Little Shelly Peak in Fishlake National Forest, UT

Hike Little Shelly Peak Fishlake National Forest, UT

Class 2 7.8 miles 2800 gain 3-5 hrs Out + Back Sep 24, 2024
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Little Shelly Peak GPX Track

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I'm not sure why I felt so rough today, but my slower pace allowed me to enjoy what turned out to be peak Utah foliage, an unexpected treat. Today, I was hiking to Little Shelly Peak on the west side of the Tushar Mountains, an area I had never explored. The access road to Manderfield Reservoir was in excellent condition. I parked at the Indian Creek Trailhead and started north along Cove Creek Trail #054.

After a brief walk on singletrack, the trail entered the remains of an old roadbed. Logs had been methodically placed to cover most of the road, a significant effort clearly aimed at narrowing the double track into a trail. The path gradually wound through dense stands of aspens at the base of Little Shelly. I could see some of the hoodoos higher up that I would soon view up close. The Cove Creek Trail led me along a couple of switchbacks to the ridgeline. The valley below was lit up by bright orange aspens.

Once on the ridge crest, the trail headed west toward Peak 9862. It became a little tricky to follow but did not require any real bushwhacking. The view back toward Mount Belknap and Mount Baldy offered a unique perspective toward the taller Tushar Mountains. Little Shelly Peak rose up ahead, separated by a small cirque lined with hoodoos of various colors. These hoodoos clung to the face of Peak 9862, and although Little Shelly Peak is the named destination, this unnamed lump steals the show with its dramatically eroded south face, unlike anything else I've seen in the Tushars.

The trail follows the rim above the hoodoos but does not reach the summit of Peak 9862, and I was surprised to realize that sticking to the trail would result in not even getting to see the best hoodoos viewpoints. Fortunately the plan was to leave the trail here anyway and climb the steep, minimally vegetated slope to reach this minor summit. The bushwhacking intensified along the ridge to Little Shelly Peak, and more than once I earned a gash from low manzanita, though this is likely because I stayed close to the rim to enjoy the stunning views of the hoodoos below. There may be a way to avoid these scrapes and make the hike easier on the skin.

At the base of Little Shelly Peak, I started up a steep, forested slope. The last few hundred feet to the summit introduced the typical Tushar scree, though only a short section was particularly steep. The summit views were excellent, especially looking back at the hoodoos on Peak 9862's face and down toward Manderfield Reservoir. The taller summits of the Tushar Mountains stood on the skyline, rising above a sea of orange leaves.

I highly recommend returning the way you came, as the trail is in great condition and the scenery is gorgeous. I was feeling really rough and didn’t want to exert the extra effort to regain Peak 9862, so I opted for a more adventurous route, descending Little Shelly Peak's eastern slope and gambling that the bushwhacking wouldn't be too intense. Overall it wasn't bad, large sections of young aspen groves and downed logs interspersed with portions of open terrain. I may have been fortunate with my route choice, as other slopes or ridges could be worse. I excluded this descent from my map and stats, assuming you'd prefer to do this hike as an out-and-back. However, I did include my descent route in my GPX files if you're interested.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Peak 9862
9862 ft
415 rise
2
Little Shelly Peak
9893 ft
502 rise

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Indian Creek Trailhead.
Indian Creek Trailhead.
Hiking along Cove Creek Trail #054.
Hiking along Cove Creek Trail #054.
Cove Creek Trail.
Cove Creek Trail.
Significant effort to turn this from doubletrack into singletrack.
Significant effort to turn this from doubletrack into singletrack.
Beautiful fall colors on my way up the Cove Creek Trail.
Beautiful fall colors on my way up the Cove Creek Trail.
View back.
View back.
I'm headed to the ridgeline seen above.
I'm headed to the ridgeline seen above.
Ascending out of the valley and up the slope.
Ascending out of the valley and up the slope.
Gorgeous view back down into the valley and the taller Tushar Mountains seen poking out.
Gorgeous view back down into the valley and the taller Tushar Mountains seen poking out.
Little Shelly Peak seen above.
Little Shelly Peak seen above.
Almost to the ridge crest.
Almost to the ridge crest.
At the ridge crest, view back down. Mount Baldy seen top left.
At the ridge crest, view back down. Mount Baldy seen top left.
Along the trail following the ridgeline.
Along the trail following the ridgeline.
View back. I came up from the slope on the right somewhere.
View back. I came up from the slope on the right somewhere.
Little Shelly Peak ahead.
Little Shelly Peak ahead.
Cool eroded pinnacles.
Cool eroded pinnacles.
The trail leads partly up Peak 9862.
The trail leads partly up Peak 9862.
View back as I make more progress along the trail.
View back as I make more progress along the trail.
View back as I make more progress along the trail.
View back as I make more progress along the trail.
Wider shot higher up just before leaving the trail. I came up the valley seen center.
Wider shot higher up just before leaving the trail. I came up the valley seen center.
Off-trail to the summit of Peak 9862.
Off-trail to the summit of Peak 9862.
Pinnacles on the face of Peak 9862.
Pinnacles on the face of Peak 9862.
Little Shelly Peak seen ahead along the ridgeline.
Little Shelly Peak seen ahead along the ridgeline.
View back down from Peak 9862.
View back down from Peak 9862.
Another view toward Little Shelly Peak, cool hoodoos in the foreground.
Another view toward Little Shelly Peak, cool hoodoos in the foreground.
Close-up of the hoodoos, Belknap and Baldy in the distance.
Close-up of the hoodoos, Belknap and Baldy in the distance.
View back toward Peak 9862 as I continued along the ridgeline.
View back toward Peak 9862 as I continued along the ridgeline.
Easier hiking farther along, Little Shelly Peak ahead.
Easier hiking farther along, Little Shelly Peak ahead.
View back at the hoodoos.
View back at the hoodoos.
Approaching the base of Little Shelly Peak.
Approaching the base of Little Shelly Peak.
Light scrambling up Little Shelly Peak.
Light scrambling up Little Shelly Peak.
View back toward Peak 9862.
View back toward Peak 9862.
Nearing the summit.
Nearing the summit.
Little Shelly Peak summit, view toward the taller Tushars, and Manderfield Reservoir below. That's near the trailhead I started from.
Little Shelly Peak summit, view toward the taller Tushars, and Manderfield Reservoir below. That's near the trailhead I started from.

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Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!