Mount Peale is the highest point in the La Sal Mountains of San Juan County, in the southeastern part of the US state of Utah. It is also the highest point in Utah outside the Uinta Mountains. It is located about 20 mi (32 km) southeast of Moab. The peak rises high above the surrounding terrain, and is one of the most prominent peaks in the contiguous states. Mount Peale was named for Albert Peale, a mineralogist on the Hayden Survey of 1875.
The La Sal Mountains sit on the arid Colorado Plateau, near such famous desert landmarks as Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. However due to their height, the La Sals are heavily forested and usually snow-capped until early summer (there is one snowfield on the north side that usually lasts year round). Mount Peale can be seen on a clear day from the Wasatch Plateau of central Utah, near Orangeville, over 115 miles (190 km) away.
Mount Peale can be accessed from various directions, but is most commonly climbed from the area of La Sal Pass, 10,125 ft (3,086 m), about 3 mi (5 km) to the southwest of the peak. La Sal Pass is accessed from the southeast via a graded gravel road. From the pass the summit is obtained by a short but steep off-trail hike of about 2.5 mi (4.0 km) with about 2,600 ft (800 m) of elevation gain. The route often involves some travel on snow, even in summer.
Famous quotes containing the word mount:
“On the 31st of August, 1846, I left Concord in Massachusetts for Bangor and the backwoods of Maine,... I proposed to make excursions to Mount Ktaadn, the second highest mountain in New England, about thirty miles distant, and to some of the lakes of the Penobscot, either alone or with such company as I might pick up there.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)