm sure I'd whipped it out to pee at least once - lucky guy probably got a good peek.