Hike to Manns Peak & Pilot Mountain, Manti-La Sal National Forest, Moab, Utah
At the top of Manns Peak with the ridge behind us that we would traverse next
If you’ve been to Moab, Utah before, you’ve seen the La Sal mountain range standing tall in the distance over town. If you haven’t been to Moab, in an attempt to paint a picture for you, these mountains top out over 12,000 ft, while Moab has an elevation of only 4,000 ft. Having been to Moab several times for mountain biking trips, I’ve always had an interest in checking out the La Sals. We were finally going to go check them out. To make things more interesting, Mike and I were also renting a Mercedes Sprinter van for the weekend instead of camping in a tent.
We were meeting our friends Mike and Liz at the Warner Lake Campground in the Manti-La Sal National Forest, which is where we camped on Friday and Saturday night. The plan for Saturday was a ladies hike while the guys went on a mountain bike ride. Liz and I got lucky because we would be able to hike right from our campsite on Saturday, and we wouldn’t even have to get into a car. We would be hiking part of the Whole Enchilada, which is a popular mountain biking trail, and so we decided to get started super early so we would be on and off the trail before any of the bikers from the shuttle companies would be barreling down the trail. We made it to the top of Burro Pass about 10 minutes before we saw any of the first bikers. It actually turned out to be a funny coincidence, our partners were some of the first people up to Burro Pass from one of the bike shuttles so we actually ran into them before they began their long bike descent!
After stopping to say hi, we continued along the trail up to Manns Peak. The trail disappeared as we neared the top of the peak, but it was obvious where to go. We made it to the top faster than I expected us to. Manns Peak is the 5th highest peak in the La Sal Mountain Range. At the top we also found the wind gusts and took shelter in a manmade wind break built out of rocks. After a snack break, we took a look at the ridge toward Pilot Mountain. We decided we wanted to do the ridge and so we set out on a defined trail toward Pilot Mountain. About a quarter of a mile from the top of Manns Peak, we ran into the biggest herd of mountain goats I have ever seen. We counted over 40. They were scared of us and took off right away. I’m always so impressed by how quickly they can run over steep, rocky, exposed sections of mountains. We continued along the ridge and ran into the goats again, who promptly began running away again and that would be the last of them we would see that day.
The trail disappeared again as we approached Pilot Peak, but it was also very obvious where to head. When we made it to the top, we took a few moments to take in the desert views in front of us. We could see Porcupine Rim, which has a very different topography than the La Sals. At this point, we decided to backtrack some of the way we had just come and at the saddle before Dry Peak turned onto the Dry Fork/Beaver Basin trail. This trail was extremely steep for the first 0.5-1 mile and my knees were ready for a break. After some more snacks, we continued on what would be well-defined trails all the way back to the campground. One of the best parts about having rented the van for the weekend was the cold, refrigerated Gatorade waiting for me back at camp. Overall, it was a great hike, providing desert views that you don’t frequently get in Colorado. We didn’t see one other hiker the entire day. I am looking forward to more hikes in the La Sals in the future. If you’re looking to escape the heat and the crowds of Moab, I would highly recommend considering a hike in the La Sals.
Stats: 11.1 miles, 3600 vert.
