Trip report
Jul 22, 2019 — I should first note that this Box Elder Peak is not to be confused with the more interesting Wasatch 11er, Box Elder Peak, farther south. Why two high-prominence peaks in the same valley have the same name, I don't know, but this is also the area where there are three sets of Twin Peaks, so perhaps the Mormons were too busy naming all their kids to come up with good names for peaks. Anyway, I wanted to get both Wellsville Cone and Box Elder Peak while I was in the Wellsville Mountains. There are four trailheads that lead to these peaks' summits: Deep Canyon (the longest), Coldwater Canyon, Rattlesnake Canyon, and Maple Bench (this route). I included the map I found at the trailhead below, as well as my attached track. Ample research led me to believe that all four trails would involve some bushwhacking, so I took the one that seemed most promising.
Starting from the Maple Bench Trailhead, the trail was actually in good shape. It passed a small pond and then began steeply up the east slopes of the range. It was mostly forgettable stuff, but I was glad to not encounter much bushwhacking just yet. Tight switchbacks followed a steep spine for a bit, and then the brush began encroaching within the last half mile of Stewart Pass (the ridgeline). The trail was still easy to follow, but there was so much overgrowth that moving at any reasonable pace wasn't happening. I'd almost call this section Class 2 because of weed-pulling, root support, and stabilization to avoid slipping off the cliff, but not quite.
Eventually, I made it to Stewart Pass and continued south through the grassy meadow typical to northern Wasatch ridgelines up to Wellsville Cone. From this summit, I backtracked a tiny bit and located the trail that would go farther south to Box Elder Peak. From Box Elder Peak, I noted the direction the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail would have come from, and the Maple Bench Trail seemed more interesting. I returned the way I came.