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26072 Hits
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89.01% Score
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28 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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39.39260°N / 112.2072°W |
Elevation:
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9717 ft / 2962 m |
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Overview
Fool Creek Peak is the highest summit in the Canyon Range of central Utah, located to the west of I-15 near the town of Scipio, Utah, and just east of the town of Oak City, Utah. The peak is located within the Fishlake National Forest, Fillmore Ranger District.With 3,712 feet of prominence, Fool Creek Peak comes in at #20 on the list of Utah prominence peaks. The summit, which is capped by an old triangulation tower, lies on the border of Millard County to the west and Juab County to the east.
Views from the summit are excellent in all directions. Prominent features visible include Deseret Peak, Lone Peak and portions of the Little Cottonwood Canyon Ridge to the north; Mount Timpanogos, Cascade Mountain, Provo Peak, and Mount Nebo to the northeast; to the east is Sevier Bridge Reservoir, and the town of Scipio further to the southeast; extending south is the Fishlake National Forest, and to the west Notch Peak and Swasey Peak are visible in the west desert region of Utah.
Current USGS maps label the mountain "Fool Creek Peak", but on other maps the peak is also labeled as "Fool Peak", and this may be the more commonly known name for the peak. Also, some county regional maps label the peak "Scipio Peak", and many residents on the east side of the mountain also refer to the peak by this name.
USGS Quads:
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Getting There
Fool Creek Peak lies roughly midway between the towns of Scipio to the southeast, and Delta to the west. The towns nearest the peak include Oak City to the west and Leamington to the north. Directions are as follows:From the northeast
From I-15 take exit 225 from the town of Nephi, and follow State Highway 132 for 29 miles to the town of Leamington. Turn right onto State Highway 125 for 13 miles heading south to the town of Oak City.
From the southeast
From I-15 take exit 158 and follow State Highway 100 for ±33 miles north to the town of Oak City.
From the west
Those approaching from the west will most likely do so via US Route 6 heading east to Delta, Utah. From the town of Delta follow State Highway 125 for ±13 miles east to the town of Oak City.
One of the primary routes for an ascent of Fool Creek Peak is the West Ridge via North Walker Canyon route, which begins from Oak Creek Canyon. Other potential routes include the following:
• Box Canyon, to the northwest
• Little Creek, located to the east of North Walker Canyon
• South ridge via Oak Creek Pass
• West Ridge via Buck Hollow (an approach from the north)
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Red Tape
No fees or red tape for the route currently posted to this page.The Oak Creek Canyon road is unpaved but well maintained and passable by virtually all vehicles. The road may be gated shut at the Oak Creek campground until late spring.
When To Climb
The ideal time to climb Fool Creek Peak is on April 1 of each year. The Wasatch Mountain Club traditionally schedules a hike of the peak on April 1, or the nearest weekend thereabouts, to commemorate April Fool's Day.It is also possible (but much less festive) to climb the peak outside this 1-day window of opportunity. Winter and spring hikes will require skis or snowshoes. Late spring and early summer will typically provide the most enjoyable weather. Mid summer hikes will generally be quite hot and correspondingly unpleasant.
Camping
Oak Creek Campground is located in Oak Creek Canyon, ±4.3 miles east of Oak City. Contact the Fishlake National Forest at (435)896-9233 for additional information.Backcountry camping is also permitted throughout the National Forest area surrounding the peak.
1 Routes
Dean - Aug 8, 2014 6:55 pm - Voted 10/10
2nd visitThe Oak Creek canyon road was closed. Even hiking wasn't allowed so we found a different way. Ken and Karen Jones were down from Washington state to do this one and this is what Ken came up with (on his trip report at peakbagger.com) Ken Jones: "The normal route to Fool Creek Peak was closed by a fire last year. According to signage at the gate at the forest boundary in Oak Creek Canyon, the length of this closure is indeterminate. Entering the area will subject you to fine and/or jail. What to do? Well, the map accompanying the closure order showed that everything south of the summit trail was closed, but the trail itself was the boundary of the closure. So we went around the north side and climbed from there: From the junction of Utah routes 125 and 132 go south on higway 125 to the hamlet of Fool Creek. This is about 4.4 miles south of the junction. Here you will find a national forest access sign to "Fool Cr Cyn" and a gravel road heading SSE. Follow this road as far as your vehicle will allow. These waypoints may help: 0.0 Leave Hwy 125 2.0 Cattle guard, forest boundary 2.1 Keep left 2.8 Go straight, ignore road to left 5.7 Keep right 6.2 Park - this is near "Upper Narrows Spring" on your topo The trail goes up the stream, and is easy to pick up after you get through the berms and washed out area just above the parking spot. When you top out on the ridge, go left and follow the trail to the summit." While Ken and Karen went for Fool Creek Peak, I went over and did Buck peak.