A Family Adventure to Utah’s Highest Point

High Uintas Wilderness | Matt Hage

Matt and Agnes Hage share their unforgettable family backpacking adventure through the High Uintas Wilderness, summiting Kings Peak with their 8-year-old son.

“Whoooaaa!” my son, Dusty, exclaimed in surprise as he emerged from the tent and took in the night sky above us. We were camped just above 11,000-feet in the High Uintas, far from the interference of artificial lights. The cold alpine air nipped at our noses as Dusty and I lingered outside to enjoy the star-filled spectacle. Still in her sleeping bag, my wife Agnes enjoyed the view through the open door and rainfly. Our family of three was here to hike Kings Peak, the highest mountain in Utah – an adventure that lasted four days.

We spent the previous day covering nine miles on Henry’s Fork Trail, the most popular route up Kings Peak. Dozens of other hikers here for the same objective were camped at Dollar Lake, but we opted to push a couple of miles up the trail to a spot just below Gunsight Pass. This made our summit day much easier; we only needed to hike seven miles roundtrip and take on a mere 2,000-feet of climbing. For family adventures like this, we carefully review our plan ahead of the trip, looking for any advantage to accommodate backpacking with a child.

Our son enjoys a rotation of music, podcasts and audiobooks to break-up those long days on the trail.

Late afternoon sun breaks through to spotlight the Henry’s Fork Basin in the High Uintas.

Dusty studies the up-up-up nature of the route ahead as we come into view of Gunsight Pass.

Our first close look at Kings Peak was well into the summit day, after a pleasant hike up Gunsight Pass and a nerve-wracking scramble up through a cliff band. We could see other hikers as tiny figures making their way up and down the peak’s north ridge. Soon we were among them, clambering up through the maze of talus. We all recognized the thin mountain air at the 12,000-foot level and our pace slowed to what I call ‘tractor mode.’

Agnes offers a helping hand while scrambling up a short cliff section on the route to Kings Peak.

After cresting Gunsight Pass (11,880 ft) the Dome Peak Cutoff Trail traverses into scree and talus.

Scrambling through the crux cliff band earned us a well-deserved snack break and views down into Painter Basin.

Entering the basin leading to Anderson Pass, we got our first glimpse of other hikers on the summit of Kings Peak.

Our family makes good progress up the ridge leading to the summit of Kings Peak and the top of Utah.

The ridge leading to the top of Kings Peak is a dramatic place with spectacular views. It’s challenging not to stop at every vista.

With such glorious weather, sunny and a light breeze, we lingered on the summit and socialized with other elated hikers. All of us were happy to have made the summit of Kings Peak, so we savored the triumph of reaching Utah's highest point just a little bit longer before making the return trip down.

On top of Kings Peak (13,528 ft) with expansive views of the Uinta Mountains.

What hikes up, must hike down. It’s important to remember that reaching the top is only halfway through your day.

Gorgeous sunset, dinner in a bag and conversations around the cook stove. Camp life is pretty good.

The High Uintas offer up thousand-star accommodations for the price of your sweat equity.

Dusty slugs back the last of his hot chocolate before clocking in on another day in the High Uintas.

Having made the top of Kings Peak and languished at camp in the sun, it was time to start our return hike before the weather moved in.

Taking time to explore the curious geology of the Uinta Mountains.

An extensive network of trails crosses the High Uintas, allowing for dozens of variations on the standard Henry’s Fork Trail to Kings Peak and return.

Crossing the Henry’s Fork on our way back from hiking up Kings Peak.

An eight-year old boy’s idea of a break during our hike on the Henry’s Fork Trail.

The family that hikes together, stays together.

And we’re done! Dusty takes off running once we reach the trailhead and see our truck. Guess someone wasn’t as tired as they thought they were (classic).

Big Adventures With Small Children

Get to know what your child is capable of on smaller day hikes before heading out on big adventures. This was Dusty’s first multi-day trip up a high mountain. But we have been taking him on multi-day backpacking trips and ambitious day hikes up other high peaks for years.
Break up long stretches of miles into bite-sized pieces. We typically take a short break every hour.
Treat your child like you would any other hiking buddy. We make sure to include Dusty in the walking conversation and talk about things he’s interested in, like Star Wars, Legos and Minecraft.
Let kids hike their own hike. As he’s gotten older, (eight years-old at the time of this piece) Dusty tends to lag a few paces behind us, lost in his own thoughts and imagination. We always keep him within eyesight.
Bring a cellphone and keep it charged with a portable charger. Our son captured pictures and videos during the hike. He also listened to music, podcasts and audiobooks while on the trail.
Bring a wide variety of interesting snacks. A steady trickle of candy ‘energy pellets’ plus a half-dozen more substantial options will do the trick.
Pack real food options with plenty of calories on long days. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tuna packets and crackers, or even a light stove with dehydrated meals.

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