Trip Report: Car Camp and Hike Deep Creek Mountains
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Car Camp and Hike Deep Creek Mountains By Frank Bouchard |
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| HIKE | 06/19/2026 | MSD |
| Participants: Frank B, Kerry R, Jimmy S, Alonso G, Katherine T, Courtney N, Greg C, Reid G, Shawn B, Navi, and Willy The Deep Creek Mountains stand as one of the most remote and rugged ranges in Utah. Knowing the isolation of the area, I advised everyone to keep their gas tanks topped off on the drive out. Shawn had the unfortunate luck of two flat tires. Otherwise everyone arrived unscathed and settled into a great dispersed campsite for the night and got to sleep. The group was awake early with the goal of reaching the summit of Ibapah, the highest mountain in the range. The hike began with a couple miles on a dirt road, followed by lots of steep single-track trail to a beautiful alpine meadow. From there the trail disappeared and we began following a faint string of cairns. Alonso's dog Navi was impressively skilled at following trails and had accompanied us this far. Unfortunately she had not yet mastered the closely related skill of following cairns. She let her excitement get the better of her and bolted off. Alonso mounted a multi-hour search while the rest of us continued to the summit. The final push took us through a series of switchbacks cutting across a rocky landscape all the way to the top. Six of us along with one other dog reached the summit having covered 16 miles and 6500 feet of elevation gain. On the way down, we ran into Navi, who had been following behind us. Thankfully she was okay, but had exhausted herself frantically running around searching for us through the rugged terrain. We slowly got her down to the meadow where Alonso was still looking for her. At that point the rest of us, who were almost out of water, continued down to the campsite. Alonso proceeded to work his way down the steep trail with the 50 pound pet draped over his shoulders. He climbed over piles of downed trees and rocky slopes as the weather swung between scorching heat and intense rain squalls. The rest of the group huddled in their cars drinking beer and receiving periodic updates from a garbled Rocky Talkie. Once he finally navigated Navi down to the less rugged section of the mountain road, Courtney drove up to intercept them and give the weary pair a well-deserved lift. Despite the rain, the region's severe, ongoing drought meant strict campfire restrictions were in place. I had brought a much safer propane gas fireplace which allowed us to hang out and swap stories into the night. In the morning most people were tired enough of hiking and just headed home. |
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