Twin Peaks

Specific Area Information

Location: North Central Utah, adjacent to Salt Lake City, Utah
USGS Quad: Sugarhouse, Mount Aire, Draper and Dromedary Peak
Difficulty: Moderate to severe with elevations from just under 5,000 feet to over 11,000 feet. Trails are easy to follow, but may cross extremely rough terrain at high elevations.
Use: Light to heavy, especially heavy on weekends and near lakes.
Weather: Summer temperatures can range from near 90 degrees in the daytime to below 40 degrees at night. Occasional summer thunderstorms can be expected.

About the Area

The Twin Peak Wilderness was established by Congress in 1984 with the passage of the Utah Wilderness Act. Located within the central Wasatch range, the Twin Peaks Wilderness consists of approximately 11,796 acres and is generally bounded on the north by Big Cottonwood Canyon, on the south by Little Cottonwood Canyon, on the west by the Salt Lake Valley, and on the east by Mineral Fork of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

The Twin Peak Wilderness provides a spectacular backdrop for the Salt Lake Valley and is dominated by rugged terrain, narrow canyons, and high peaks, including Twin Peaks, Superior Peak, and Dromedary Peak. The geologic structure of the area is varied and complex, consisting of granitoid rock masses and several sedimentary formations. Carving of the present alpine topography is due to glaciation with erosion the current dominant force in the land sculpturing process. Much of the higher elevation is alpine, characterized by large, open cirque basins, and exposed rocky ridges. A few small natural and reservoired lakes add to the scenic beauty.

Vegetation includes dense mountain brush mixed with sagebrush and grass. Patches of various firs and aspen are common in isolated patches on north facing slopes. Snow remains in some areas until mid-summer.

Twin Peaks Wilderness is heavily used by just about everybody. It covers two drainages, Mill B South (Lake Blanche) and Broads Fork, with the Mill B South area being the most popular. Many hike Broads Fork in route to Twin Peaks, while Mill B South is visited for its lakes. As in the Red Pine area, the three small lakes attract an inordinate amount of campers and hikers who must also obey watershed regulations. Needless to say, a hike to Lake Blanche during the weekend may bring over 75-100 public contacts, several of which will be large groups. The Boy Scouts regularly use both the Twin Peaks and Lone Peak Widernesses for backpacking training trips.

To preserve and protect the physical and aesthetic environment, National Forest wilderness areas are closed to motor vehicles, mechanized equipment, hang gliders, and bicycles. In addition, parts of this wilderness lay within the culinary watershed for Salt Lake County and special restrictions concerning camping, swimming, and domestic animals apply. Please help protect wilderness for future generations by learning and practicing "No-Trace" camping and hiking techniques.

The following acts are prohibited in the Twin Peaks Wilderness Area: Group sizes exceeding 10 persons, camping within 200 feet of lakes, streams, springs, or other water sources, camping within 200 feet of trails, camping for more than 3 days at one site, short cutting a trail switchback, and disposing of garbage, debris, or other waste. No open fires are allowed in the Mill B South Fork (Lake Blanche) drainage within the Twin Peaks Wilderness.

For further information contact the Salt Lake Ranger District
at (801) 733-2660