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- May 5, 2012
- Messages
- 1,725
If you say the word "notch" to me, my mind goes to the Uintas. To the gap on the skyline above Wall Lake. To Ibantic Lake in its shadow.
Utah has another notable notch, one nearly as high and perhaps more dramatic: Notch Peak.
![_MG_0025.jpg _MG_0025.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63596-2a5145b1a922a3fd14efd37f5f173fad.jpg)
Sitting on the southern end of the House Range in the West Desert, Notch Peak presents a dramatic face to eastbound travelers on U.S. Highway 6. I remember first seeing that massive cliff while driving home from my first visit to Great Basin National Park and thinking someday, I'll stand on the top of that cliff.
Someday finally arrived.
A strong, wet storm system swept across Utah on Saturday, April 7, 2018. I kept watching satellite and radar imagery, looking for a gap. The state was largely socked in, with the exception of some pockets in the southern and central regions. In the afternoon, I noticed a hole opening in Nevada. It slid east. Time to go.
Roads were wet around Delta, evidence of the recent rain. Once west of town, the situation improved.
![_MG_0006.jpg _MG_0006.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63595-540d4eda98be6559e45bf8d63205bd79.jpg)
Passing to the south of the House Range, I turned north onto the Tule Valley Road and headed up toward the base of Notch Peak.
![_MG_3694.jpg _MG_3694.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63608-c850e3e05cbd0f8ea6d2c85b6fa9c523.jpg)
Sure enough, sunlight started filtering through the gap in the clouds I'd observed earlier.
![_MG_3701.jpg _MG_3701.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63609-8c33d7b4cff996193c08b57540bef923.jpg)
Flat tire worry abounded as I raced the twilight over rocky two-track.
![_MG_3736-HDR.jpg _MG_3736-HDR.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63610-83eb25231d94432a1aa1b9c1a5e9984a.jpg)
![_MG_0027.jpg _MG_0027.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63597-9990f1f5730f130e0158658193e973a6.jpg)
The light kept growing more and more dramatic, forcing me to stop and admire.
![_MG_3772-HDR.jpg _MG_3772-HDR.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63612-81dc0a37d56d4f3bff9b747e45e40c56.jpg)
In spite of all the turmoil in the sky, the air at ground level was still. Silence pervaded.
![_MG_3757-HDR.jpg _MG_3757-HDR.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63611-f111ee723cbfcd287c92b4e2ad0eefd7.jpg)
Knolls giving way to hillocks giving way to mountains. The Deep Creeks obscured the setting sun.
![_MG_0039.jpg _MG_0039.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63598-e9999147047fe653b3caae43c3de4a9f.jpg)
There were a couple of absolutely gorgeous camp sites at the top of the 4wd road west of Notch Peak, near some old mine prospects.
![_MG_3776-HDR.jpg _MG_3776-HDR.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63613-fba66b64c30d15b367ac8789d502077f.jpg)
Unfortunately, the entire area had been ravaged by sheep. It was impossible to step without placing a foot on dung. The oppressive stench invaded my nostrils. I would not be spending the night.
![_MG_3798.jpg _MG_3798.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63614-7ca27aa255c858c752b21f90bd1424e6.jpg)
I returned to Highway 6 and headed back the way I had come, turning off this time on the east side of the House Range. I parked in a large pullout near the Notch Peak Trailhead, popped the rear hatch and stretched out in the back of the car. Lightning crackled on the eastern horizon, the tail end of the storm moving beyond Delta.
Crystal blue skies replaced the clouds by morning. Rising with the sun, I arranged my pack and set out up Sawtooth Canyon.
![_MG_3806.jpg _MG_3806.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63622-2ada472c2d4a9ed02afcc48e2630891f.jpg)
Hey, a little arch!
![_MG_3816.jpg _MG_3816.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63615-1c6c6a4c77f17f2130897762e9848d97.jpg)
![_MG_0054.jpg _MG_0054.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63599-9c5605a5226dddbf105b68a52d6f5f66.jpg)
Temperatures were cool bordering on cold, especially in the shade. Crusty snow remained in the scramble section of the canyon.
![_MG_3835.jpg _MG_3835.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63616-3e3c5944f64a3e576322915c0d4847a7.jpg)
The trail continued to climb, becoming gradually more steep. Upon exiting the (dry) watercourse, expansive views opened to the south and east. Frisco Peak just cut through above the dusty haze.
![_MG_0073.jpg _MG_0073.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63600-7163d64c56166be5d98afd077e88439d.jpg)
Swasey Peak blocked views to the north.
![_MG_0129.jpg _MG_0129.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63607-100ca9bdf3884c188bb4b34bfc778e57.jpg)
I'd have to keep ascending. Vegetation really thinned out above 9,000 feet. The ponderosas that survived the desert sun in the dark recesses of the canyon disappeared.
