Juab County Highpoint Trip Report
Ibapah Peak (12,087 ft)
Date: August 11, 2005
Author: Scott Surgent
I came to this remote peak from the east via the city of Delta, instead of the
usual approach from Wendover along I-80. Delta is about 25 miles west of I-15
in Millard County, and a good place to stock up, gas up and provision for a trip
into the western Utah deserts. It also offers one of very few paved roads that
extend for any distance into the desert. From US-6/50 in Delta, go west over a
bridge and bear right as the main highway bends left and take Jones Road (1000 West)
north for about 7 miles to the large Intermountain Power Station.
Turn left at a T and simply head west. This road is paved for about 40 miles as it
progressively gets deeper into the Utah outback. Come to a junction with the
Weiss Highway (dirt), with signs pointing to Trout Creek and Callao. Drive west
and west-northwest along fine dirt roads, eventually coming to the junction
south of the Callao CCC Camp as mentioned in other reports. Go south about 3
miles to Gardner Canyon and enter in. From Delta to the Canyon entrance is
about 90 miles. The roads are in excellent condition. I had some rain which
rendered some roads a bit muddy and goopy but otherwise I had no trouble.
I forded the first creek and ended up taking a camping spot well before the
second creek ford, meaning for more miles and gain the next day. I met up with
a couple from Albuquerque, he a mathematician at UNM and she a piano teacher,
both planning to hike Ibapah the next day, so the three of us set out at
5:15 a.m. for a long day in the hills. We talked math and peaks, of course!
The route to the top is as described in many other reports. A long, tiring
grind up fine road and trail to the meadow at about 10,200 feet and some
straightforward cross-country to the base of Ibapah, where we found a good use
trail to the summit. It took me 6.5 hours up, 4 down, setting my personal best
with almost 5,700 feet of gain in one day.
We celebrated back at camp with steaks.
I left that evening, following the road net south toward Great Basin N.P.,
about 60 miles of good dirt to US-6/50. There is a gas/restaurant/hotel outpost on
the NV/UT state line here. I took a room for the evening.
Climb Comments
The second creek ford seems to be in pretty bad shape, with fairly bad erosion
on the downhill side of the road. I doubt my truck could have taken it.
A jeep, maybe. Future visitors may need to keep this in mind, if the county or
BLM ever actually attends to these roads.
The trail to the high meadow is good but sometimes obscured by downfall and weeds.
Whenever we had doubt, we took two more steps and always found the route.
There are some ideal camping spots about 1/4 mile below the high meadow.
At the high meadow, aim for the lower peak and generally aim for its south
facing slope. Navigate in the intervening forest is easy as undergrowth is
light and openings regularly allow you to see your destination. Once on the
slopes of this lower peak, bear right (east) and with some luck you should find
the trail. It seems to be more evident as one works toward the north-east side
of this lower peak, just below Ibapah itself.
A big rock on Ibapah's west edge seemed to be the HP.