Ultra-Climb: Signal Peak (Pine Valley Mtns.)

It's about 7,000 vertical feet from the Leeds Exit on Interstate 15 to Signal Peak atop the Pine Valley Mountains in southwestern Utah. For me, getting to the top and back equated to an 18 mile (round trip)/3,100-vertical-foot bike ride and a 10 mile/4,300-vertical-foot hike. Whew.

I tried to limit the timer shots, and was able to complete the round trip in under 7 hours.  Aside from a couple of people camping at Oak Grove, a saw just one hiking group of three girls on the mountain all day. The weather could not have been better considering that is was late November.

Early approach up the Oak Grove Road from Leeds. The main Pine Valley escarpment lies ahead.

Oak Grove Campground. I was shocked to see that this Forest Service campground at 6500 feet was still open.

Oak Grove trailhead. Only 5 more brutal miles to go to the top.

Gaining elevation fast on the Oak Grove Trail.

The rugged east face of the Pine Valley Mountains.

A rare flat section heading up to the rim.

Great views of the Kolob Terrace and Zion National Park present themselves from the 10,000-foot rim of the Pine Valley Mountains.

Sublime singletrack in the Further Water meadows.

Final snowy push to the top.

Lunch on Signal Peak at 10,365 feet. Signal Peak itself is not terribly impressive as it it just a jumble of rocks that stick up slightly higher than the surrounding the 10,000-foot plateau.

But, if you walk to the southwest a hundred yards or so, you reach the rim and are treated to colossal views of the desert below.  The red rocks here are part of Snow Canyon State Park.

The best part of an ultra-climb is when you get back to the bottom and look back at the top of mountain that you just conquered!