![_MG_0083.jpg _MG_0083.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63601-4764aabc5d55d9dcc06759658b860f99.jpg)
At the saddle between Notch Peak and Sawtooth Mountain, I peered into the chasm. My stomach turned. I couldn't see bottom.
One last push of about 450 vertical feet and I reached the summit.
![_MG_0088.jpg _MG_0088.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63602-a1bfe26ca34483b4cf2bd88e7cd3b809.jpg)
![_MG_3874.jpg _MG_3874.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63617-1a1a7fbbaf24800836df6e3a30cd8bf3.jpg)
The already impressive views became 360-degree amazing.
![_MG_0125.jpg _MG_0125.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63606-f91bf9d9721d938136e8f64579070e5f.jpg)
Here you can see the major landmarks to the north.
![_MG_3885.jpg _MG_3885.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63618-58396a353a0aa120b0809c7f9678f828.jpg)
To the west, Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park came into view. That's almost exactly 50 miles distant.
![_MG_0123.jpg _MG_0123.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63605-01e349f23515dcf87989c7f93d3ca480.jpg)
Using the telephoto, you can make out Baker and the Lehman Caves Road through the haze.
![_MG_0095.jpg _MG_0095.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63604-9acf3a971db82c7e0e25107455ec10ea.jpg)
Between us ran the ribbon of Highway 6.
![_MG_0090.jpg _MG_0090.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63603-d6152cf748d9890f80f9a8157c567cf3.jpg)
To my back, eastward, sat the dusty bed of Sevier Lake. Like the Great Salt Lake, it is a remnant of Lake Bonneville. It occupies an endorheic basin, where water has no outlet to the sea.
![_MG_0118-Pano-small.jpg _MG_0118-Pano-small.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63625-10937d51e30b7ecfa7dcedbf35ca6917.jpg)
Edging a toe up to the brink of the precipice, the sinking sensation returned to my gut.
![_MG_3859.jpg _MG_3859.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63623-cb478810046001fd87a7236dcedf60e6.jpg)
Noon had come and gone. I returned to the trailhead, the hike down taking about an hour less than the one going uphill.
Nearby, I paused to check out this old mine adit.
![_MG_3886.jpg _MG_3886.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63619-30d3f99c890a29df50681895de3a2c40.jpg)
![_MG_3901.jpg _MG_3901.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63620-17b0dfaafde072f8cfb00ae21451f0cf.jpg)
![_MG_3913.jpg _MG_3913.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63621-ed51f08748bc220aec8afa134ea6fbc8.jpg)
The 2,600 of vertical over 7.5 miles left my winter legs quite sore for a day or two. Those views though...
Utah has another notable notch, one nearly as high and perhaps more dramatic: Notch Peak.
![_MG_0025.jpg _MG_0025.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63596-2a5145b1a922a3fd14efd37f5f173fad.jpg)
Sitting on the southern end of the House Range in the West Desert, Notch Peak presents a dramatic face to eastbound travelers on U.S. Highway 6. I remember first seeing that massive cliff while driving home from my first visit to Great Basin National Park and thinking someday, I'll stand on the top of that cliff.
Someday finally arrived.
A strong, wet storm system swept across Utah on Saturday, April 7, 2018. I kept watching satellite and radar imagery, looking for a gap. The state was largely socked in, with the exception of some pockets in the southern and central regions. In the afternoon, I noticed a hole opening in Nevada. It slid east. Time to go.
Roads were wet around Delta, evidence of the recent rain. Once west of town, the situation improved.
![_MG_0006.jpg _MG_0006.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63595-540d4eda98be6559e45bf8d63205bd79.jpg)
Passing to the south of the House Range, I turned north onto the Tule Valley Road and headed up toward the base of Notch Peak.
![_MG_3694.jpg _MG_3694.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63608-c850e3e05cbd0f8ea6d2c85b6fa9c523.jpg)
Sure enough, sunlight started filtering through the gap in the clouds I'd observed earlier.
![_MG_3701.jpg _MG_3701.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63609-8c33d7b4cff996193c08b57540bef923.jpg)
Flat tire worry abounded as I raced the twilight over rocky two-track.
![_MG_3736-HDR.jpg _MG_3736-HDR.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63610-83eb25231d94432a1aa1b9c1a5e9984a.jpg)
![_MG_0027.jpg _MG_0027.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63597-9990f1f5730f130e0158658193e973a6.jpg)
The light kept growing more and more dramatic, forcing me to stop and admire.
![_MG_3772-HDR.jpg _MG_3772-HDR.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63612-81dc0a37d56d4f3bff9b747e45e40c56.jpg)
In spite of all the turmoil in the sky, the air at ground level was still. Silence pervaded.
![_MG_3757-HDR.jpg _MG_3757-HDR.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63611-f111ee723cbfcd287c92b4e2ad0eefd7.jpg)
Knolls giving way to hillocks giving way to mountains. The Deep Creeks obscured the setting sun.
