Notch Peak

I had personally never been west of Nephi, Utah let alone out in the West Desert. It is beautiful in its own desolate way. We got there in the evening and camped overnight at the trail head in lower Sawtooth Canyon. We made an early start, packed up our tents and gear and locked it in the car.

The hike is beautiful! The scenery goes through many changes as you ascend: from a sandy, dry wash to scrambling up rock walls, to a sagebrush/juniper-covered mountainside. The hike is 4.5 miles, with an elevation gain of 2,800 feet and it took our group 3 hours to summit – including a break at the saddle for a snack. At the rocky summit we were able to see from Nevada to the Bonneville Salt Flats to Mt. Nebo. An incredible view point, but the most amazing aspect is the peak itself. With a vertical drop of over 4,400 ft to the valley floor it is one of the highest sheer cliffs in North America. We had to lay on the edge to get a view of the drop and it was quite an adrenaline rush! While up there, wandering around, I happened to trip on an old stump and fell hard about a foot from the edge. It not only scared me to death, it ripped my new hiking shoe and scratched the lens of my camera. I promise you, I will never forget my hike up Notch Peak.

Difficulty: moderate, some scrambling up and down rock faces.

Location & Access: West out of Delta on Hwy. 50/6. Near milepost 46, turn north (right) on a graded dirt road. After 4 miles turn left (west) onto another graded road marked “Miller Canyon.” After 5.2 miles, turn left (at the bathroom/atv trailhead) onto a lesser-used dirt road that snakes off to the southwest. Pass the Behunin Cabin and camp in lower Sawtooth Canyon.

Camping: There is no official campground in the area. We camped by the trail head and it was nice. Just please remember to ‘leave no trace.’

Hotel accommodations: Delta

Gas & Groceries: Delta has all amenities and supplies.

Dining: Delta

Family Considerations: I wouldn’t do this hike with a child younger than 9 or 10.

Other Activities/attractions: A bristlecone pine forest can be found on the north-east slopes of the hilltop east of the summit ridge saddle. There is the possibility of rock climbing the face, for those of you that are into that kind of thing…

Recommended Guidebooks: Hiking, Climbing & Exploring Western Utah’s Ibex Country by Michael R. Kelsey. Available at Maple Leaf in Ephraim.

Online Resources: Google ‘notch peak hike’. There are lots of opinions out there, but I do have to say that ours are the best driving directions. The ones we found on the internet were not quite right. Additional info and details from my trip can also be found at hazardstats.blogspot.com.

Gear Rentals: Backpacks from Jason Stevens at Maple Leaf!

Signed: Kim Gordon is here.

Editors Note: Outside of Yosemite National Park, Notch Peak has the highest vertical relief of any cliff face in the lower 48 states. While the hike is safe and relatively straight forward, the North Face is an abrupt, dramatic and breathtaking drop to the valley floor nearly 5,000 feet below. Use extreme caution!