Trip report
Jun 9, 2023 — The Drum Mountains are a small cluster of peaks in Utah's West Desert. There's apparently some debate and legend regarding the range's etymology. Apparently an actual drumming noise can be heard due to barometric pressure changes pushing air through caves in the mountains, though this is just a theory. Others say the peaks simply look like drums. Whatever the case, this range is far from everything and it seems little research is done about this so-called legend. Really, I was just interested in hiking to the high point.
To reach the trailhead, go southwest from the highway here (39.62489, -112.95735). Keep right here (39.59679, -112.99391) and then make a quick left here (39.59592, -112.99743). Until this point the road was excellent, but it then becomes a bit more rocky and I recommend good tires, plus decent clearance later on. I parked where I did because I might have bottomed out on a large rock if I went farther. The road continued in decent shape a little longer, but I probably would have stopped shortly after anyway. Burlier vehicles can get a bit higher, reducing this already short hike even more.
I hiked along the old road to a junction, where I kept left and continued to its end. There seem to be two standard options for reaching the summit from here. The first is to follow a major drainage leading northeast, while the other is to take a steep, direct ridgeline leading east. I opted to ascend through the drainage, initially wide and rocky. As it bent east, the drainage narrowed and brush became a little annoying. When the brush and rocky drainage became not worth the effort, I decided to just head up the steep slope on the left to gain Drum Mountain High Point's west ridge. From here there was some light rockiness and barely Class 2 scrambling to the summit.
I trusted previous Peakbaggers who used hand levels to determine the northern summit is higher, so I didn't continue to the southern one with a large cairn on it. The views are overall just of the sweeping Great Basin Desert, the surrounding peaks too far away to be of much note. Part of me wants to return to the area since the peaks to the south of the high point looked pretty, but it's such a drive to get out here I don't know if that'll happen.
For my descent I decided to take the other standard route, the direct east ridge. Along the way the ridge has a Class 2 hump I needed to go up and over. Past here was the main descent, a steep and not all that fun undertaking, though taking this high road meant better views when compared to the drainage ascent route.