The Lone Peak Wilderness is a

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

located within the Uinta and the Wasatch-Cache National Forest in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

state of

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. The Lone Peak Wilderness was established in 1978 as part of the Endangered American Wilderness Act and was the only designated wilderness area in Utah until the enactment of the Utah Wilderness Act of 1984. Situated in the central Wasatch range on the Wasatch-Cache and Uinta National Forests, this wilderness is generally bounded on the north by

Little Cottonwood Canyon Little Cottonwood Canyon lies within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest along the eastern side of the Salt Lake Valley, roughly 15 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah. The canyon is part of Granite, a CDP and "Community Council" designated by Salt L ...

, on the South by American Fork Canyon, on the west by the Salt Lake and

Utah Valley Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

s, and on the east by

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for ...

Timpanogos Cave National Monument Timpanogos Cave National Monument is a United States National Monument protecting the Timpanogos Cave Historic District and a cave system on Mount Timpanogos in American Fork Canyon in the Wasatch Range, near Highland, Utah, in the United States. ...

is adjacent to the south boundary of the Wilderness.

Geology

The Lone Peak Wilderness provides a spectacular backdrop for the growing urban areas along the Wasatch Front and is dominated by rugged terrain, narrow canyons and high peaks, including the Pfeifferhorn, commonly referred to as ''Little

Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...

Peak'', at and Lone Peak at . The geologic structure of the area is varied and complex, consisting of

granitoid A granitoid is a generic term for a diverse category of coarse-grained igneous rocks that consist predominantly of quartz, plagioclase, and alkali feldspar. Granitoids range from plagioclase-rich tonalites to alkali-rich syenites and from quartz- ...

rock masses and several sedimentary formations. Carving of the present alpine topography is due to

glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...

, with erosion being the current dominant force in the land sculpturing process. Much of the higher elevation is alpine, characterized by large, open cirque basins and exposed rocky ridges. A few small natural and reservoired lakes add to the scenic beauty.

Vegetation

Vegetation includes dense mountain brush mixed with

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an al ...

and

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

. Patches of Douglas fir,

subalpine fir ''Abies lasiocarpa'', the subalpine fir or Rocky Mountain fir, is a western North American fir tree. Description ''Abies lasiocarpa'' is a medium-sized evergreen conifer with a very narrow conic crown, growing to tall, exceptionally , with a t ...

, and

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...

are common in isolated patches on north facing slopes. Snow remains in some areas until mid-summer.

Restrictions

To preserve and protect the physical and aesthetic environment, National Forest wildernesses are closed to motor vehicles, motorized equipment, hang gliders, and bicycles. In addition, parts of this wilderness lay within the culinary watershed for

Salt Lake County Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The cou ...

, and special restrictions concerning camping, swimming, and domestic animals apply. The following acts are prohibited in the Lone Peak Wilderness Area: * Group sizes exceeding 10 persons for overnight use * Camping within of lakes, trails, or other sources of water * Camping for a period of 3 days at an individual site * Short-cutting a trail switchback, and * Disposing of garbage, debris, or other waste. Additionally, open fires are not allowed in the Red Pine Lake, Red Pine Fork, and Maybird Gulch drainages within the Wilderness.

Trails

Most trails are rated moderate to severe with elevations from to more than . Trails are easy to follow but may cross extremely rough terrain at high elevations. Usage of the area is light to moderate, heaviest on weekends and during hunting seasons.

Weather

Summer temperatures can range from near in the daytime to below at night. Occasional summer thundershowers can be expected.Lone Peak Wilderness
- GORP

References

* Lynna P. Howard, ''Utah's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide'' (Westcliffe Publishers, 2005) * Bill Cunningham & Polly Burke, ''Wild Utah: A Guide to 45 Roadless Recreation Areas'' (Falcon Publishing, 1998) * U.S. Forest Service map, ''Lone Peak & Mt. Timpanogos Wildernesses'' (U.S. Forest Service, 2004)

External links

Wilderness.net
- Lone Peak Wilderness
Wasatch-Cache National Forest
- Lone Peak Wilderness
Google Maps satellite view
{{Authority control Protected areas of Salt Lake County, Utah Protected areas of Utah County, Utah Wilderness areas of Utah Wasatch-Cache National Forest Wasatch Range Uinta National Forest Protected areas established in 1978 1978 establishments in Utah