The Summit of Mt. Ellen in the Henry Mountains

[ckcarr]

Just a few images I took from an impromptu hike to the highest point of the Henry Mountains. Mt. Ellen at 11,522 ft., which everyone can see from Canyonlands and all points around, but are never sure what it is... Credit to Wikipedia = "Mount Ellen is an ultra-prominent peak, meaning that it has more than 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) of topographic prominence, standing out considerably from nearby mountains." It's named after the sister of John Wesley Powell.

Not really a difficult climb, it does take some doing to get to the trail head.


The interesting rise dead ahead is a false peak..

Sweeping view of the ridge line.

Great light, it was enhanced by some major fires.

Bull Mountain off in the distance.

The summit. Mid August night with miles to go before I sleep.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Great story here Craig. So this is what we see snow capped in spring. What was the mileage and elevation gain?

 

[ckcarr]

Mileage? Not sure exactly what you mean, but you can easily run out of gas in the Henry's driving all over on the Jeep roads as there aren't that many exit points. Some roads go on and on and then they may come out far away from Hanksville. So be sure to have a full tank of gas when starting. I'm guessing the trail head is around 20 miles of Jeep road up from the highway. The only bummer was that I was lightening the load for the hike and had my Nikon 70-200mm in my hand and fell down, putting a little scratch on it.. A minor thing...

Oh, you mean from the trail head to the peak. Maybe 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 and a couple thousand. A total wild guess. But it's not brutal.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Mileage? Not sure exactly what you mean, but you can easily run out of gas in the Henry's driving all over on the Jeep roads as there aren't that many exit points. Some roads go on and on and then they may come out far away from Hanksville. So be sure to have a full tank of gas when starting. I'm guessing the trail head is around 20 miles of Jeep road up from the highway. The only bummer was that I was lightening the load for the hike and had my Nikon 70-200mm in my hand and fell down, putting a little scratch on it.. A minor thing...

Oh, you mean from the trail head to the peak. Maybe 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 and a couple thousand. A total wild guess. But it's not brutal.

Yes, I meant the hiking mileage. 1-1/2 is not far, a couple thousand feet is tough for this old timer, especially if they are above 10,000 feet..

 

[ckcarr]

It's that loose shale that kills you too. Especially going back down.

 

[AlanLichty]

Thanks for sharing this Craig - like everyone else I have seen this a zillion times from a distance and have never really even contemplated going to the top. Nice to see the view from above like this.

 

[JimFox]

Hey Craig,

It is really cool seeing this up close. I like the details in these photos, it's almost like we hiked it too!

Jim

 

[Ann S]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing

 

[Jim Dockery]

Thanks for the trip report, cool to see the view from the other direction. I'd love to get up there in the spring when there is skiable snow!

 

[MonikaC]

Craig, have you ever encountered the bison that I've heard inhabit the area? I think they're a native herd, older than the Yellowstone bison. Not as used to people, as you can imagine.