Hike Mount Baldy, Black Mountain, High Top, Heliotrope Mountain Loop Manti-La Sal National Forest, UT

Mount Baldy, Black Mountain, High Top, and Heliotrope Mountain are a cluster of mesa-like peaks that reside in the southern region of the Wasatch Plateau. I was first attracted to them after seeing their weird forms on a topo map and then inspecting more closely via satellite imagery. Their white-capped eroded cliffs seemed really interesting, so I contrived a route that would visit all four peaks. There are roads all around their bases, so you could probably cut off a few miles of hiking if you'd prefer to get in and out of your car, but I was hoping to spend a few hours hiking a good-sized loop and the short spurts of road walking had nice enough views that I ultimately didn't mind.

To reach the trailhead, don't follow Google. Instead, navigate along one of the well-graded dirt roads leading up to Skyline Drive. I used Road 0022, suitable for any vehicle, and parked at a big pull-out at Twelve Mile Flats Campground. You could choose to start at any number of places on my route, since the loop crosses a bunch of roads. I started where I did because I wasn't sure if the north side of Mount Baldy would allow any sort of reasonable descent, so this peak became first on the itinerary since it was the determining factor of whether this loop would even work out. Plus, Twelve Mile Flats has a bathroom.

I set out from the campground and headed west, following a fenceline for a bit, and then ascended the steep and grassy west slope of Mount Baldy. At the top of this slope, a second tier of the mesatop came into view, a brightly-colored and miserably steep-looking slope. Fortunately, an animal trail aided in getting me up more easily. I followed the eastern rim to take in the nice views of the peaks to come and then scampered through a little field to reach the summit, where I got a great view of Musinia Peak in the distance. Now I needed to find a way down.

I made my way to the northernmost point of the Mount Baldy mesatop and noted a short Class 2/3 slope to get off the rim. It's really not even much of a scramble, just steep and loose. You might be able to locate a slightly better option just left of where I descended, but this worked well enough for me. I basically slid down some scree and dirt and was quickly on tamer ground below. I kind of expected a bushwhack for the next section, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the terrain was pretty clear, just steep and muddy. Rather than stick to the forested northern ridgeline, I chose to descend into an open drainage just to the right of the ridge. I can't say if the ridge would have been better, but I was able to locate an animal trail that took me basically all the way down to the road below, the only hassles being a downed tree here and there and some lightly encroaching greenery that wouldn't be there in less lush months. I did slip and fall a couple of times on the muddy, steep slope.

I hiked the road (0022, the same road I drove in on) north for a bit, my next goal being Black Mountain, clearly visible ahead. 6 Mile Road (0047) would take me to the eastern slope of the peak, but to save time by not hiking a large road switchback, I started up a grassy slope with some minor bushwhacking. I then stuck to 0047, hoping that I could locate a trail that was marked on a topo map, but this trail definitely doesn't exist anymore. My backup plan was to continue along the road until nearly the saddle above, but turn left when I saw the old remains of doubletrack, now grown over almost completely. These old road remains led me west to the base of Black Mountain. It might be tempting to just ascend the slope directly, but I recommend getting to the very end of the ridge, where the grade is a lot less steep and there are minimal trees and brush. There was even a hint of an animal trail some of the way up. Some Class 2/3 about halfway up on a little rock outcropping added some fun, and then a grassy slope continued to the narrowing ridge crest. The views back were excellent. I could see Twelve Mile Flats (where I parked) and all the peaks I had planned for the day. And then I was completely amazed by what came next, a narrow and glorious lightly-colored ridge leading to the summit. Stumbling on a feature like this felt almost too cool to be real. A social/animal trail led along the crest, and I noted that I chose well by coming from along the ridge. Had I attempted to come up from the northeast I might have been shut down by the bad slope. Nothing along the ridge exceeds easy Class 2 along this section, and I soon found myself at the summit of Black Mountain, a mesatop with obscured views.

I backtracked from Black Mountain and returned to its shared saddle with my next summit, High Top. High Top is usually accessed by driving along Skyline Drive, and there's even a wooden marker at its summit that reads "highest point on the Skyline Drive". Coming from the west, there was no road. I'd have to ascend the steepest portion of the day and I actually wasn't anticipating this section to be as much work as it ended up being. Initially the slope was grassy and had occasional downed trees, but as it steepened, more deadfall and brush slowed me down. There was even a cliff band that required a Class 3 move, though you might be able to find a way around it if you take a different route up this slope. The final few hundred feet to reach Skyline Drive were back to being a nice grassy slope, and then I simply hiked along the road, now headed south. I passed over High Top, taking in the nice views in all directions.

Skyline Drive was actually a nice hike despite the occasional vehicle driving by. There's one big switchback in the road that I was able to avoid by taking a Class 2 shortcut and continuing south. At around 10300' I reached a road junction, keeping left so I could access Heliotrope Mountain. The road ended abruptly below Heliotrope Mountain's ridgeline, and I couldn't quickly locate a way up. However, a pretty well-defined social trail leads east, switchbacking up what would otherwise be unpleasant scree. Once along the ridgeline, I headed southeast along the mostly clear mesatop, wrapping around the occasional clump of trees. Suddenly all trees disappeared and I was awarded a view of gorgeous, sweeping tundra. Heliotrope Mountain's summit was visible in the distance. I frolicked through the wildflowers, enjoying the basicaly flat hiking with 360 degree views as I made my way to the peak. A short Class 2 slope got me to the final ridge crest, which was littered with brightly-colored boulders, and I made my way up to the high point. Absolutely gorgeous area.

I backtracked along nearly the entire hike along Heliotrope Mountain's north ridge, then dropped west along the steep slope since Twelve Mile Flats and my car were visible just below. There were hints of a trail, but not enough to attempt to follow it. Instead, I just picked the path of least resistance and made my way down to a fence. This was part of the same fenceline I had used at the start of my hike, so I followed it for a while until all brush cleared away and I could hike through a meadow back to my car.