![_MG_0039.jpg _MG_0039.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63598-e9999147047fe653b3caae43c3de4a9f.jpg)
There were a couple of absolutely gorgeous camp sites at the top of the 4wd road west of Notch Peak, near some old mine prospects.
![_MG_3776-HDR.jpg _MG_3776-HDR.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63613-fba66b64c30d15b367ac8789d502077f.jpg)
Unfortunately, the entire area had been ravaged by sheep. It was impossible to step without placing a foot on dung. The oppressive stench invaded my nostrils. I would not be spending the night.
![_MG_3798.jpg _MG_3798.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63614-7ca27aa255c858c752b21f90bd1424e6.jpg)
I returned to Highway 6 and headed back the way I had come, turning off this time on the east side of the House Range. I parked in a large pullout near the Notch Peak Trailhead, popped the rear hatch and stretched out in the back of the car. Lightning crackled on the eastern horizon, the tail end of the storm moving beyond Delta.
Crystal blue skies replaced the clouds by morning. Rising with the sun, I arranged my pack and set out up Sawtooth Canyon.
![_MG_3806.jpg _MG_3806.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63622-2ada472c2d4a9ed02afcc48e2630891f.jpg)
Hey, a little arch!
![_MG_3816.jpg _MG_3816.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63615-1c6c6a4c77f17f2130897762e9848d97.jpg)
![_MG_0054.jpg _MG_0054.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63599-9c5605a5226dddbf105b68a52d6f5f66.jpg)
Temperatures were cool bordering on cold, especially in the shade. Crusty snow remained in the scramble section of the canyon.
![_MG_3835.jpg _MG_3835.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63616-3e3c5944f64a3e576322915c0d4847a7.jpg)
The trail continued to climb, becoming gradually more steep. Upon exiting the (dry) watercourse, expansive views opened to the south and east. Frisco Peak just cut through above the dusty haze.
![_MG_0073.jpg _MG_0073.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63600-7163d64c56166be5d98afd077e88439d.jpg)
Swasey Peak blocked views to the north.
![_MG_0129.jpg _MG_0129.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63607-100ca9bdf3884c188bb4b34bfc778e57.jpg)
I'd have to keep ascending. Vegetation really thinned out above 9,000 feet. The ponderosas that survived the desert sun in the dark recesses of the canyon disappeared.
![_MG_0083.jpg _MG_0083.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63601-4764aabc5d55d9dcc06759658b860f99.jpg)
At the saddle between Notch Peak and Sawtooth Mountain, I peered into the chasm. My stomach turned. I couldn't see bottom.
One last push of about 450 vertical feet and I reached the summit.
![_MG_0088.jpg _MG_0088.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63602-a1bfe26ca34483b4cf2bd88e7cd3b809.jpg)
![_MG_3874.jpg _MG_3874.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63617-1a1a7fbbaf24800836df6e3a30cd8bf3.jpg)
The already impressive views became 360-degree amazing.
![_MG_0125.jpg _MG_0125.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63606-f91bf9d9721d938136e8f64579070e5f.jpg)
Here you can see the major landmarks to the north.
![_MG_3885.jpg _MG_3885.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63618-58396a353a0aa120b0809c7f9678f828.jpg)
To the west, Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park came into view. That's almost exactly 50 miles distant.
![_MG_0123.jpg _MG_0123.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63605-01e349f23515dcf87989c7f93d3ca480.jpg)
Using the telephoto, you can make out Baker and the Lehman Caves Road through the haze.
![_MG_0095.jpg _MG_0095.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63604-9acf3a971db82c7e0e25107455ec10ea.jpg)
Between us ran the ribbon of Highway 6.
![_MG_0090.jpg _MG_0090.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63603-d6152cf748d9890f80f9a8157c567cf3.jpg)
To my back, eastward, sat the dusty bed of Sevier Lake. Like the Great Salt Lake, it is a remnant of Lake Bonneville. It occupies an endorheic basin, where water has no outlet to the sea.
![_MG_0118-Pano-small.jpg _MG_0118-Pano-small.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63625-10937d51e30b7ecfa7dcedbf35ca6917.jpg)
Edging a toe up to the brink of the precipice, the sinking sensation returned to my gut.
![_MG_3859.jpg _MG_3859.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63623-cb478810046001fd87a7236dcedf60e6.jpg)
Noon had come and gone. I returned to the trailhead, the hike down taking about an hour less than the one going uphill.
Nearby, I paused to check out this old mine adit.
![_MG_3886.jpg _MG_3886.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63619-30d3f99c890a29df50681895de3a2c40.jpg)
![_MG_3901.jpg _MG_3901.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63620-17b0dfaafde072f8cfb00ae21451f0cf.jpg)
![_MG_3913.jpg _MG_3913.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/63/63621-ed51f08748bc220aec8afa134ea6fbc8.jpg)
The 2,600 of vertical over 7.5 miles left my winter legs quite sore for a day or two. Those views though...
Last edited: