Trip Report: Backpacking & Peakbagging - Cleveland, Kweeyahgut, and Explorer Peaks - Uintas
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Backpacking & Peakbagging - Cleveland, Kweeyahgut, and Explorer Peaks - Uintas By Reid Gardner |
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| HIKE | 07/03/2026 | MSD |
| Over July 3-5, Jacob Anderson and I backpacked into Sinowauvf Basin in the Rock Creek drainage to climb Cleveland, Kweeyahgut, and Explorer Peaks. My goal to climb all the 12,000+ foot peaks in Utah, most of which are in the Uintas, brings me to some interesting places, and this was no exception. We started from the Rock Creek Trailhead around 9 a.m. Friday. I had scouted part of the approach the week before after learning much of the drainage had burned in the 2020 East Fork Fire, which turned out to be useful preparation. We knew about the washed-out bridge around 4.5 miles in and had brought water shoes, making the ford straightforward. A brief midday thunderstorm passed through, but we avoided any serious rain. On the hike in, we met Dean, who was starting a five-day loop through the area, partly to revisit a lake he had backpacked to 48 years earlier. We talked with him off and on during the approach, and even ended up camping near each other at Khyv Lake. I showed him the MTBS burn severity map I had loaded into Gaia, which unfortunately confirmed that much of his planned route had been heavily affected by the fire. He ultimately decided to hike out the next morning, but it was great meeting him. Hopefully I also talked him into joining the WMC. After taking the Ottoson Trail into the basin, Jacob and I realized we had missed the mapped junction toward Khyv Lake. We backtracked to where the junction was supposed to be and found a few rocks that seemed to mark it, but no sign and no real trail. From there, the final approach to Khyv Lake was rough cross-country travel through burned forest, deadfall, and boulders with full packs. We eventually reached Khyv Lake and found a nice campsite among live trees that had not burned, with a great view of Cleveland and Kweeyahgut. Saturday was peak day. We left camp a little after 7 a.m. and went more or less directly toward Cleveland Peak. Travel through the basin was harder than expected, with lots of deadfall, burned timber, small terrain rolls, and constant micro-routefinding. There were also meadows, small creeks, live trees, and numerous deer and elk herds, so even the rough travel had its rewards. Burned forest has an ominous feel to it, but it was still beautiful in its own way. Once we reached Cleveland's south ridge, the actual climbing was more straightforward. The lower ridge had some loose rock and one sketchier section, but it eventually mellowed into easier alpine tundra and embedded rock. From Cleveland, we checked several weather sources. Thunderstorms were forecast any time after noon, and Explorer looked too far away and too involved for the available weather window, so we ruled it out. Kweeyahgut was my main priority for the trip, so Jacob and I descended toward the saddle between Cleveland and Kweeyahgut. Given the time, incoming weather, and how much effort the approach had taken, Jacob decided to start back toward the descent route while I made a quick out-and-back to Kweeyahgut. With Jacob's blessing, I headed up the ridge fueled by Sour Patch Kids, caffeine gum, and a strong motivation not to become a lightning rod. The ridge travel was easier than expected, and I was able to tag Kweeyahgut, take a few photos, and hurry back to meet Jacob in less than an hour. The views from these seldom-climbed peaks were excellent. It felt like a central perch for a huge portion of the Uintas, with many of the major central and western peaks clearly visible from the summit. After rejoining Jacob near Cleveland, we found a better descent line than the way we had come up. From there we returned to camp, just in time to shelter from a bit of rain, tired but satisfied with getting Cleveland and Kweeyahgut. Sunday morning we packed up and decided to exit via Shamrock and Amlen Lakes, hoping the mapped trail from that area back toward the Ottoson Trail might exist. It did not. The lakes were beautiful, but the "trail" again proved to be more aspirational than useful. We followed deer trails where we could, then tree-hopped through more burned forest and deadfall until we finally reached the actual Ottoson Trail. From there, the hike out was straightforward. We took a long break at the ford, cooled off in the creek, and got back to the trailhead around 3 p.m. All told, we did not get Explorer, but we did get Cleveland and Kweeyahgut, saw a remote and rarely visited corner of the Uintas, and had a great time. The peaks themselves were not the hard part; getting to them was. It was difficult, scenic, and very memorable - exactly the kind of exploratory Uinta trip I was hoping for. |
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