Box Elder Peak elev 11101'

After about three weeks off from hiking, the mountains were once again calling my name. I still hadn’t conquered Box Elder Peak after a botched attempt a couple of months earlier, so I thought I’d make another attempt.

Being the typical cheap Utah County resident that I am, I didn’t want to pay the $3 that it costs to go up American Fork Canyon. That would have given me access to the Deer Creek trail head. Instead, I opted for the longer route with more elevation gain from the Dry Creek trail head in Alpine. I reached the trail head and started my hike a couple of minutes after 9:00am.

The first couple of miles was uneventful other than little rain shower and my encounter with a bobcat. I had stopped for water for just a few seconds when a bobcat started walking down the trail towards me. At first I thought it was a house cat, but after realizing that a house cat wouldn’t be where I was, and after seeing the bobcat turn around and run after spotting me, I realized what it was.

The main trail follows a dry creek bed for the first part of the hike. Many trails intersect the main trail and at times it is hard to know what trail to follow. For the most part, all of the trails connect back up with the main trail after a few hundred feet. One exception and a place where I got lost in my first attempt, was about a quarter mile after the second large stream you cross with the aid of logs. A trail comes in from the left and the dry creek bed that your hiking up makes a hard turn to the right up the hill. Make sure to follow the dry creek bed to the right.
After a couple of miles, you come to a field with a sign telling of the way to the Box Elder Trail #44 and the Deer/Dry Creek Trail #43. The book I was using to navigate recommended taking the Deer/Dry Creek Trail, so I decided to take that trail. I think I saw the point that the Box Elder Trail connected with the summit trail later in the hike, although I can’t be positive it was the same trail. If that was the trail it would have cut a mile or two off the hike and much of the elevation gain and loss that I experienced later. The main trail for much of this part of the hike looks like it follows maybe an old miners wagon trail because of the dual trails that exist for part of the way.

At about the 5 mile mark and at about 9600 feet, you reach another huge meadow with signs pointing the direction of White Canyon trail #188, Box Elder Trail #44, Deer/Dry Creek Trail #43, and Granite Flat Campground. At this point, Box Elder Summit which has been hidden for most of the ascent, is in clear view and it is clear that you should take a right to follow the trail heading in the direction of the Peak.

It is at this point that you have to loose a lot of elevation (at least it seemed like a lot) to get to the final ridge. There is another tricky point here. After about maybe a half mile, you come to a post in the trail that probably used to have a sign on it. The sign is long gone but trails go to both the left and the right of the post. Follow the trail to the left. (I believe the one to the right is the Box Elder Trail #44) After a few hundred yards, a small, faint game trail breaks off to the right and starts heading up the ridge. Follow this trail.

This is where the steep climbing begins. This part of the hike reminded me a lot of the ascent of Provo Peak. Another note to prevent making life extremely miserable for yourself - For the most part, the steep trail stays on the ridge. At a few points along the way, game trails break off to the right and look like much easier going - they are not! Stay as close as you can to the ridge to avoid having to climb on your hands and your knees up the steep side of the mountain later (personal experience). I spent a few MISERABLE hundreds of yards bushwhacking on the steep right side of the ridge and even thought about turning around and heading home for a while.
I felt a little altitude sickness at about 10,500 feet until I descended back below that elevation on the way back which made the final ascent that much more difficult. I stopped to rest much more along the way than I usually do. The summit comes into view but always seemed very far away. It wasn’t until I reached the final few hundred yards, which contours right that I realized that I was almost there.

I finally reached the summit at about 1:20pm and spent about 15 minutes enjoying the views of surrounding peaks. While at the summit I took time to sign the log book, take pictures and spot a couple of mountain goats off in the distance. I actually heard them before I saw them (they started many little rock slides down into the Box Elder cirque).

The decent was pretty uneventful. I did see a huge buck off to the right side of the trail which ran when I grabbed for my camera. I arrived back down at the trail head at about 4:15pm tired and ready for a good meal.

This hike was definitely the most difficult I have attempted to date. There were many beautiful meadows, some with purple wild flowers in contrast to white granite boulders protruding out from the meadow. The water flow is much greater in the early summer months which makes the waterfalls much more picturesque but also makes crossing the streams a little more scary (even though you cross on logs). All and all though, this was a brutal hike from Dry Creek, and probably a one time hike for me. The hike totaled about 14 miles and took me about 7 hours and 15 minutes to complete.

Gear Used: GPS, "Wasatch Eleveners" book, camera, a camelback and two 16oz water bottles, two granola bars, hiking boots, and a wide brimmed hat.