Clayton Peak, also known unofficially as Mount Majestic, is a

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

on the boundary that

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 co ...

shares with

Wasatch County Wasatch County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 34,788. Its county seat and largest city is Heber City. The county was named for a Ute word meaning "mountain pass" or "low plac ...

, in

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, United States.

Description

Clayton Peak is located southeast of downtown

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

and southeast of

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

in the

Wasatch–Cache National Forest Wasatch–Cache National Forest is a United States National Forest located primarily in northern Utah (81.23%), with smaller parts extending into southeastern Idaho (16.42%) and southwestern Wyoming (2.35%). The name is derived from the Ute Trib ...

. The peak is set in the

Wasatch Range The Wasatch Range ( ) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Gr ...

which is a subrange of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's west slope drains into headwaters of

Big Cottonwood Creek Big Cottonwood Creek is located in the Wasatch Mountains just east of Salt Lake City. It is part of the Big Cottonwood Creek Watershed, which ranges in elevation from 5,000 to 10,500 feet with the headwaters around 9,600 feet. The creek flows thr ...

, whereas the east slope drains to Snake Creek.

Topographic relief Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

is significant as the summit rises above Snake Creek in 1.5 mile (2.4 km). From Guardsman Pass, reaching the top involves 2.2 miles (round-trip) of hiking along a portion of the

Great Western Trail The Great Western Trail is a north-south long distance multiple use route that runs from Canada to Mexico through five western states in the United States. The trail has access for motorized and non-motorized use and traverses through Arizona, U ...

with 1,015 feet of elevation gain.Greg Witt, ''60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City'', Menasha Ridge Press, 2012, , p. 145. The summit provides views of the Brighton Lakes area, the Uinta Mountains, Heber Valley, and Mount Timpanogos.''Clayton Peak Trail #025''
US Forest Service, Retrieved 2024-06-06. This mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a Federal government of the United States, federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geogr ...

, and has been recorded in publications since at least 1891.Henry Gannett, United States Geological Survey (1891), ''A Dictionary of Altitudes in the United States'', US Government Printing Office, p. 89.

Climate

Clayton Peak has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfc''), bordering on an

Alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...

(

''ET''), with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers. Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer. This climate supports skiing at the

Brighton Ski Resort Brighton Ski Resort is a ski area in the Western United States, western United States, located in Big Cottonwood Canyon in Brighton, Utah, Brighton, Utah. About from Downtown Salt Lake City, downtown Salt Lake City, it is owned and operated ...

on the peak's west slope.

Gallery

File:Clayton Peak.jpg, West aspect File:Clayton Peak vista.jpg, View from Clayton Peak looking toward Sugarloaf Mountain (center), Twin Peaks behind left, Mount Baldy to right.

References

External links

* Clayton Peak Trail
US Forest Service
* Clayton Peak
weather forecast

National Geodetic Survey Data Sheet
{{Portal bar, Geography, Geology, Mountains Mountains of Utah Mountains of Salt Lake County, Utah Landforms of Wasatch County, Utah Three-thousanders of the United States Wasatch-Cache National Forest Wasatch Range