Delano

September 25, 2015

The highest peak in the Tushar's is also the most visited,  and rightfully so.   With unbeatable views,  a trailhead only 20 miles from Beaver, and the fact that your hard working car delivers you to 10,500 feet above sea level,  the final 1600 feet of climb are yours to earn and test your determination.   I will describe two different routes to the top, the first one being shorter but higher to climb, and the second begins 700 feet higher but lengthens the hike by half a mile.   I call the first one "Tween da Creeks" (trail # 224) because it ascend  the ridgeline north of Griffith's Creek and just south of Poison  Creek.   The second hike takes off just above Mud Lake, where you start out on a closed out road and wander east/southeast atop the ridgeline with Delano in plain site the whole time.   In excellent weather, with plenty of daylight, and being reasonably fit,  a person can do either route round trip in 2.5 hours.  Caution must be excercized when hiking at this elevation any time of year, but especially as we dive deeper into fall.  Dress more than "warm enough", you can always shed a layer.  Wind is viscious up there and when you're wet with sweat, cold comes quickly.  Being  completely above treeline, you can become easily disoriented if visibility decreases due to fog, blowing rain/snow or darkness.   Altitude sickness is real and you WILL notice your quick fatigue just minutes from your car!  Take lots of breaks and occasionally tell your partner how your feeling.   Should stormy weather move in, know when to turn around because the high mountain roads get slick fast, your a long way from help,  and your chances of injury skyrocket when trails are cold, muddy, and slick.   This hike isn't scary, like summiting Baldy or Belknap,  you just need to understand the dangers, go prepared, and be smart about when to hike here and when not to.  

For the "Tween da Creeks" version, drive to mm 16 up Beaver Canyon (ST HWY 153), take a left on FR 123, reset your odometer here and proceed cautiously up the dirt road for 5.5 miles.  Both Griffith's and Poison Creek have year round flowing water and both have name signs where you drive through them.  The parking areas here are limited, but between 5.5 and 5.6 on your odometer,  there's 3 or 4 spots wide enough to park and the trail simply heads up and east from here.  If you can't figure out where to start hiking, go to poison creek, come back 1/3 mile and there's a steep left hand bend in the road with clear views to the west.  Climb east up onto the first flat spot and you'll see some signage and cairns.  Next, you'll recognize a repeating pattern of dips and humps dug in an old road, obliterated because it was way too steep for this fragile alpine environment.   This pattern goes half way to the top, then peters out, becoming just a narrow tread which can be hard to spot in places.  Very near the top there's no tread and no cairns, but don't despair, just keep heading up and east and you will get there!  From car to summit is 1.6 miles.   The reason I prefer this route is because you can't see the summit at all, till your there.  It's like just believing it's up there and moving ever toward the goal,  when you finally see the summit sign(installed by Eagle Scout Braden Willden, Thanks!)  it is an emotional release where the pain in your legs disappears, your breath is caught, and it feels like you just float those last 300 feet over to the mailbox to enter your name, like a Winner.  Then a little view appreciation is in order.  To the west, Wheeler Peak in NV and Indian Peak, just beyond the Wah Wahs.   To the south, Pine Valley Mtns. and Brian Head.  To the southeast, Mt. Dutton and Powell Point, the pink outcropping just north of Bryce Cyn.  To the east, the broad, flat, Boulder Mtn above the Aquarias Plateau near Capital Reef Nat'l Park.  Richfield and Molly's Nipple to the northeast.  And finally, to the north, when the air is clear, Mt Nebo can be seen 120 miles away!  That's nearly a third of Utah visible from this alter at 12,169 feet above the sea!  Easy to see why hundreds of people each summer want to tackle Delano.

For the "Seeing Is Believing" route, drive past Poison Creek, climb up past Mud lake and at the second hairpin turn there's a locked gate on a closed road which heads south.  Park your vehicle here, walk the closed road to a vacant flat pad where a big communications building once stood, then follow a thin vague foot trail southeasterly.   Because Delano's summit is clearly visible to the south, it's hard to get lost.  With the days getting shorter, be careful to leave enough light for a safe return and always carry a headlamp in your pack!   This route is 2.1 miles one way and does have some steep spots, but isn't a mile long staircase, like the "Tween da Creeks".  Before the snow flies, don't just get "Into the Tushar's", get "On Top of the Tushar's!"