Trip Report
I was in Park City for my daughter's softball tournament. Park City is a great place for a peak bagger traveling with family... there is a lot of shopping for the ladies, so you won't be missed!
After getting the team checked in, I got dropped off at a car rental place. I was going hiking and my wife and daughter were going shopping.
So I made the 15 mile drive from Park City to Guardsman Pass. The road to the pass is a paved, but steep road that links Brighton Ski Area to the Park City area.
The area is far from pristine with lifts, power lines, and communication buildings all over the peaks. However, the views are still pretty good and it was very green.
It was around 3pm when I hit the trail. There were some thunderstorms in the area, but nothing too close or too threatening. There were about 10 cars parked at the pass.
I headed up Peak 10420 first. There was a trail, albeit steep, to the summit. The summit was just above the trees and not very prominent. There was a very large cairn on top.
Next up was a bit of a drop to a saddle, then a hike up the much more prominent and rocky looking Clayton Peak. Clayton also had a trail, but there was some fun scrambling and boulder hopping to be had if you left the trail. The top of Clayton had great views of Mount Nebo, Mount Timpanogos, American Fork Twin Peaks, etc...
Also on the summit was a mail box containing the register. After a brief rest break, it was back to Guardsman Pass for the third and final peak of the day. On the way back to the pass, I dropped down to Bloods Lake for a quick visit.
Tri-County Peak sits just north of Guardsman Pass at 10026 feet. It is named for the 3 county lines that meet near the summit (Summit, Salt Lake, and Wasatch counties). It is also the elevation claimed by the Park City ski area (on shirts, ski area brochures, and signs at the resort). It is a steep, but 10 minute hike from the parking area at the pass.
While not extremely scenic, it was a great workout and fun to get 3 peaks in after a short drive!
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